The Top Stories and Trends of 2025 in Kansas City Jazz

1. Fucinaro and Scamurra
The Kansas City saxophonists Pete Fucinaro and Henry Scamurra released strong debut albums in 2025. The ongoing youth movement represented by Fucinaro’s Little Window and Scamurra’s Urban Forum is a compelling reason for optimism.

2. Festival Revival
The KC Blues and Jazz Festival brought Stanley Clarke, Karl Denson and Bill Frisell to a baseball stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, on October 4. The event was the area’s first large-scale jazz event featuring touring artists since 2017.

3. Musical Chairs
Dr. Dina Bennett resigned as the Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum. Turnover at the institution is concerning.

4. Detour Ahead
The planned transformation of a portion of 18th Street into a pedestrian walkway made access to Jazz District landmarks including the American Jazz Museum and the Gem Theater difficult for much of the year. (See above photo.)

5. Evergreen
Green Lady Lounge remains the focal point of live jazz in Kansas City. Green Lady Lounge hosts more than three times the combined number of jazz performances at the Blue Room, the Ship and Westport Coffee House, the second, third and fourth most significant presenters of jazz in Kansas City.

6. Nevermore
Corvino is the most prominent of several establishments to either completely close or cease featuring live jazz in 2025.

7. Alt Jazz
Sonic experiments that are largely unwelcome in conventional venues thrive in hidden recesses including house parties, a bookstore, an underground cinema and a repurposed church.

8. Best Year Ever
No Kansas City jazz musician had a bigger year than Jackie Myers. Her relentless performance schedule included tours and festival placements. Myers’ ambitious album What About the Butterfly was reviewed by DownBeat magazine, a distinction among Kansas City artists shared only by Carl Allen in 2025.

9. Disinformation Campaign
Visit KC continues to insist that Kansas City is home to “more than 40 jazz clubs” as it promotes next year’s World Cup matches. The convention bureau’s dissembling is outlandish.

10. Persistence
Plastic Sax published 32 album reviews, two book reviews, nine concert reviews, six editorials and 45 gig previews featuring Kansas City musicians in 2025.

Last year’s recap is here.

The Top Jazz Performances of 2025

The Top Performances of 2025 by Kansas City Musicians
1. Nick Hmeljak, Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Jordan Faught and Jaylen Ward at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.

2. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at the Stray Cat Film Center
Instagram clip.

3. Bram and Lucy Wijnands with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

4. Vanessa Thomas, Kara Smith, Michael Pagán and Steve Rigazzi at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.

5. Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Spencer Reeve and Jade Harvey at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival
Instagram clip.

6. The Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society’s “3 Expressions of Light and Sound” at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

7. Matt Villinger, Peter Schlamb, Sebastian Arias and Matt Robertson at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.

8. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.

9. Deborah Brown and George Colligan at Upcycle Piano Craft
Instagram clip.

10. David Chael, Danny Embrey, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

The Top Performances of 2025 by Touring Musicians
1. Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Plastic Sax review.

2. Terence Blanchard at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
There Stands the Glass review.

3. Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

4. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
There Stands the Glass review.

5. Devin Gray at the Ship
There Stands the Glass review.

6. Alexander Adams, Jeff Goulet (and Seth Davis) with Kristen Kopper and Shanté Clair at Grand Avenue Temple
Instagram clip.

7. Cory Weeds (with Chris Hazelton) at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.

8. Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez at Helzberg Hall
Plastic Sax review.

9. Helen Sung (with Bach Aria Soloists) at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

10. Pete Escovedo at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

Last year’s survey is here.

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2025

The Top Ten Albums of 2025 by Kansas City Artists
1. Carl Allen- Tippin’
Plastic Sax review.

2. Brittany Davis- Black Thunder
Plastic Sax review.

3. Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier- Soul Song
Plastic Sax review.

4. Pete Fucinaro- Little Window
Plastic Sax review.

5. Henry Scamurra- Urban Forum
Plastic Sax review.

6. Seth Andrew Davis and Krista Kopper- Popular Mechanics
Plastic Sax review.

7. Drew Williams- Demons Hate Fresh Air
Review forthcoming.

8. Jackie Myers- What About the Butterfly
Plastic Sax review.

9. Gerald Spaits- Sunday Night Live at Green Lady Lounge
Plastic Sax review.

10. Eddie Moore- What Makes Us
Plastic Sax review.

The Top Ten Albums of 2025 by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Linda May Han Oh- Strange Heavens

2. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Bone Bells

3. Gerald Clayton- Ones & Twos

4. Charles Lloyd- Figure in Blue

5. Patricia Brennan- Of the Near and Far

6. Vijay Iyer and Leo Wadada Smith- Defiant Life

7. Anouar Brahem- After the Last Sky

8. Ches Smith- Clone Row

9. Trio of Bloom- Trio of Bloom

10. Camila Nebbia, Marilyn Crispell and Lesley Mok- A Reflection Distorts Over Water

Last year’s listings are here.

Gig Review: Nick Hmeljak, Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Jordan Faught and Jaylen Ward at Westport Coffee House

Kansas City’s jazz community is besieged. Prominent long-standing institutions are flailing. Intercine support groups scuffle for public and charitable funding. Most of the core audience has died of old age and has been replaced by a few dozen anomalous enthusiasts.

Yet the single most important component- indeed, the only thing that truly matters- remains strong. Wave after wave of outstanding homegrown jazz musicians have enriched Kansas City bandstands for decades. Five locally based young men upheld that distinguished tradition at Westport Coffee House on Sunday, July 6.

Trumpeter Nick Hmeljak, saxophonist Henry Scamurra, vibraphonist Isaiah Petrie, bassist Jordan Faught and drummer Jaylen Ward played energetic hard bop with vigorous integrity. Hmeljak explained that the evening was dedicated to debuting all-new original compositions by members of the sextet.

The strong material was bolstered by masterful playing. The quintet is fully capable of impressing a global audience at Smalls in New York City. Instead, ten people- all but a couple were fellow jazz musicians- paid $10 to take in the first hour-long set.

Album Review: Henry Scamurra- Urban Forum

Diverse’s 2009 debut album is a significant landmark in Kansas City jazz history. In addition to heralding the arrival of a vital new youth movement, the self-titled album was the first major statement by Hermon Mehari, the trumpeter who has since achieved international acclaim.

It’s entirely appropriate that Mehari contributes to two tracks on Henry Scamurra’s first album Urban Forum. The new recording announces a fresh round of auspicious young Kansas City based jazz musicians.

The outstanding saxophonist Scamurra is joined by vibraphonist Isaiah Petrie, bassist Spencer Reeve and drummer Jade Harvey on eight selections that connect to Kansas City jazz tradition by way of the recent innovations of Mehari, Logan Richardson and Peter Schlamb.

“Top of My Head” is among the new tracks that may become Kansas City standards. Based on the artistic promise displayed on Urban Forum, the album is likely to become at least as momentous as the arrival of Diverse.