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Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Hermon Mehari is among the musicians featured in a series of France tv culture performance videos acknowledging the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’ birth.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Alex Abramovitz and Back Alley Brass Band’s Matt Fillingham.
Fifteen years ago, Hermon Mehari’s jazz trio Diverse led a Michael Jackson tribute show at a rock venue in Kansas City. While it doesn’t resemble Thriller stylistically, (un)Seen, Mehari’s new album with the quartet NO(w) Beauty, is imbued with the dynamic sensibility associated with Jackson and producer Quincy Jones.
As on an ambitious pop album, no two tracks on (un)Seen are alike. The innovative merger of conventional swing, Eastern Mediterranean folk traditions, European classical music and Euro-jazz offers a series of surprises.
Guest artist Sam Amidon contributes plaintive vocals to “The Birds’ Enlightened Path.” The rhapsodic"Inner Spaces” is enhanced by strings while “Zones de l’oubli” consists entirely of a string quartet. “Zone 11: Territoire(s)” employs the maximalist tactics associated with Tigran Hamasyan.
The fragile melancholy of the standout track “Atlantic Currents” will buckle the knees of Mehari aficionados. The song also features a sprightly solo from pianist Enzo Carniel, Damien Varaillon’s burly bass and the skittering drums of Stéphane Adsuar.
It’s easy to hear why the quartet was named “the French band of the year” by two publications following the release of 2023’s NO(w) Beauty. In 2009, Mehari was The Plastic Sax Person of the Year. Seventeen years later, Mehari is succeeding in an ongoing quest to “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”.
Screenshot of the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll by Plastic Sax.
Two momentous year-end jazz critics polls- The 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll and El Intruso’s The 18th Annual International Critics Poll- were published during my recent sojourn in Japan. Details about the Kansas City artists who received representation follow.
Hosted by The Arts Fuse, the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll focuses on albums. Carl Allen’s Tippin' placed at #61 among the 576 releases receiving votes in the New Albums ranking. Anat Fort’s The Dreamworld of Paul Motian featuring guitarist Steve Cardenas, received a single nod.
Brittany Davis’ Black Thunder received one vote in the Vocals category while Pete Fucinaro’s Little Window and Henry Scamurra’s Urban Forum each received a single vote in a tally of debut albums.
Even though it was released on October 25, 2024, Charlie Parker’s Bird in Kansas City placed at #23 among the 208 titles receiving votes in the reissue category. Here’s my ballot.
The Argentine jazz periodical El Intruso’s ambitious referendum has a more progressive orientation. Hermon Mehari (one vote as best trumpeter) and Pat Metheny (one vote as best guitarist) were the sole musicians with Kansas City affiliations to be acknowledged. My ballot can be found by searching for “Plastic Sax.”
Four of the eight artists highlighted here wouldn’t have been mentioned in the polls without the participation of Plastic Sax. Either the sounds made by Kansas City artists aren’t reaching ears beyond the metropolitan area or they’re failing to make a lasting impression on jazz journalists.
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.
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.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Julie Denesha created an audio feature about the late Erin Keller for KCUR.
*Hermon Mehari chatted with Joe Dimino.
*Startland reports on $19 million of new public funding on projects in and around the Jazz District.
*Guitar Elation was featured on Kansas Public Radio’s Live at Green Lady Lounge program last week.
All Night Trio may be Kansas City’s best band. The wavy convergence of Matt Villinger, Peter Schlamb and Zach Morrow applies elite jazz chops to funky electro-pop. What could be better? Why, the addition of Hermon Mehari, of course! The trumpeter appears on “Echo Cycle,” the second track on the new album Yeah Sun. The gloriously woozy title track is a worthy follow-up to All Night Trio’s 2022 banger "All Faded". “The Next Gen” is centered on Morrow’s uplifting rap. The title of “Thunder Step” seems to be a nod to the crossover star Thundercat. A thirty-minute party, Yeah Sun is contemporary club music for people who collect Bobby Timmons records on vinyl.
Inspired musical partnerships have characterized the signature sound of Kansas City for a century. Among the fruitful pairings featuring one or two notable Kansas City musicians are Count Basie with Eddie Durham, Andy Kirk with Mary Lou Williams, Pat Metheny with Lyle Mays and more recently, Bobby Watson with Curtis Lundy.
Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier have enjoyed a similarly productive artistic relationship for the past 15 years. Upon forging a friendship with the French pianist, the trumpeter invited Tixier to Kansas City in 2011.
The old friends deepen their bond on Soul Song, a duet album recorded in France on November 12, 2024. With Tixier on Fender Rhodes, the duo investigates four compositions from the 1970s- Stanley Cowell’s “Maimoun,” George Duke’s “The Black Messiah,” Bobby Hutcherson’s “Now” and Marius Cutler’s “Laini.”
A pair of original pieces and two improvisations round out the impeccably spartan and sensitively performed set of spiritual jazz. As the careers of Mehari and Tixier continue to ascend the duo is likely to continue refining an artistic pact that’s an estimable extension of a hallowed Kansas City tradition.
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.
Despite enduring constant turbulence during the first 25 years of the new millennium, Kansas City’s jazz musicians never ceased creating timeless art. The following list highlights a fraction of the vital recordings released since 2000. The recency bias on display reflects Plastic Sax’s founding in 2007 as well as the uptick in the quantity and quality of releases in recent years. A corresponding non-jazz albums ranking is here.
1. Peter Schlamb- Tinks (2004)
2. Logan Richardson- Shift (2016)
3. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City (2022)
4. Hermon Mehari- Asmara (2022)
5. Bob Bowman- Songs for Sandra (2014)
6. Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)
7. Ahmad Alaadeen- And the Beauty of It All (ASR 2007)
8. Karrin Allyson- Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008)
9. Steve Cardenas- Panoramic (2002)
10. Mike Dillon- Inflorescence (2023)
11. Deborah Brown- Songbird (2003)
12. Adam Larson- With Love, From Kansas City (2022)
13. Myra Taylor- My Night to Dream (2001)
14. Matt Otto and Ensemble Ibérica- Ibérica (2017)
15. The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City- The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City (2010)
16. Kevin Mahogany- Pride & Joy (2002)
17. Micah Herman- The Ship, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions (2011)
18. EMAS Quartet- EMS (2022)
19. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Kings & Queens (2016)
20. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3 (2024)
21. Alaturka- Tamam Abi (2010)
22. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin' (2024)
23. Everette DeVan- For the Love of You (2014)
24. Gregory Hickman-Williams- Passages (2006)
25. Marcus Lewis Big Band- Brass and Boujee (2018)
The jazz community in Kansas City is a victim of negligence. Although it was released in February, Plastic Sax only recently stumbled upon Pliable Consciousness, the latest missive from Peter Schlamb. The excellence of the 22-minute recording compounds the oversight.
The vibraphonist, composer and bandleader has perfected the distinctive approach first documented on Tinks in 2014. The production of Pliable Consciousness is crisper and the guest artists- Hermon Mehari, Mike Moreno and Logan Richardson- are even more inspiring.
Schlamb has long been indifferent to self-promotion. Even so, managing to keep the superlative Pliable Consciousness a secret is a feat. The fact that Pliable Consciousness hasn’t received a smidgen of notice elsewhere doesn’t excuse Plastic Sax’s failure to keep tabs on one of Kansas City’s preeminent artists. I apologize.
An audience in Mission Woods, Kansas, will be transported to Europe on Saturday, April 6. The duo of trumpeter Hermon Mehari and pianist Allessandro Lanzoni will perform the sort of elite Continental chamber jazz documented on its 2021 album Arc Fiction at the 1900 Building. Passports aren’t necessary.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore is featured in a University of Kansas publication. Joe Dimino uploaded footage of Moore’s piano trio performing at Johnson County Community College.
*Hermon Mehari’s appearance at the 1900 Building is among KCUR’s April concert recommendations.
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Alive is thrilled to announce two exciting events in April... On April 27th, join us for a walking tour of one of Kansas City's most historic neighborhoods, the 18th & Vine Jazz District… On April 30th, International Jazz Day, discover how Kansas City has influenced the global jazz scene at our event "April: VividVision".
Top Ten Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Matt Otto- Umbra
Plastic Sax review.
2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City
Plastic Sax review.
4. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio
Plastic Sax review.
6. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
Plastic Sax review.
7. Torches Mauve- Volume Two
Plastic Sax review.
8. Narrative Quartet- Narrative
Plastic Sax review.
9. Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Plastic Sax review.
10. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Plastic Sax review.
Top Ten Albums by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes- A Short Diary
2. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
3. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera
4. Kassa Overall- Animals
5. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread
6. Henry Threadgill- The Other One
7. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do
8. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos
9. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Mélusine
10. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
Original image of Artemis at the Gem Theater by Plastic Sax.
Top Ten Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Mike Dillon, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie at the Brick
Plastic Sax review.
2. Hermon Mehari at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.
4. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
5. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Plastic Sax review.
6. Drew Williams, Alex Frank, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.
7. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.
8. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.
9. Alan Voss, Benjamin Baker, Forest Stewart and Evan Verploegh at Swope Park Pavilion
Plastic Sax review.
10. Rich Hill, Arnold Young and Rob Whitsitt in Volker Park
Instagram clip.
Top Ten Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
2. Devin Gray and Maria Elena Silva at the Firehouse Gallery
Plastic Sax review.
3. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
4. Artemis at the Gem Theater
Plastic Sax review.
5. CRAG Quartet and Joshua Gerowitz at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram clip.
6. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
7. Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
8. Robert Stillman at the Midland Theater
There Stands the Glass review.
9. Jack Wright and Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
10. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.
(Last year’s survey is here.)
Umbra, the Matt Otto album released in August by Origin Records, is an understated masterpiece. Imbued with quiet grace, Umbra reflects the subtle magnanimity associated with Otto, a Kansas City saxophonist with a cool West Coast approach.
Yet the vaguely threatening “Little Things” opens Umbra. The core trio of saxophonist Otto, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Kizilarmut is supplemented by shadowy contributions from trumpeter Hermon Mehari, keyboardist Matt Villinger and guitarist Alex Frank.
The musicians seem intent on pursuing peaceful resolutions on the remainder of the album. Otto promptly sets about addressing the quandary on the gorgeous second selection “Hawk.”
“Paw Paw,” perhaps Umbra’s best track, mirrors the excellence of Otto’s previous 2023 album Kansas City Trio. Kizilarmut’s sly playing indicates he’s become one of the elite drummers in improvised music.
The elastic “Melisma” concludes Umbra by alluding to the tension presented in “Little Things.” Profound equanimity, paired with extraordinary musicianship, gracefully resolve the album’s intellectual and spiritual challenges.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The author of Plastic Sax included releases featuring Mike Dillon, Adam Larson and Hermon Mehari in his ranking of The Best Jazz Albums of 2023 (So Far).
Hermon Mehari is on a roll. A week after thrilling a rapturous crowd at a homecoming concert at the Folly Theater on February 18, the trumpeter and three of his fellow European collaborators released the extraordinary No(w) Beauty.
The album might be even better than Asmara, the artistic breakthrough Mehari released in 2022. No(w) Beauty is distinguished by a friendly tussle between pianist Enzo Carniel and the tandem of bassist Damien Varaillon and drummer Stéphane Adsuar.
Carniel repeatedly pulls the quartet toward the center as Varaillon and Adsuar tug outward. The competitive interplay opens an accommodating space for Mehari’s slightly unconventional sensibility.
Martial rhythms and Mehari’s feathery tone occasionally evoke Sketches of Spain, Miles Davis’ landmark 1960 collaboration with Gil Evans. Yet with bits of electronica and sonic experimentation, No(w) Beauty’s is entirely in keeping with the European jazz of today.
Yet many of Mehari’s longtime fans in Kansas City will focus on a straightforward reading of "For All We Know". Mehari’s heart-melting statement on the ballad verifies his growing international reputation as an elite musician.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Citywide celebrations following the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in the Super Bowl earlier this month included school cancellations and a parade. Yet the sense of joy throughout Hermon Mehari’s concert at the Folly Theater on Saturday, February 18, may have been an even truer expression of hometown pride.
The evening possessed the giddiness of a high school dance at which Mehari had been elected prom king. The musician’s personal friends seemed to outnumber committed jazz enthusiasts among the more than 600 celebrants. All the better. Monitoring newcomers’ awestruck reactions to Mehari’s outstanding band underscored the excitement.
Even though he didn’t play the electric vibraphone that’s his most distinctive instrument, Peter Schlamb’s statements on piano and acoustic vibraphone were characteristically stupendous. An evocation of McCoy Tyner in a thunderous solo on “Anthem for Independence” awed the unsuspecting audience.
The tactful bassist Rick Rosato was paired with the muscular drummer Zach Morrow. The tandem elevated Mehari’s demonstrative solo on “All Alone” and tenderly accentuated the leader’s gorgeous trumpet work on “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”
Mehari’s stellar musicianship was matched by his dazzling repertoire. Many of the memorable compositions he and Schlamb have written are admirably unconventional. Explaining that he “dived into my Eritrean heritage” for the 2022 album Asmara, Mehari has clearly come into his own while living in France the past several years.
Mehari told his admirers that while he enjoys life in Paris, Kansas City is never far from his mind. “When I’m there I like to represent Kansas City, he said. “I’m not here, but I’m with you.” That sense of loyalty- along with his prodigious talent- made Mehari’s appearance in the Folly Jazz Series a heartwarming homecoming.
Set list: Call Me Habesha, Tatra, Melsi, All Alone, A Conversation with My Uncle, Eritrea, Anthem for Independence, Call Me Habesha, If I Were a Bell, Awakening, Soul Chant, I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, Tenafaquit, Shenandoah
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Geneva Price, a vocalist best known in recent years as a member of the Wild Women of Kansas City, has died.
*Hermon Mehari chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Jack Mouse and posted footage of performances by Joanna Berkebile and Hermon Mehari.
**Tweet of the Week: Chris Burnett- @KCStar needs to have a weekly Jazz column that actually covers the thriving jazz music scene (businesses, performing artists, educational events, and historical documentation) in the greater KC area. Jazz music is part of the historical DNA of Kansas City. @QuintonLucasKC
*From a press release: (The)“Tribute to Black Composers” concert will be presented at Unity Temple on the Plaza… on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m. in conjunction with the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation… (P)erformers include Angela Hagenbach, David Basse, Lori Tucker, and City Light Jazz Orchestra with… JWB... The show… is a history of Black songwriting and publishing in the 20th century. (Tickets are available here.)