About this Event
James Ward plays bass and builds his own instruments by hand, and he runs a photography business alongside the music.
He's a Kansas City native who studied tuba at Florida A&M and graduated with honors in 1992 with a degree in K-12 music education. He's played bass with Marcus Roberts, Wycliffe Gordon, Bobby Watson, Russell Malone, and Patti Austin, and he toured South Africa with Oleta Adams. In October 2025 the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation sent him to China with Watson, pianist Charles Williams, and Ward's son Jaylen on drums; the quartet played three cities, taught a masterclass, and played for hospital patients.
"I grew up with The Blue Room," he told KC Studio in 2022, and his band has played the room since the late '90s. Its debut, In Perspective (2007), climbed into the top 20 of the Smooth Jazz Indie Charts, and Groove Axis (2010) features Angela Ward on keyboards and arranging and Gerald Dunn on soprano and tenor sax. When the Associated Press came by in 2016, a Friday night with the James Ward Band had the Blue Room standing-room-only by 8:40.
The Blue Room, 1600 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108. Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 12 pm. Free admission.
Event venue & nearby stays
Blue Room, 1600 East 18th Street, Kansas City, United States
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