We catch up with veteran Kansas City-based jazz musician and educator Stan Kessler as he prepares to perform at the 2nd Annual Lee’s Summit Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 28, 2025. A beloved friend of Neon Jazz, Stan was part of the inaugural festival in 2024 and returns in 2025 by popular demand.

🎶 He’ll bring his celebrated project Horacescope — a heartfelt tribute to jazz legend Horace Silver — to the stage, sharing deep roots that trace back to the iconic Jardine’s era in Kansas City.

In this interview, we dive into:

• His return to Lee’s Summit Jazz Festival 2025

• The Legacy of Horace Silver

• Reflections on the Kansas City jazz scene

• The power of jazz festivals and community connections

🔥 As summer approaches, Lee’s Summit is once again lighting up the Midwest with one of the most exciting jazz events of the season.

🎟️ Get Tickets to LS Jazz Fest ’25:

👉 https://www.bridgespace.us/jazz

🎺 Explore More of Stan Kessler’s Music:

👉 https://stantonkessler.com/

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Joe Dimino Podcaster/Artist

Joe Dimino has been writing & creating in a variety of capacities since his college days at the University of Missouri-Kansas City somewhere around 1993. If you are keeping score, that would be about 29 years+. It all began at UMKCs University News as a Sports Writer & turned into a myriad of expressive avenues. Inventing poems, art, video & audio has always been in the proverbial cards.