Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson are among the jazz musicians who will perform at the White House on April 29.

*Deborah Brown’s most recent appearance at the Blue Room was documented by KC Jazz Lark.

*An audio component has been added to KCUR’s review of Matt Otto’s Soliloquy.

*The University of Kansas Jazz Ensemble I will perform in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on April 12.  Directed by Dan Gailey, the students bill be joined by Kansas City based musicians including Deborah Brown, Matt Otto, Danny Embrey, Jeff Harshbarger and Brandon Draper.  The program will be reprised at the Lied Center in Lawrence on Sunday, April 24.

*Joe Klopus previewed concerts featuring Branford Marsalis and Christian McBride.  The Pitch also recommends McBride’s appearance.

*Matt Otto was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*Mike Dillon's Functioning Broke, an album that "finds Dillon alone on vibraphone, mallet instruments and various percussion," will be released on April 29 by Royal Potato Family.

*A critic for The New York Times panned the Apollo Theater debut of the opera "Charlie Parker's Yardbird."

*The lineup of the 2016 edition of the Iowa City Jazz Festival includes the Vijay Iyer Trio and the Edmar Castaneda Trio.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Champian Fulton- Amazing & inspiring visit to the @americanjazzkc & negro league baseball museum. #JazzAppreciationMonth (photo with Charlie Parker’s plastic sax at the American Jazz Museum)

*From Jo Ann Daugherty: On Saturday April 16, KC’s own legendary jazz bass man, Bob Bowman, will be celebrating his 63rd birthday with a night of music at The Art Factory.  Joining him are special guests Chicago-based pianist Jo Ann Daugherty and drummer Ryan Bennett, both with strong musical KC roots.  This group of sympatico players rejoins forces after a stirring performance at the 18th & Vine Festival in this past October.

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

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)