Let the spirit of Christmas inspire with music from Wynton Marsalis, KC Symphony, more
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis says that when he was growing up in New Orleans, Christmas meant gifts and toys and freezing weather, which, for New Orleans, was temperatures in the 30s. But mostly, “Christmas was always about the songs.” Marsalis will bring the songs to the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland on Dec. 5 when the Harriman-Jewell Series presents Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in “Big Band Holidays.”
“Being from a family of musicians, I was always aware of all the fantastic songs,” Marsalis said. “And all the TV shows. We didn’t have a million stations, so, you know, different shows like ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ or the Grinch would come on. Those kind of things.
“Now, as an adult, Christmas means, how are you going to take care of everybody and make sure everybody is happy. That’s what Christmas means as an adult.”
Marsalis and his merry band of musicians always make their audience happy when they start blowing their horns. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra puts on an exhilarating show and this year they’ll be joined by two vocalists.
“We have Denzal Sinclaire and Alexis Morrast on the program,” Marsalis said. “Alexis is a teenager and Denzel, well I’m not going to give his age away, but he’s not a teenager. So we have a range of generations, which is what we like to do at Jazz at Lincoln Center: Bring all the generations and a diversity of people together around the common cause of playing.”
Marsalis says that the orchestra’s music director, Marcus Printup, also has extensive experience as a church musician, so the program will be a mix of the sacred and secular.
“This show will have a bent toward the kind of celebratory spirit of Christmas feeling,” he said. “It will probably be a little different from the other shows we’ve done. So there will be the traditional songs that you hear, like ‘Silent Night,’ ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are,’ but we have some other ones you haven’t heard like ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?’ and ‘All I Want for Christmas are My Two Front Teeth,’ so we have some funny ones, too.”
Marsalis, who has made several appearances on the Harriman-Jewell Series, says that he’s always happy to return to Kansas City, which he considers an important city in the history of jazz.
“Kansas City is unimpeachable,” he said. “Just think of all the great musicians who came out of KC. If it were only Charlie Parker, that would be enough, but there were so many great musicians like Count Basie and his orchestra and all of the boogie-woogie that was being played in Kansas City. And the riff style, which Jay McShann’s band represented. Even now with Bobby Watson. Bobby is still holding it down. The tradition continues.”
7:30 p.m. Dec. 5. Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland 1228 Main St. $37-$92. 816-415-5025 or www.hjseries.org.
Kansas City Ballet — The Nutcracker
Devon Carney’s dazzling “The Nutcracker” returns to delight audiences young and old for 22 performances beginning Dec. 5 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
“Nutcracker” has had countless iterations over the years, from Mark Morris’s boomer “Nutcracker” set in 1960s America to last year’s overblown Disney film version “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” Carney hews to tradition while incorporating technological razzle-dazzle for a “Nutcracker” that has wide appeal and lots of surprises.
Dec. 5 through 24. Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $34-$134. 816-931-8993 or www.kcballet.org.
Kansas City Symphony — Messiah
It’s “Messiah” season, and Kansas City has many offerings of Handel’s beloved oratorio from which to choose. The Kansas City Symphony’s “Messiah” is a full-throated, full orchestra rendition that fills Helzberg Hall with a glorious sound. This year, the Kansas City Symphony and Kansas City Symphony chorus will be led by Julian Wachner, who also will be joined by a stellar group of soloists: soprano Lauren Snouffer, mezzo-soprano Melissa Attebury, tenor Oliver Mercer and bass-baritone Alexander Dobson.
8 p.m. Dec. 6, 7 p.m. Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $25-$78. 816-471-0400 or www.kcsymphony.org.
Musica Sacra
You can always count on Rockhurst University’s Timothy McDonald for something a little extra special at Christmas. This year, he’ll be conducting his group, Musica Sacra, in “A Baroque Christmas.” Dec. 7 at Rockhurst’s Arrupe Hall Auditorium. The performance will include works by Giacomo Puccini.
Puccini wasn’t a baroque composer, you say? Oh, no, this is the “La Boheme” Puccini’s great-great-grandfather. Come early at 6:45 p.m. for McDonald’s “Live Program Notes,” when he’ll be sharing more information about this little-known composer.
7:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Arrupe Hall Auditorium. Free. For more information about Musica Sacra, visit https://www.rockhurst.edu/center-arts-letters/musica-sacra.
Immaculate Conception — Advent Lessons and Carols
Mario Pearson, organist and music director for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, believes that the Advent season, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, deserves its own respect. Pearson will conduct Advent Lessons and Carols Dec. 3 at the cathedral. Rather than featuring well-known Christmas songs, Pearson will lead the Cathedral Schola Cantorum in hymns and songs of anticipation, like “O beauteous, heavenly light” and “O Come, O Come Emanuel.” There will be a free post-concert reception in the cathedral’s gift shop.
7:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St. Free. For more information, visit www.kcgolddome.org.
Carlsen Center — Winterlude — Ensemble Iberica
And for those who would like an alternative to holiday fare, guitarist Beau Bledsoe and his Ensemble Iberica will present “Siento y Vivo” (I Feel and Live), a celebration of flamenco music, Dec. 8 at the Polsky Theatre.
Bledsoe and his superlative band of musicians are reason enough to purchase a ticket, but they’ll be joined by dancer Melinda Hedgecorth for an added dose of authenticity. For the last 14 years, Hedgecorth has been living in the capital of flamenco, Sevilla, Spain, soaking up the flamenco spirit and learning at the feet — literally! — of the masters.
7 p.m. Dec. 8. Polsky Theatre, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd. $25. 913-469-4445 or www.jccc.edu/carlsen-center-presents.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.