Blair Bryant is a young contemporary jazz bassist who says he's mastered more than 14 instruments.
The 23-year-old Bryant, who often performs under the moniker “The B2 Experience,” is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance who is following in the footsteps of Julian Vaughn, the Kansas City smooth jazz bassist with an international audience. But Bryant's primary influence is Stanley Clarke, the jazz fusion star behind the 1976 hit “School Days.” Bryant pays homage to Clarke during his performances.
Bryant is credited with all the bass, guitars, keyboards and drums on his 2016 album Gold, though he isn't the only player — Ernest Melton, one of the most exciting saxophonists in Kansas City, is among the album’s guest artists. Bryant does play all the instruments on “Secret Agent,” a propulsive amalgamation of funk, R&B and jazz:
Blair Bryant's B2 Experience, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at the Blue Room, 1616 E 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri, 64108.
KCUR contributor Bill Brownlee blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.
