About this Event
The James Ward Band isn't just a house band at the Blue Room — they are the Blue Room. James Ward Sr. got the call from Gerald Dunn to fill in with the house ensemble back in January 1998, just months after the 18th & Vine district's revitalization launched. Angela found the Blue Room even earlier, wandering into the club during the district's opening festivities in September 1997 and sitting down at the piano. Nearly three decades later, the family is still here — and the music has only gotten deeper.
James Sr. is one of Kansas City's most versatile bassists, equally at home in jazz, gospel, Latin, and classical settings. He anchors every groove with a musician's musician's touch — listening, reacting, elevating. Angela brings a rich harmonic sensibility shaped by years of performing and teaching across genres, her keyboard work ranging from lyrical piano to soulful organ. And Jaylen — who first played with his parents at age six — has grown into a formidable drummer in his own right, recently performing internationally at the Super Bund festival in Shanghai and the Valparaiso Jazz Festival in Chile as part of the American Jazz Museum's cultural exchange delegation with Bobby Watson and Charles Williams.
Together, the Wards average over 250 performances a year and run the Comprehensive Arts Institute, a 501(c)(3) bringing affordable music education to Kansas City's young musicians. But the stage they love most is the Blue Room. As James Sr. puts it: "The Blue Room is the place to develop an audience. I feel I can be myself, make my music, and perform in a place of freedom."
Come experience the band that built the Blue Room, playing Friday and Saturday nights at 8:30 pm and 10 pm. You're in for something special.
The Blue Room, 1600 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108. 8:30 pm & 10 pm.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Blue Room, 1600 East 18th Street, Kansas City, United States
USD 10.00 to USD 17.85
