“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.
