ENSEMBLES + MEDIA KIT

Christopher Burnett is an award-winning BMI composer affiliate, educator, and Conn-Selmer Artist and Clinician with a musical sound defined by critics as “legato eloquence” and “refined taste.” A native Kansan, he returned to the Kansas City music scene in 2001 following a distinguished 22-year career as a professional musician in U.S. military bands, where he performed and toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

As a bandleader, Mr. Burnett directs the “Originals” Quartet, a concert ensemble dedicated to performing his sophisticated original compositions and bespoke arrangements. His discography reflects a deep mastery of the jazz tradition; his release, The Standards, Vol. 1, earned four-star reviews for its innovative takes on works by Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, while his latest project, ORIGINALS (ARC-3442), is a profound long-form work dedicated to the continuum of family.

Beyond the stage, Mr. Burnett is a highly regarded clinician who has presented for the Missouri and Kansas Music Educators Associations. He is the co-founder of the Artists Recording Collective (ARC) and continues to shape the regional jazz landscape through his work as a performer, composer, educator, and advocate for jazz as a form of “refined chamber music.”

Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Roger Wilder is a premier pianist in the Kansas City jazz scene and a highly regarded educator. After earning a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami, Wilder relocated to Kansas City in 2000, quickly becoming a mainstay as both a bandleader and a sought-after sideman. His “stately” and sophisticated harmonic touch has been a foundational element of every Christopher Burnett album since the early 2000s.

Wilder’s extensive discography includes his solo release, Stretch (ARC-2444), and collaborations with acclaimed artists such as the Kansas City Symphony, Angela Hagenbach, and The Sons of Brasil. A dedicated mentor to the next generation of musicians, he has served as an adjunct jazz professor at the UMKC Conservatory for over a decade. Beyond the bandstand, Wilder shares his deep musical knowledge over the airwaves and online streaming as “The Jazz Geek” on 90.1 FM KKFI, where he hosts a weekly jazz radio program.

A native of Kansas City, Gerald Spaits is widely recognized as one of the region’s foremost bassists. Throughout his prolific career, he has performed alongside jazz legends such as Jay McShann and Claude “Fiddler” Williams, as well as national recording artists including Herb Ellis, Marilyn Maye, and the Woody Herman Orchestra. His international presence includes acclaimed performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, and the World’s Fair in Seville, Spain.

In addition to his work as a performer and session musician for television and radio soundtracks, Mr. Spaits is a dedicated educator. He served for many years as an assistant professor of jazz string bass at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory of Music and Dance, where he helped shape the next generation of jazz musicians. Known for his “amiable swing” and deep connection to the Kansas City jazz tradition, he remains an essential voice in this modern jazz quartet and his own ensemble projects.

Morgan Rogers is a percussionist from Kansas City who picked up drumsticks at age 12 and has not put them down since. Morgan has performed with The Black Repertory Theatre, The Kansas City Women’s Chorus, Worlds of Fun, Rocky Horror Show KC, and the Kansas City Jazz Academy. She is also completing her Masters in Computer Science at UMKC and works as a Platform Engineer at Netsmart. She is so excited to be a part of Christopher Burnett’s “Originals” quartet!