Now's the Time: Beck, Bela and Blanchard

Rare is the night in Kansas City that doesn't have at least a couple attractive options for jazz fans. The choices on Saturday, April 16, however, represent an embarrassment of riches. Just the "B"s alone are stunning. Guitarist Jeff Beck (his 1975 fusion album Blow by Blow remains a guilty pleasure) appears at the Uptown Theater, banjoist Bela Fleck plays with Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer at the Carlsen Center and trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard performs with his band at the Gem Theater. (Joe Klopus offers a preview of Blanchard's concert.) Take that, New York City!