Brandon Draper is an instructor at the Kansas City Academy. His jazz band will perform in the academy's theater on Saturday.
The Kansas City Academy is about to become a regular live-music venue, thanks to some well-known members of its faculty and staff.
Saturday night, the private, nonprofit performing arts school at 7933 Main St. will host its second music concert and the first show in its Grassroots Concert Series.
Draper, a drummer/percussionist in several Kansas City ensembles, is also a faculty member at the academy and one of the organizers of the series. He and fellow staff members Barclay Martin and Miles Bonny launched the series after the success of the academy’s first-ever Grassroots Music Fest in October. That show was outdoors. The series will be in the school’s theater, which should be an ideal venue for everyone, Draper said.
“I sat in the audience for a performance by one of our high school students and was overwhelmed with how comfortable the theater was,” said Draper, who teaches world percussion at the school. “It made me wonder what it would be like to see a jazz trio or string quartet or a variety of groups and formats in the room. It was a no-brainer.”
The theater seats roughly 70 people, Draper said, and is furnished for comfort.
“It has stadium seating, so no one’s view is blocked,” he said. “The first three rows are furnished with really comfortable theater chairs, and the back three have these chairs with oversized cushions, so it’s like sitting in your living room hearing a concert. And it has great lighting.”
Proceeds from each show will be split between the performers and the school, Draper said. The school will put the money back into its music program. Concessions and merchandise will also be available.
Draper is one of three academy staff members who are also heavily involved in the local music scene. Martin teaches a songwriting course, and Bonny, a producer, songwriter, DJ and musician, is the school’s development director.
The Grassroots Series will also be part of the students’ learning experience, Draper said.
“They’re learning things about booking and promoting shows, things I didn’t learn until I was in college,” he said. “They’ll also learn some things about recording because we’ll be recording each show and offering the recordings to the musicians for free.”
The format will be a mix of “Austin City Limits” and “Inside the Actors Studio,” he said. Each show will include a live music performance, a question-and-answer forum and then another set of music.
“It’s so ideal for the school, the students and musicians,” Draper said. “It will teach the students a lot about live performances, and it gives the artists a place to go other than a big theater or a music festival or a late-night club. And it’s so intimate, the audience will feel very connected to the artists.”
Draper has booked several shows through March. Also on the agenda: the jazz ensemble Diverse on Jan, 28; Alaturka on Feb. 10; the Dave Pietro Trio on Feb. 18; Organic Proof on March 10; and Reggie B. & Miles Bonny on March 30. For more information, call 816-444-5225.
| Timothy Finn, The Star
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