Join KPR host David Basse for a night of swingin' jazz tunes at the Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka on June 19 at Washburn University's White Concert Hall. Celebrate Juneteenth with a collection of music from Black female composers, featuring pianist Angela Ward, vocalists Angela Hagenbach and David Basse, and the City Light Jazz Orchestra.
On Monday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m., the Sunflower Music Festival at White Concert Hall, on the Washburn University campus, will welcome Kansas City’s popular City Light Jazz Orchestra back for Jazz Night. The orchestra, under the direction of pianist Angela Ward, will present A Tribute to Black Female Composers. “Last year’s jazz night was a huge success,” said Sunflower Music Festival’s Board Member Paul Post, “with the highest attendance of the 10-day event.” This year's Jazz Night, and all festival performances, are free and open to the public.
This year’s show takes listeners on a musical journey that includes compositions by trombonist Melba Liston, as well as singers Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Jazz Night will highlight the contributions of Black female composers, contributions that often went unnoticed in their lifetime because of a male-dominated and segregated world. Vocalists Angela Hagenbach and David Basse will perform music written by orchestra members and compositions that are by now apart of the fabric of the Great American Songbook.
Vocalist Angela Hagenbach will return for this year's Jazz Night. She has worked and recorded with such jazz greats as Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Russell Malone, and Frank Foster. Hagenbach has represented the United States twice as a Cultural Jazz Ambassador, and has performed at numerous festivals and concert halls around the world.
KPR jazz host, David Basse, has toured extensively and is a prominent voice in the world of jazz. He is a founding member of the cast of the nationally syndicated radio program 12th Street Jump, and has created Jazz with David Basse, distributed by Public Radio Exchange and heard regionally on Kansas Public Radio.
The Sunflower Music Festival is a 9-day annual series of concerts performed by top musicians, including classical orchestra, chamber music, and jazz. These performances are free and open to the public from June 16-24. More information about the festival is available at sunflowermusicfestival.org.