Jazz Beat: Jay McShann Centennial Birthday Bash, at the Gem Theater

Jazz legend Jay McShann led the last of the great big bands out of Kansas City in the 1940s, a group that featured a young alto saxophonist named Charlie Parker. Meanwhile, his jumping, blues-based swing came to define Kansas City jazz. January 12, the late jazzman would have turned 100 — a milestone his hometown marks Saturday night. Benny Green, whose hard-driving, intricately dynamic piano summons McShann-style joy to a stage, headlines this birthday celebration with Bobby Watson and his All Stars. Singers Lisa Henry, “Duck” Warner and David Basse join the festivities. Chuck Haddix, of UMKC’s Marr Sound Archives and KCUR 89.3’s weekend Fish Fry show, provides historical context, and a new exhibition of McShann artifacts is unveiled. The Jay McShann Centennial Birthday Bash is at 7 p.m. Saturday, January 16, at the Gem Theater (1615 East 18th Street, 816-474-8463). Tickets cost $25.