James Isaac

JAMES ISAAC has been teaching and performing music professionally in the Kansas City area for over twenty-five years. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music.

Throughout his career, James has enjoyed playing different styles of music. He is a founding member of the experimental jazz ensemble the People’s Liberation Big Band and the James Isaac Group. As a young man, James had the pleasure of performing with a traveling circus in Puerto Rico. Over the years, he has also played in the pit orchestra for nationally touring Broadway productions in Kansas City. His interest in variety has led him to tour with the national act Victor & Penny and with the Kansas City Latin band Cubanisms, visiting Cuba in 2019. If you want to learn more about all of James' collaborations, visit the GROUPS page.  As an educator, James is passionate about understanding how different students learn and strives to balance intellectual understanding with musical intuition. James teaches saxophone, jazz improvisation, and jazz-rock combo at the University of Central Missouri. In addition, he teaches music theory, and jazz improvisation at Metropolitan Community College as well as directs the MCC-Penn Valley Jazz Band. James also offers private lessons, visit the NEW STUDENTS page to get started. In his free time, James enjoys spending time with his two wonderful sons and his lovely partner.