(Photo by Aaron Linscheid)
This week, we’ll be highlighting some of the artists playing INK’s stage at the Plaza Art Fair this weekend, September 19-21.
Most people know that Kansas City is steeped in a rich jazz heritage that continues to this day. One of the groups that has helped carry on the city’s vibrant jazz scene is The Project H, who has taken the music’s tradition to a modern level. Though still tasteful to listeners of jazz standards, the band incorporates a range of influences and abilities, creating music that is relevant and colorful. Ryan Heinlein, the band’s trombonist and songwriter, answers a few questions for us about the group.
The Deli: Down and dirty: one sentence to describe your music.
Heinlein: Doesn’t matter if you want to dance to it or analyze it, you’re going to be singing it for a while after you hear it.
The Deli: Give me some background info on The Project H. How long have you been together? How did it all come to be?
Heinlein: The band started in 2007 when I lived in Wichita. It took a year or so to get the band up and running when I moved to KC in 2008. The lineup is: drums, bass, keys, guitar, trombone, trumpet, and tenor sax, but we have a lot of people sit in. Everyone in the band freelances and makes most of their money playing other gigs so I use a lot of subs. That’s the thing about the KC jazz scene though, the talent pool is deep enough that I can call quite a few people on any instrument before there is a drop off in musicianship.
The Deli: What have been your greatest accomplishments as a band?
Heinlein: I think there’s something to be said for releasing three independent records with a band like this. Getting freelance musicians to commit their time and creative energy to a project like this is definitely an accomplishment, and the fact they still wanted to do another one was a win for me! Gig wise, we covered Beck’s “Song Reader” in its entirety (20 songs) last year with our friends Mark Lowrey, Shay Estes, and Jeff Harshbarger. Selling out the recordBar is always fun.
The Deli: The band has done educational clinics for schools in the area. What benefits have you seen it have on students, and also for yourselves as musicians?
Heinlein: Yes, we usually book them in bunches once or twice a year. I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t be the musicians we are today if it weren’t for music education. The day-to-day activities of being in a high school band or being a music major in college tend to run together but, for me at least, the lasting memories were the clinics that were provided as well as the performance opportunities. So I guess it’s just a “pay it forward”-type situation. The students get to see a group of younger guys making a living doing by being creative and doing what they love. And for us, it’s an easy way to let younger audiences hear us. We feel that we have an opportunity to attract people to more straight-ahead jazz if they hear our not-so-straight-ahead jazz. Basically we function as a gateway drug for jazz!
The Deli: You just released your third studio album, We Live Among the Lines. What can we expect from it?
Heinlein: A lot of layers and textures. The rock influence really sticks out to me on this record, probably because we added guitar to the group about a year and a half ago. I think there’s a commonality among the songs but at the same time, every song can stand on its own. I honestly think there’s something for everyone on this record.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Heinlein: I don’t get out as much as I wish I could with family and working on a doctoral degree but just getting out and seeing as many shows as I can. I don’t worry about genres, I like a lot of music and it’s pretty easy to find a good concert to go see when I do get out.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
The Deli: Who are your favorite non-local musicians right now?
Heinlein: Becca Stevens, Jose James, Tigran Hamasyan, Jaga Jazzist, and I have always had a soft spot for Dillinger Escape Plan.
The Deli: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at Plaza Art Fair?
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Heinlein: Oh man, something really diverse. I wish Mr. Bungle were still around. Maybe have a classic jazz group like the Jazz Messengers or Weather Report. P-Funk would be awesome too!
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Heinlein: This question is pretty much impossible so I’ll give you one based on my musical influences.
Mike Patton: His ability to explore and push the boundaries of music, no matter what genre he is doing.
James Brown: C’mon! He’s the Godfather of Soul! The pocket in his bands…
Bobby Watson: He’s pretty much responsible for igniting this jazz renaissance in KC. His playing and writing is the perfect combination of technique and soul. I owe him so much… Everyone in the band does too.
JJ Johnson: My influence, as far as trombone players are concerned, changes a lot. Right now I’m on a JJ kick. He’s just so soulful when he plays.
The Deli: What other goals does The Project H have for 2014, and beyond?
Heinlein: We are starting a collaborative series starting next month at the Westport Coffee House Theater where we act as a backing band for different KC musicians. October will be with Kelley Gant, December will be Emcee Reach and next February will be Lauren Krum. We are also talking with Julia Haile and Jorge Arana for later in 2015. I’d like to play some festivals outside KC, continue to support this record, and just expand our audience. I’d also like to do a Project H big band show…I have a lot of writing to do I suppose!
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Heinlein: Get out and listen to a group you may not normally follow, or go to a club that you’ve never been to. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. There are great things happening in our city, let’s celebrate it!
The Project H is:
Clint Ashlock: trumpet
Ryan Heinlein: trombone
Brett Jackson: tenor saxophone
Matt Leifer: drums
Andrew Ouellette: keys
Dominique Sanders: bass
Jeff Stocks: guitar
The Project H will be playing on INK’s stage at Plaza Art Fair on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. The stage is located at Ward Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue, next to Gram & Dun and Plaza III. Facebook event page.
--Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays in bands.
