Jazz in the Valley

3 p.m. - Chalis O'Neal

Chalis O'Neal is an artist and musician born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. O’Neal picked up the trumpet at the age of eleven and began studying music at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. Chalis majored in Jazz Studies with a minor in Classical Trumpet under the direction of Jazz legend Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri Kansas City. 

O’Neal’s main influences range from Wynton Marsalis, Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Harold O’Neal to Soul and R&B. His playing style creates a soulful and creative approach to improvisation, bringing a dynamic energy to each performance. O’Neal’s eclectic style ranges from jazz venues to theatre work with the New Theatre Restaurant performing and acting in the Broadway show of The Buddy Holly Story. O’Neal also has burlesque experience with Quixotic Cirque Nouveau. Chalis also is the lead trumpeter for the Afro futuristic band Arquesta Del SolSoul.

O’Neal has had the opportunity to perform with artists like Bobby Watson, Jeff '“Tain” Watts, Harold O’Neal, Tivon Pennicott, Marcus Strickland, Stephen Scott, Ben Williams, Lewis Nash, Curtis Lundy, Lonnie McFadden, Dan Thomas, Sullivan Fortner, Lisa Henry, and David Basse.

4 p.m. - Kansas City Jazz Academy

5 p.m. - Kansas City Kansas Community College Advanced Jazz Combo

Directed by Brett Jackson, the Kansas City Kansas Community College Advanced Jazz Combo includes several of the music program's best instrumental jazz musicians. They have performed all over the Kansas City Metro and received an excellent rating at the 2024 Wichita Jazz Festival. Many of these musicians also perform professionally in the Kansas City Jazz scene.

6 p.m. - Will Matthews

 Three-time Grammy-winning guitarist Will Matthews, a Kansas City native, has been the driving guitar force of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra since 1996, carrying on the legacy of Freddie Green. Inspired early on by his grandfather’s Delta blues playing, Matthews grew into jazz under the guidance of Kansas City mentors and the great recordings of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and Kenny Burrell.

Over his career, Matthews has shared the stage with icons such as Nancy Wilson, George Benson, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, and Patti Austin, performing at major festivals and concert halls around the world—including for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration and First Lady Michelle Obama at the American Jazz Museum.

His recordings with the Basie Orchestra include multiple Grammy-winning albums (Live at Manchester Guild, Count Plays Duke, Basie Swings the Blues), and his own projects—Solo and Count on Swingin’— showcase his mastery of swing, blues, and soulful groove. When not touring, Matthews leads his own ensembles, including The Saturday Night Trio, Mood Swings, and the B-3 Organ Project.

7 p.m. - Jaylen Ward Project

Drummer, composer, producer, and Audio Engineer, has his roots in south KC, growing up in a musical household. He has been awarded the National Down Beat award for best Jazz trio (2025) and Audio Engineering (2024).

Throughout his career, he has performed with artists such as Bobby Watson, Logan Richardson, Tia Fuller, Harold "Spike" Bonhart of the Four Tops, Lonnie Mcfadden, Tivon Pennicott, Sean Jones, Isaiah Colier and the Chosen Few, Ben Vangelder, Adam Larson, Peter Schlamb, Eddie Moore, Dominique Sanders, Lynn Seaton, and many more.