Now's the Time: Brandon Draper

At the risk of sounding like a jazz Pollyanna, I'll confess to being astounded and delighted that so many forward-thinking young musicians are currently based in Kansas City. Momentarily ignoring the fact that there's not much of an audience for the music, it's easy to believe that this moment represents an artistic rebirth, if not a full-blown renaissance, for Kansas City jazz. This fresh footage features drummer Brandon Draper leading keyboardist John Brewer, saxophonist Rich Wheeler, trumpeter Hermon Mehari and bassist Ben Leifer at a session at Jardine's.