Hours after publishing a book review of a new study about Bob Brookmeyer in which I suggest the late Kansas City native is "virtually unknown” in his hometown, I learned of an impending tribute to Brookmeyer. The event will be held at the Blue Room at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 14. The event isn’t listed on the Blue Room’s calendar, but a flyer with additional details can be found on Facebook.
Book Review: On the Way to the Sky: Remembering Bob Brookmeyer, by Michael Stephans
Has a rabid enthusiast ever attempted to persuade you to share his obsession? In the case of Michael Stephans’ literary proselytization of Bob Brookmeyer, the zealot manages to wear down readers with equal parts mania and supporting facts.
Stephans’ On the Way to the Sky: Remembering Bob Brookmeyer is pure hagiography. The author may not possess an iota of impartiality but he makes a convincing case that the Kansas City native merits a higher profile.
Brookmeyer and his valve trombone were pictured on the cover of DownBeat magazine multiple times in the 1960s. Yet the standing of Brookmeyer, born in Kansas City in 1929, began to fade even prior to his death in 2011.
Brookmeyer’s exemplary artistic evolution combined with the precipitous decline in the popularity of jazz makes him virtually unknown in his hometown outside of jazz cognoscenti. Stephans is on a crusade to raise Brookmeyer’s profile.
His new study published by the University of North Texas Press consists of unalloyed idolatry. For instance, Stephans equates Brookmeyer to Johann Sebastian Bach and insists he’s “in the pantheon of the most original jazz soloists of all time” on the eleventh page of his study.
Decades before becoming Brookmeyer’s intimate friend and frequent collaborator, Stephans admits he played air trombone while listening to Brookmeyer recordings as a teenager. He comes by his hero worship naturally.
An informal compendium of recollections, recording analyses, interviews and press clippings, On the Way to the Sky resembles the outburst of an excitable chatterbox. Yet Stephans’ over-the-top enthusiasm is contagious.
He compelled me to immerse myself in Brookmeyer’s discography. I’d pigeonholed Brookmeyer as a hard-swinging associate of Al Cohn, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan and as a respected arranger for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Thanks to Stephans, I discovered stunning works ranging from the 1960 “folk jazz” experiment Western Suite to the synthesizer-laden 1994 album Electricity. And how did I not know about The Ivory Hunters, a 1959 album on which Brookmeyer holds his own on piano paired with Bill Evans?
On the Way to the Sky may be a mix-and-match grab-bag of a book, but as a stimulus to a fuller appreciation of Brookmeyer, it’s literary masterpiece.
Brigadoon
Original image by Plastic Sax.
“Almost Like Being in Love,” the standard once interpreted by the Kansas City trailblazer Charlie Parker, originally appeared in Brigadoon. The musical is set in an enchanted realm that’s almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world.
The results of two new surveys- The 73rd Annual Downbeat Critics Poll and the 20th Annual Francis Davis Critics Poll: 2025 Midyear- suggest Kansas City is the jazz equivalent of Brigadoon.
Just as few locally based artists make an impression on the international landscape, visits from the most recognized musicians are rare. Yet in spite of its solitude, superior jazz is performed nightly in Kansas City.
Only one album by a Kansas City based artist is among the 441 new releases receiving at least a single vote in the Francis Davis endeavor. Carl Allen’s Tippin’ came in at #24 with nine votes. Here’s my ballot.
Aside from Allen, the Branford Marsalis Quartet is the sole act with an album placing in the top 100 albums of the Francis Davis poll that has performed in Kansas City during the past 24 months. Not coincidentally, Allen joined Marsalis’ band at the Folly Theater that night. Marsalis’ Belonging landed at #7 in the poll.
Six acts associated with Kansas City- three living and one locally based- appear in DownBeat’s primary listings. (The poll’s individual voter ballots aren’t available.) The results of local interest are:
Hall of Fame: Bob Brookmeyer, 29th place
Historical Album of the Year: Charlie Parker- Bird in Kansas City, 13th place
Large Ensemble of the Year: Count Basie Orchestra, 23rd place
Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Bobby Watson, 30th place
Guitarist of the Year: Pat Metheny, 5th place
Composer of the Year: Pat Metheny, 17th place
Blues Artist of the Year: Samantha Fish, 13th place
Kansas City is also represented in DownBeat’s secondary Rising Star category:
Rising Star- Large Ensemble of the Year: People’s Liberation Big Band, 17th place
Rising Star- Trumpeter of the Year: Hermon Mehari, 18th place
Rising Star- Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Logan Richardson, 6th place
Rising Star- Baritone Saxophonist of the Year: BJ Jansen, 19th place
Rising Star- Organist of the Year: Chris Hazelton, 19th place
Rising Star- Vibraphonist of the Year: Mike Dillon, 7th place
Rising Star- Vibraphonist of the Year: Peter Schlamb, 13th place
Jazz lovers in Kansas City eager to engage with the outside world will relish poring over the results of the endlessly fascinating polls. While music discovery is “almost like being in love” for me, many locals prefer familiar sounds in their sequestered Brigadoons.
In much the same way, some of the civic boosters who repeat the old saw about Kansas City being a cradle of jazz neither know nor care about the global state of the music. And given the high quality of improvised music made in isolation locally, perhaps their blissful ignorance is warranted.
Album Review: Brian Scarborough- We Need the Wind
A gentle breeze elevates We Need the Wind. Brian Scarborough’s second album as a leader soars on an uplifting current of optimism. The trombonist is joined by four prominent Kansas City jazz musicians. Saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Roger Wilder, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever assent to Scarborough’s innate cheerfulness. The Fender Rhodes wielded by Wilder adds a jaunty texture to the session. Otto adds characteristically thoughtful commentary to Scarborough’s melodies. The sturdy resolve of Harshbarger and Steever bolster the nine tracks. As for Scarborough, the multiplicity of his lofty talent continues to necessitate comparison to the Kansas City jazz icon Bob Brookmeyer.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra headlines the 2023 edition of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival on September 9.
*Tia Fuller’s participation in the Spotlight: Charlie Parker initiative is among KCUR's concert recommendations for August.
*Bob Brookmeyer, Samantha Fish, Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson received votes in Downbeat magazine’s 71st Annual Critics Poll.
*St. Louis’ New Music Circle announced its 2023-24 season. Roscoe Mitchell, Elliott Sharp and William Parker are among the bookings.