by Kelly Rogge
The Los Angeles based pop-jazz vocal group, m-pact, is coming to Kansas City Kansas Community College this fall to work with students in a master class setting and perform a concert at The Blue Room.
KCKCC’s “The Standard” Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Stafford, will open for m-pact during the Sept. 29 concert at The Blue Room, 1616 E. 18th St. in Kansas City, Mo. The cover charge for the two-hour show is $20.
In addition, m-pact will give a master class at KCKCC from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the KCKCC Band Room on campus at 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The award-winning group will be working with KCKCC jazz students and provide a question and answer session about the music business. The master class is free and open to the public.
Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world” m-pact is known for their sophisticated sound that has won them Vocal Group of the Year at the L.A. Music Awards and an Indie nomination from the Independent Grammys.
The group has been named Grand National Champs of the Harmony Sweepstakes competition and has performed with artists such as Boyz II Men, Sheryl Crow, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Maynard Ferguson Big Band and Natalie Cole, among many others. Their “signature sound” can also be heard in television them songs as well as Disney feature films and on radio stations throughout the world.
Started in 1995, m-pact has made five full-length albums, two EP’s and several single releases and continues to receive multiple awards. Billboard Magazine named them the “Best Unsigned Band” and in 2014, the group joined with New York a cappella powerhouse Duwende to produce “I Wish for All Time,” an a cappella tribute to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.