Winterlude Jazz Festival

Live performances include Lynn Zimmer and Friends, Eddie Moore, Doug Talley Quartet, Ensemble Ibérica, and the Deborah Brown Quartet. These leaders in Kansas City jazz will lead up to the festival’s headliner, Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS: “New Orleans Songbook!”

Schedule

Saturday, February 15

• 1 p.m. Lynn Zimmer and Friends featuring pop music from the 1930s
• 2 p.m. Eddie Moore
• 3 p.m. 赌钱app可以微信提现 Jazz Ensemble (led by Ryan Heinlein)
• 4 p.m. Guest Lecture by Libby Hanssen
• 7:30 p.m. Deborah Brown Quartet – “My Journey”

Sunday, February 16

• 1 p.m. Doug Talley Quartet featuring the music of Cole Porter
• 2 p.m. Guest Lecture by James D. McGee Sr., Artist, Cultural Strategist, Educator, and Advocate for Black American Music
• 3 p.m. Olathe Northwest High School Raven Jazz I Band – Winner of the Winterlude High School Jazz Ensemble Competition
• 4 p.m. Ensemble Ibérica Quartet featuring jazz of Spain, South America, and Turkey
• 7 p.m. Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS: “New Orleans Songbook”

Bios

Lynn Zimmer and Friends

Jazz clarinetist Lynn Zimmer and his group play the music of early New Orleans jazz, plus many wonderful standards from the 1930s and '40s – the music of the “Great American Songbook.” Most recently, Zimmer and his group played at Dick Hawk's Gaslight Grill in Leawood for 11 consecutive years—five nights every week. Zimmer is the clarinetist with Kansas City's own New Red Onion Jazz Babies and the KC Dixieland Band.

Prior to that, he worked and toured with the famed Swing Era bandleader Clyde McCoy, Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band in San Francisco, and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Al Hirt in New Orleans. Along the way, he had the pleasure of playing many live performances with Nashville saxophonist/recording artist Boots Randolph.

Each member of the quartet has impressive credentials and decades of experience performing in Kansas City and across the country. Enjoy them as they perform the music of this Golden Era—from gentle, easy-listening tunes to blues, jazz, and swing!

Eddie Moore

Eddie Moore is a keyboardist whose music and creativity runs deep through his veins. He began his musical journey in Houston’s Third Ward, an area credited with some of the deepest roots in Black American Music. Moore earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Southern University and a master’s in jazz studies from UMKC. He is also a Jazz Lecturer at the University of Kansas. Moore has been credited as “Pulling Kansas City Jazz into the Future.” His music incorporates a myriad of styles, including R&B, Hip Hop, Neo Soul, and Rock all filtered through jazz. He seeks to share the common human experiences of love, loss, joy, and perseverance with every composition. Houston has produced some of the most innovative jazz musicians of the culture, whereas Kansas City has always been home to a more traditional sound. Join Eddie Moore in this transcendental journey of jazz.

赌钱app可以微信提现 Jazz Ensemble directed by Ryan Heinlein

Under the 赌钱app可以微信提现 Music Department and the direction of Ryan Heinlein, the 赌钱app可以微信提现 Jazz Band performs several free concerts throughout the year. Students also play at events around the metro area and participate in educational opportunities to play with professional musicians such as the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and Hanover Big Band. They've also participated in master classes with saxophonist Benny Golson, trumpeter Roger Ingram, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and trumpeter and composer Sean Jones. In 2023, they played at the Jazz Education Network conference in Orlando.

Dr. Ryan Heinlein is an Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music, Theater and Record Arts department at Johnson County Community College where he conducts the jazz and concert bands. He holds degrees in trombone performance from Wichita State University and the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ryan serves as the jazz education advisor to the Kansas Music Educators Association and is a highly sought after adjudicator and clinician.

Ryan remains an active performer around the Midwest. His versatility has allowed him to play with groups such as the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, the Marcus Lewis Big Band, The Northland Symphony, Michael Feinstein, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, the Buckinghams, the Four Tops, Making Movies, Ana Popovich, and Frankie Negron. Ryan is a Conn-Selmer endorsing artist.

Libby Hanssen

Originally from Indiana, Libby Hanssen is a writer based in Kansas. She is the author of States of Swing: The History of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, 2003-2023, and has written for KCUR 89.3 FM, 91.9 Classical KC, KC Studio, The Kansas City Star, The Pitch, and other publications. She earned degrees in trombone performance from Ball State University and UMKC Conservatory, with additional studies at Indiana University Jacob School of Music. She was also a Fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute at Columbia University. Libby maintains the culture blog Proust Eats a Sandwich.

Deborah Brown Quartet

Deborah Brown has been an artist since 1972. You can only imagine all the places she’s been, people she’s met, and experiences she’s had. For this performance, she’ll share her story of well-known jazz artists, her brief encounter with Michael Jackson, a dinner with Quincy Jones, and an evening with Mel Tormé. In between stories, the music of the American songbook will be featured with visiting Portland pianist George Colligan, who has recorded with Brown in New York (Songbird), bassist Ben Liefer, and drummer John Kizilarmut.

Since the early '90s, Colligan has worked with heavyweights of the genre such as Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Buster Williams, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Linda May Han Oh, and Jack DeJohnette, amongst many others. Liefer, a favorite artist in Kansas City, has been on the A-list and the first to receive a call for an engagement. Kizilarmut performs regularly with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and has released a recent recording at The Green Mill in Chicago.

Doug Talley Quartet

Doug Talley has performed with such jazz luminaries as Jay McShann, Clark Terry, Bob Mintzer, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Watson, Karrin Allyson, Byron Stripling, Ignacio Berroa, Ken Peplowski, Randy Brecker, Sean Jones, Scott Robinson, Gary Foster, and Wycliffe Gordon, among many others, and is a founding member of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. He is a familiar face throughout the Midwest as a jazz performer and educator, including many performances nationally and internationally.

Talley is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of North Texas. He is a recipient of the Kansas Governor’s Arts Award and the 2009 Johnson County Library Pinnacle Award for arts in education. His discography includes four recordings on the Sea Breeze label with the Trilogy and Boulevard Big Bands and five recordings with his own quartet, which includes “Night and Day: Musings on the Cole Porter Songbook.”

Cole Porter (1891 - 1964) was an American composer and songwriter credited with over 800 compositions. Many of his songs became American popular song standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in Hollywood films. Unlike many of his Tin Pan Alley colleagues, Porter wrote both the music and lyrics on most of his songs.

James D. McGee Sr.
Artist, Cultural Strategist, Educator, and Advocate for Black American Music

James D. McGee Sr. is a distinguished public speaker, cultural strategist, and advocate for Black American music, deeply connected to the historic 18th and Vine District in Kansas City.

As the senior manager of Strategic Community Partnerships & Events at the American Jazz Museum, McGee has championed initiatives that promote cultural awareness, cross-cultural understanding, and leadership development. His work has fostered meaningful community partnerships and engaged youth through innovative programs that bridge history, music, and social sciences.

For nearly a decade, McGee has served as creative director and program coordinator at the Mutual Musicians Foundation, one of the most significant landmarks in the preservation of jazz and Black American music. Under his leadership, the Foundation has elevated its global presence through events like International Jazz Day, mentorship programs, and culturally enriching experiences for young leaders. His ability to connect the rich history of jazz with contemporary cultural movements has made him a sought-after voice in discussions on music, heritage, and societal change.

In addition to his roles at the Museum and Foundation, McGee is the founder of Black Vine Worldwide Media Group, LLC, where he has spearheaded multimedia initiatives, community outreach, and youth-centric programming. His passion for empowering future generations is evident in his mentorship of young leaders, including his own son, who became a U.S. Department of State youth ambassador. This commitment reflects his belief in the transformative power of cultural exchange and global citizenship.

A graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and minors in Religious Studies and Mass Communications, McGee combines his academic grounding in the social sciences with a creative vision that amplifies the stories of Black America. His continued education in innovation and design thinking at Stanford University further underscores his ability to inspire and lead in diverse settings.

McGee has coordinated and managed numerous festivals and events that celebrate the vibrancy of Black culture, including Grub n Groove, the Soul Food Festival, and large-scale youth engagements. His efforts in the Historic 18th and Vine District have positioned him as a pivotal figure in preserving and reimagining the legacy of jazz as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy and social progress. Guided by his philosophy that "Our future state depends on the energy and vision of the youth and the strength and wisdom of the elders," McGee continues to advocate for the preservation and evolution of Black American music while mentoring the next generation of cultural leaders.

Olathe Northwest High School

Raven Jazz I is the most advanced jazz ensemble at Olathe Northwest High School. The students have a strong work ethic and a sincere passion for their jazz education. The group enjoys opportunities to study and perform a wide variety of styles and has a mission of inspiring their peers and audiences to find enthusiasm for jazz music.

Ensemble Ibérica

Beau Bledsoe performs and records classical music, jazz, and folkloric music from around the world, seeking to integrate different musical cultures with new audiences. His interest in exploring new repertoire, cultures, and programming ideas has led to the creation of a large body of arrangements, transcriptions, and compositions for solo guitar and chamber music.

Bledsoe has worked extensively with the Guthrie Theater of Minneapolis, the Bach Aria Soloists, Owen/Cox Dance Group, and the Kansas City Ballet. He is the founder and director of the Turkish jazz ensemble Alaturka and the independent record label Tzigane, which is home to 20 of Bledsoe’s recorded projects and many other fine artists.

In 2014, he founded Ensemble Ibérica, a group that performs the music of Ibéria (Spain and Portugal) and the colonial Americas, while educating the public about Iberian cultural influence. In May 2023, Ensemble Ibérica performed at Carnegie Hall to a sold-out audience.

Through his many diverse projects and ensembles, Bledsoe has had the great fortune of performing in almost every state in the country. Additionally, he has toured extensively in Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Turkey, and Russia. His recording, “Yalnız by Alaturka,” received 4.5 stars and was named one of the Best Albums of 2013 by Downbeat Magazine.

Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS: “New Orleans Songbook”

Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS brings the soul of New Orleans and the spirit of Mardi Gras to this amazing evening, celebrating the composers and inspired songs of the Crescent City, the historic epicenter of jazz. From Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong to Ellis Marsalis and James Black, New Orleans has long been an apex of innovation and inspiration. Led by pianist Luther S. Allison and vocalists Quiana Lynell and Milton Suggs, “New Orleans Songbook” immerses audiences in the captivating and timeless spirit of this vibrant city.

For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries.

Get tickets to "New Orleans Songbook"