Rodney Block plays his trumpet at Riverfest.

LITTLE ROCK — Central Arkansas trumpeter extraordinaire Rodney Block will not be the new spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Forty-eight hours from a Vegas vacation, Block exclaims, "I got to go to Vegas Sunday."

Got to. The way people say, "I got to go to the dentist." Or "I got to attend my 6-year-old niece's piano recital during the Super Bowl." The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's commercials would have one believe Dorothy would rather click her red slippers together and say, "There's no place like Las Vegas," than wish for the flatlands of her Kansas home. And here's Block saying: "I got to go to Vegas Sunday."

It's a sun-drenched Friday afternoon in Little Rock and Block has taken the liberty of untying his bow tie as he talks about why a trip to Sin City is a bad idea. There's a night gig at Michelangelo's in Conway on this particular Friday, Saturday work (Block is a salesman for a medical supply company by day) and a Saturday wedding reception all while Block and his band - The Real Music Lovers - attempt to complete Block's debut album Outside the Box for an upcoming CD release party in two weeks. So, yeah, Block's a little busy. In fact, he's trying to fit in an afternoon nap before driving to Conway to wow the audience with his stone cold cool fusion of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, funk and soul.

It's the day job that pays the bills, but it's the music that drives Block. It's been that way since Block first picked up the trumpet in the sixth grade in Dumas. But Block's love of music stretches back even earlier, to some of his first memories from church.

"Growing up, we were church boys so we were always around instruments," said Block, reeling off guitar, saxophone and harmonica as a handful of instruments he remembers being played.

"[My trombonist brother and I] were able to learn the fundamentals in school and able to learn to use our ears in church," Block said. "I think it provided us with a foundation, a background. Plus, our mom was afraid to allow us to play sports."

Following his graduation from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Block journeyed to Kansas City, where he was to remain for 10 years, immersing himself in the city's rich jazz culture.

"That's when I really learned to play," Block said. "I became serious about it and became eager to learn how to play. It was a big time of growth. Just being exposed to different musicians. The artists and the people who were involved in the scene. That was my time of growth and when I really became serious about the horn."

During Block's Kansas City days the musician also began to incorporate other genres of music into his straight-ahead jazz trumpeting, adding touches of gospel, hip-hop, bebop, funk, R&B and soul while playing Kansas City venues such as Grand Emporium, Plaza III, Blue Room and Liberty Hall.

"Growing up in a small town you're not exposed to that much music," Block said. "When I went to Kansas City I started seeing other horn players."

Influenced by trumpet luminaries such as Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, Block honed his horn sound to incorporate the music he enjoyed and heard in his ears.

"I was listening to straight-ahead jazz and also hip-hop and R&B," he said. "That's what I lean toward. My interest started there with what I do now.

"I just really like the expression. You ask me what type of music I like and I'm going to say jazz. But I'm also going to say R&B and hip-hop. Sometimes I like having it all together."

After an oh-so-brief stop in Albuquerque, N.M., Block arrived in Little Rock from Kansas City and quickly started making a name for himself on the local scene.

"My family is still in Dumas and I wanted to be close to them," he said. "It's been a good move. It just worked out that Little Rock is a fertile place for the type of music that I have to offer. People here appreciate it."

Backed by The Real Music Lovers - Oliver Thomas on bass, Sam Carroll on piano and Michael Chandler on drums, Block's music gig itinerary is as multifarious as his sound. Church appearances, weddings and wedding receptions, First Friday shows at Juanita's, private birthday parties, gigs at The Afterthought, fundraising and corporate events - Block and The Real Music Lovers will seemingly play anywhere, anytime. (In September, Block and band will visit Brazil for 10 days for a series of gigs.)

"It's different crowds and different people, but we're able to present something that they appreciate," he said. "We're always playing for the audience. We want you to experience what we're going through. We want people to reflect in it. I think our live performances are great."

Fifteen years into his professional trumpet career, Block is finally capturing his music for the masses with Outside the Box, recorded and produced by Thomas at his studio. The 10 tunes include nine originals and "It Never Entered My Mind," a tune recorded by Davis in 1956, and guest spots by local turntablist DJ Swift and hip-hop artist Epiphany.

While the album comes 15 years since his professional debut, the wait is worth it, according to Block.

"I have recordings of myself from a long time ago, and I'm not the same person," he said. "I've grown. I've evolved. I'm comfortable enough with this version of me to put it out there. I think it was the right time."

Sidebar: Rodney Block will hold a CD release party for Outside the Box at Capitol Keyboard at 13401 Chenal Parkway on Saturday with two shows: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Admission is $20 for each show. Joining Block will be The Real Music Lovers.