All Library locations will open late Friday, February 27 at 11 a.m. due to an all staff meeting.
The Library’s branch services & engagement director, Kim Gile, has served on the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra board of directors since 2023.
Over the years, Gile says they've collaborated on public programs, such as listening parties at the Library, where KCJO musicians brought in their favorite jazz recordings and shared them with patrons.
“It was a neat way for people to get to know these different, iconic jazz albums,” Gile says, “and for us to promote our music collection and Freegal.”
KCJO got its start in 2003 with the mission of raising awareness about Kansas City’s rich culture through performances and education. In recent years, they’ve brought jazz musicians to the Library to lead afternoon master classes.
In 2026, guest artists from KCJO’s Signature Series will visit the Plaza Branch at 6 p.m. for evening events.
“We are so thrilled and honored to present our world-class artists in community master classes,” says KCJO Executive Director Alyssa Bell Jackson. “We believe connecting with artists through stories, songs, and conversation before you see them on the big stage allows for a more meaningful experience.”
Kansas City musicians Lee Langston, guest vocalist, and Charles D. Williams, KJCO pianist, will kick off the new series on March 11 with a one-hour jazz master class open to all ages. The session explores improvisation, Kansas City jazz history, and performance skills. Langston will also perform some of his favorite pieces and talk about how he creates music.
“The Plaza (Branch) works well because we've got that beautiful old (1910) Chickering piano,” says Gile about an instrument donated to the Library in 2008. “The acoustics in the space are really great.”
She says when an artist is on stage, they’re performing, so “they’re on.” But the jazz master classes provide a “different flavor,” a more intimate experience with visiting artists.
"Master classes are so uniquely that artist,” Gile says. “So sometimes it's really funny, sometimes it's academic, sometimes it's all music theory. And it's just fascinating.”
She adds, "They can share what they learned, how they build a life in music, and the journey of being an artist in today's world. They’re just kind of magical, really.”
Upcoming jazz master classes at the Plaza Branch:
- March 11: Lee Langston and Charles D. Williams
- April 10: Anat Cohen, jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader
- May 21: Becky Bliss, lead vocalist of the Kansas City duo Barnaby Bright