The Jeff Hamilton Trio At Jardine's

I'm not sure how many people know it but the hottest trio in all of Jazz is in Kansas City at the moment.

Last night I was lucky enough to see The Jeff Hamilton Trio in action at Jardine's and I have to admit that it changed a lot of my perceptions when it comes to Jazz.

The performance was entertaining, captivating and a great example that Kansas City's Jazz scene is still alive and well.



Hamilton is riding a wave of good news with his latest CD release that is currently #1 on the Jazz charts. Symbiosis has been greeted with almost universal critical acclaim.



I hear that Hamilton is a Jazz Drummer legend having played with quite a few of the most recognized recording artists in the world. From Barbra Streisand to Michael Bublé . . . The dude has played with them all.



So, while I might not have had an in-depth appreciation of the level of Jazz skill on display . . . I could tell that folks with a deep life-long appreciation of the art form were enthralled.



Even better, it was kinda cool to see a great many denizens of Kansas City's Jazz scene in the crowd. Of course, I had to decipher who the players were but names from Jurgen Welge (Beach nuts member and Dave Stephens Drummer) to legendary KC bass player Bob Bowman had assembled to see the show.



Still, what was most interesting to me was the enthusiasm with which Jardine's owner Beena Rajalekshimi had for the music.

"This is what it's all about," Beena said. "These guys are some of the greatest Jazz musicians in world and I'm just happy that they came to Kansas City and played here."

The Jeff Hamilton Trio is slated for two more performances tonight at Jardine's at 7pm and again at 9.