Musicians Mark Southerland and Jeff Harshbarger present The Art of Improvisation, featuring Allison Miller, on Friday, May 29, at 8:30 p.m. on the Rooftop Terrace of the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Art of Improvisation is a live outdoor concert and freeform experiment featuring a cast of top-notch local musicians as they blend genres and instrumental dialects into a new musical language. Rooted in improvisation from the first note to the last, this performance yields a one-of-a-kind experience for the audience.

In a city steeped in jazz history, Southerland and Harshbarger contend that reinventing jazz through its core principle of improvisation is more true to the art form than reliving it by recreating the sounds of the past.

Dubbed a “rising star” by Down Beat, Allison Miller is a New York City-based drummer who has recorded with artists like Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Marty Ehrlich, and Doctor Lonnie Smith. The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of State selected her as an international jazz ambassador in 2003.

Southerland is a multi-instrumental jazz musician who received a 2008 Generative Performing Artist award from the Charlotte Street Foundation; his keen interest in the visual aspect of performance is demonstrated by his use of bastardized horns and wearable horn sculptures that are his own creation. Harshbarger is a renowned bass player as well as founder of Tzigane Music – an artist-led collective and record label – and curator of the Alternative Jazz series at the Record Bar.

The Art of Improvisation is made possible by an Inspiration Grant awarded by the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.