Jazz Beat: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra presents “Kenton at the Kauffman”

Renowned pianist and composer Stan Kenton said his orchestras played “progressive jazz.” These compositions weren’t jazz like what grew out of Kansas City. Kenton experimented. From the 1940s through the 1970s, his big-band music was known for advanced harmonies performed with power, and it remains among the most respected in jazz. Locally, for more than a decade, Kansas City Jazz Orchestra (KCJO) has set the standard for big-band concert-hall professionalism and excellence. Its concert series is a staple of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Friday night, led by artistic director and trumpeter Clint Ashlock and featuring 17 of the best musicians in KC jazz today, KCJO stretches its artistic chops playing Kenton’s music.