Because every working jazz musician in town has a complicated schedule, Kessler uses different drummers for different gigs. That unusual percussion configuration was the result of a happy accident. Kessler’s band mates in Crossroads Quartet - pianist Andrew Ouellette, bassist Karl McComas-Reichl and drummer Brian Steever - are younger.Īnd Parallax, which features Wilder and Bill McKemy on bass and sousaphone, is powered by two drummers: Steever and Ryan Lee. “There’s also an instinctive element with Bob, Todd and Roger that’s very unique and very exciting and fun.” “There’s a generational connection there,” he says. Playground is a collaboration between three of Kessler’s longtime peers, pianist Roger Wilder, bassist Bob Bowman and Todd Strait. "Skywatcher" features three relatively new groups: Playground, Crossroads Quartet, and Parallax. He’s played delicate chamber music with guitarist Beau Bledsoe in an ensemble called Passport rearranged television theme songs in Stan Kessler’s TV paid tribute to the jazz great Horace Silver in HoraceScope joined the brass section of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and explored popular music of South America with Sons of Brasil. Kessler has achieved that balance in a multitude of contexts since he began honing his craft as a member of the Kansas City Youth Symphony in the late 1960s. “I try to play music that people will want to hear," he says, "but also that musicians want to play.” Poetic Imagery Stan Kessler is good enough to have made a living in jazz capitals like New York or Tokyo, but says he's not 'a big-city guy.'ĭuring his appearances at Kansas City venues such as the Blue Room and the Green Lady Lounge, he's careful not to compromise his art. But you still have to connect with people on an emotional level.” “Being a jazz player, there’s a lot of intellect involved. “I try to imagine that the person in the audience is hearing jazz for the first time and what would I want to hear if I was out there and never heard jazz before,” he explains. That’s a nifty trick for a jazz musician. “Art and the commercial aspect have to go together if you’re going to stay in the game.” “One of the reasons I’ve been successful is that I understood early on that you had to find a blend between what you want to do artistically and what people will enjoy listening to,” Kessler says. He has, after all, learned what it takes to maintain a busy schedule. He's seen a lot of ups and downs, but his new album, "Skywatcher," makes a career-defining statement, showcasing his formidable talent at the same time as it demonstrates the vitality of the regional scene. Kessler has played music in Kansas City for 40 years, serving as the jazz scene's crafty institutional memory and passionate conscience.
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