Drawing on his lifelong experience as a jazz musician and recording artist, David shares insights, anecdotes, and personal experiences that bring to life this quintessential American musical genre.

One of Kansas City’s best-known performers, David Basse has had the exceptional honor of recording with jazz luminaries Jay McShann, Bobby Watson, and Phil Woods. He reached the top 40 of jazz in 2002 with “Old Friends, New Point.” He produced and released a Grammy-nominated album for pianist Mike Melvoin in 2004, and in that same year, Basse recorded with Conan O’Brien Show trumpeter Mark Pender and pianist Jay McShann on “I Went Back to Kansas City.” After focusing solely on his vocals for a decade, Basse returned to the drums, his first and primary instrument. That Thanksgiving he picked up a Nebraska Music Hall of Fame award. Basse grew up in Nebraska, and he was inducted on November 25, 2017. With several albums to his credit and an award-winning career in radio, David’s warm and inviting voice draws listeners into the world of jazz. He can be heard nightly on public radio stations carrying Jazz with David Basse from PRX. Poet Maya Angelou declared, “I love the soul that is your voice,” after hearing Basse perform with his trio in 2006. His City Light Orchestra received an International Jazz Hall of Fame award from the Charlie Parker Memorial Foundation. He has participated in special performances in Aspen, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York City, and in 2018 with Bobby Watson and the Kansas City Symphony.

Deep into Jazz creates an overview of what I do in radio and in my many live and recorded performances. The brain-child of Jim Robinson, an Art Director that I have worked will on many recordings, Deep into Jazz is a subscription series that explains jazz, in a simple way that everyone can understand.

City Light is an arts, entertainment, music production and publishing enterprise. Started in 1982 when David Basse began performing in Kansas City with his City Light Orchestra. The group’s notoriety led them to national and international performances bringing the heritage of “Kansas City Jazz” to a generation of new listeners. Over the past several years, City Light became a Grammy nominated recording label showcasing several world renowned artists.