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Stanton Kessler

Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Drums, Educator, Composer, Arranger

About Me

Stan Kessler is a Trumpet / Flugelhorn Player, Band Leader, Clinician, and Educator in the Kansas City area. He also does extensive writing and arranging for small groups. Stan also plays drums and hand percussion. For the last 40 years, Stan has been a member of every kind of group you could imagine. He has led such bands as Stan Kessler and the Flat Five, Eightball, and Baby Leroy. His expertise includes Jazz, R&B, Funk, and all Latin genres, especially Brazilian and Afro-Cuban.

He is currently leading The Sons of Brasil (25 years), The Stan Kessler Quartet (23 years), Stan Kessler's TV (3 years), HoraceScope (7 years) and The Uncertainty Principle (1 year), Passport (5 years), Parallax, (4 years).

For 15 years Stan has maintained an adjunct position at The University of Missouri at Kansas City in Jazz trumpet, theory and improvisation, and music business classes. For 10 years Stan has been on faculty of KC Youth Jazz and Metro Jazz Workshop.

In 1980, Stan was Assistant Director of the Jazz ensemble and combo instructor at UMKC. He was voted Best Trumpet Player and Leader of the Best Jazz Band (SOBs) in KC by the Pitch Readers’ Poll. Stan was deemed Musician of The Year by blogger Plastic Sax in 2013. He has appeared in concert with Clark Terry, Paquito D'Rivera, Ernie Watts, Gary Foster, Karrin Allyson, Steve Cardenas, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby Watson, John Clayton, Kim Park, Matt Otto and many others.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it gives me the opportunity to improvise in so many environments I was first exposed to jazz at The Kansas City Jazz Fest in 1964 I met and hung with Clark Terry, which instantly catapulted me to another level. The first jazz record I bought was The Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Live at THe Club. Wore that thing out! My advice to new listeners is just relax and keep an open mind