Jammin' at the Gem: The (Likely) 2010-11 Lineup

As we bloggers and writers gathered in The Blue Room following last Friday’s Rhythm and Ribs press conference, our most pressing question for American Jazz Museum officials was:

Who’s playing in the Jammin’ at the Gem series?

It worked. Yesterday afternoon, they told us.

For those who don’t know, Jammin’ at the Gem is the museum’s fall/winter/spring concert series at the 18th and Vine district’s Gem Theater, the perfect jazz lover’s complement to the Folly Theater’s long-standing and similarly timed jazz series.

Not all contracts are signed yet, so the schedule is subject to change. But assuming no hiccups happen, the lineup will be:

Saturday, November 6, 2010 — Branford Marsalis Quartet

Saturday, January 22, 2011 — Dave Holland Quartet

Friday, February 4, 2011 — Bobby Watson and Horizon

Friday, March 25, 2011 — Dianne Reeves

Saturday, April 16, 2011 — Terence Blanchard

Saturday, May 21, 2011 — Jonathan Butler

That's a schedule full of well-known names and exceptional talent. Add in the Folly’s much-stronger-than-last-season schedule (on their web site here, and blogger Plastic Sax's evaluation here), next month’s Prairie Village Jazz Fest (main page here, and performer videos here) and the Rhythm and Ribs Fest (discussed on this blog here), and, well, don’t tell me there’s no jazz in Kansas City.

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Speaking of Rhythm and Ribs, one easy early ticket source I overlooked in Friday’s post is Ticketmaster, right here. Tickets for the October 9th fest are $18 until 10 p.m. October 8th and $25 thereafter.