Duck Warner and Joe Cartwright Kansas City Jazz Duo - Vocalist / Trumpet Player Duck Warner and Kansas City Pianist Joe Cartwright duo

About Joe and Duck

Joe and Duck are both veteran Kansas City jazz musicians. Their current format highlights the traditional Kansas City jazz sound, but their repertoire extends well beyond that genre to include originals and covers of contemporary and classic R & B and pop tunes. Their incorporation of tracks into their show augments the already rich and versatile sounds they produce. Both Duck and Joe sing and play several instruments. How can a duo sound like big band? Attend one of their shows and find out for yourself. Check out the sample track below:
 

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Lester "Duck" Warner

Lester Warner, affectionately known as "Duck," is a quiet, soft-spoken man who transforms himself into a spectacular entertainer when he takes the stage. His voice is a rich baritone with a beautifull full falsetto that has been compared to Nat "King" Cole. He is a gifted instrumentalist who plays trumpet, flugelhorn and trombone. Duck has headlined Japan's first International Jazz Festival, Kansas City's Spirit Festival, and The Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival. He was voted Kansas City's best male vocalist three years in a row, 2000-2003. Duck has been recognized by the International Trumpet Guild as a veteran of the revered "old school" associated with the special brand of Kansas City "Swing" music. Benny Powell, trombonist with the Count Basie Band, calls Duck a "premiere entertainer."

Joe Cartwright

“One of the brightest stars in the Kansas City Jazz firmament” says Dr. Chuck Berg of JazzTimes Magazine. Jazz pianist Joe Cartwright has lived, performed and taught in the Kansas City area for the last twenty five years. Some of his credits include work with internationally recognized jazz artists Eddie Harris, Sheila Jordan, Carl Fontana, Red Holloway, John Clayton, Karrin Allyson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Kevin Mahogany and Mel Torme. He has been a featured performer with the Kansas City Symphony and the Independence Symphony, and his trio was featured in performance at the 1992 World's Fair in Seville, Spain as representatives of Kansas City Jazz. In the summer of 1997 Cartwright was invited to perform in Hong Kong as part of the change-over celebration. In the fall of 1998 he toured Africa as part of the USIA/Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador Touring Program. In the spring of 2000, Cartwright toured the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeast Asia as a USIA Jazz Ambassador.