Artistic Director Clint Ashlock has announced the upcoming album release of In the Key of KC, Friday September 22, 2023, a project to commemorate the KCJO's twenty year anniversary. The official album release party will be held the following night, Saturday, September 23, at the Kauffman Center, kicking off the 2023-24 Signature Series, alongside guest vocalist Eboni Fondren.

 

KCJO's fourth studio presents, for the first time, an album of arrangements by current members of the ensemble, with all but one track an original composition. This approach allows the band to pay homage to the architects of the Kansas City sound from years past, while concurrently introducing new sonorities informed by the evolution of big band jazz in the 21st century.

 

 "At times, jazz is a measured balance of tradition and innovation. The former carries a lot of weight in the Kansas City jazz community, but with In The Key of KC, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra (KCJO) is paying homage to the past through the creation of new big band works. With “Moten Swing” as the only song from yesteryear, KCJO’s family of artists penned tunes that are steeped in the riffy, bluesy regional language and also reflective of the creative energy of today. As we move beyond the first twenty years of KCJO’s existence and into the next, the future is bright with possibilities of how Kansas City’s jazz tradition will continue to grow,” says Ashlock.

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Limited edition: ensure your vinyl copy by pre-ordering today.