Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Hermon Mehari’s solo debut album Bleu will be released on March 17.

*Joe Klopus examines the week’s jazz events for The Kansas City Star.

*Project H is on the lineup of NextBop’s “Jazz For the Masses” party in Austin.

*A blogger shared a wishlist of compatible artists capable of attracting the large audiences that would justify the $50-per-day entry fee of the American Jazz Museum’s forthcoming festival.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Roach Ellington- SHAME on KC JAZZ folks lying on Janelle Monae

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar has been updated for March.

*From a press release: The University of Kansas School of Music presents the 40th Annual KU Jazz Festival concerts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 in Woodruff Auditorium at the Kansas Union. This year’s featured guest artist is guitarist Anthony Wilson… The March 3 concert features Wilson with the award-winning KU Jazz Ensemble I and the KU Jazz Festival All-Star Band… The March 4 concert will present Wilson in a small group setting, including leading a KU/Kansas City-based version of the acclaimed Anthony Wilson Nonet. KU faculty members Matt Otto, T.J. Martley, Danny Embrey, Jeff Harshbarger and Brandon Draper and graduate teaching assistant Chuck MacKinnon will perform with the nonet, along with Kansas City musicians Brett Jackson, Marcus Lewis and Zak Pischnotte. Opening the concert will be the Matt Otto Combo, the top small group within the KU Jazz Studies Program… Tickets for each concert are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $10 with a KU ID.

*From a press release: In their most recent project, Save Art has partnered with instrument builder Mike Corrigan and members of the New Orleans jazz community to produce a first-of-its-kind trumpet handcrafted with materials sourced from building affected by natural disasters, gentrification and housing redevelopment projects in New Orleans… The trumpet will begin a nationwide museum tour kicking off in Kansas City, the home of the American Jazz Museum.  Corrigan discussed the project with a television personality.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)