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.

Now's the Time: BCR

BCR, the Kansas City collective originally inspired by the cosmic jazz of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, has delighted freaks and confused straights for more than forty years. BCR returns to the Ship on Friday, December 26.

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.

Now’s the Time: Devin Gray

The innovative percussionist Devin Gray’s 2023 appearance in Kansas City was stunning. Gray returns to town on Wednesday, September 24, for a gig at the Ship. Representatives of Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society will also be on hand.

Now’s the Time: Iver Cardas

The Norwegian guitarist Iver Cardas will be joined by the top-tier Kansas City musicians Pete Fucinaro, Jeff Harshbarger and Ryan Lee at the Ship on Thursday, April 10.

Now’s the Time: Marbin

The members of Marbin are pranksters, online pedagogues and road warriors. The Chicago based band touches down at the Ship on Saturday, February 1.

Now’s the Time: Erin Keller

Erin Keller performs at the Ship on Thursday, January 9. As with her 2023 EP Songs for Times Like These, Keller will be backed by the James Ward Band.

Jazz Night in Kansas City (Is Every Night)

Attending performances by locally based jazz musicians is what I miss most about Kansas City while traveling. While I regularly take advantage of high-profile concerts by cutting-edge improvisers who rarely appear in Kansas City in my destinations, few locales match the depth of artistry showcased nightly in the Kansas City area.

Following a trip to the tropics, I caught up with a portion of the embarrassment of riches on Thursday, November 15. My outing began at the Music House School of Music in Prairie Village. The storied trumpeter Stan Kessler joined the house band of guitarist Aaron Sizemore, bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Michael Warren.

Sizemore tends to incorporate European innovations of recent decades into his sound, a disposition that differentiates him from his peers in Kansas City. The singularity didn’t make an impression on harried music students on strict schedules at the busy facility. The small audience at Thursday’s no-cover event consisted of the usual suspects. A video of the concert streams here.

In the Lowest Ferns couldn’t be more different. The West Bottoms club specializing in electronic dance music occasionally hosts jazz musicians. About 25 fashion-conscious people paid a $15 cover charge to take in the first set by saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Parker Woolworth, bassist Jordan Faught and drummer Jaylen Ward. The quartet’s spiritual soul-jazz was enhanced by a fog machine.

Two blocks away, Peter Schlamb unveiled an instrument he described as his “new toy” in a free show at The Ship.  The slippery tones of the MalletKAT added another weapon to the vibraphonist’s formidable arsenal. The high-energy improvisations of Schlamb, saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Matt Villinger, bassist Sebastian Arias and drummer Zach Morrow were stunning.

In an act that felt like a cultural misdemeanor, the two eldest people among the audience of 20 left at the conclusion of the first set at 10:15 p.m. I nodded in agreement when a savvy old head suggested “that’s the best band in Kansas City” as we shuffled to the door. For me, Shlamb’s electric band sounds like home.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A blogger attended a performance by Mike Baggetta and Peter DiStefano at the Ship and marveled at a pop star’s unexpected foray into jazz at the T-Mobile Center.

Now’s the Time: Eboni Fondren

Eboni Fondren, one of Kansas City’s most prominent vocalists, returns to the Ship on Thursday, May 30. She’s accompanied by French musicians in the embedded video.

Now's the Time: KC Carnival Ball

The Ship hosts the 24th Annual KC Carnival Ball on Saturday, February 3. The Back Alley Brass Band is one of four party-oriented ensembles featured at the celebration. The Kansas Citians interpret a New Orleans standard in the embedded video.

Now’s the Time: Tatsuya Nakatani

Tatsuya Nakatani returns to the Ship on Thursday, November 30. The percussionist will be joined by Shawn Hansen, Jeff Harshbarger and Mike Stover following a solo set. Plastic Sax reviewed Nakatani’s 2019 performances at The Ship and the 1900 Building. The final four minutes of the embedded video are extremely amusing.

Now’s the Time: Brass & Boujee

Marcus Lewis’ Brass & Boujee ensemble performs at The Ship on Friday, June 30. The big band interprets Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” in the embedded video.

Now’s the Time: Black Crack Revue

The current iteration of  Black Crack Revue (also known as BCR), the longstanding Kansas City collective originally inspired by the Sun Ra Arkestra, performs an early show at The Ship on Saturday, May 13.

Now’s the Time: Logan Richardson

Prior to a four-night stand at The Blue Note in New York City later this month, Logan Richardson is booked for a three-night run at The Ship in Kansas City on Wednesday, February 1, Thursday, February 2, and Friday, February 3.  The saxophonist’s show at The Ship in 2022 was Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performance of 2022.  The embedded video is a portion of Steve Paul’s documentation of the February 1 set.

Plastic Sax's Favorite Performances of 2022

Top Performances by Kansas City Artists

1. Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship

Review.

2. Adam Larson, Clark Sommers and Dana Hall at Westport Coffee House

Review.

3. Black Crack Revue at Westport Coffee House

Review.

4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at recordBar

Review.

5. Arnold Young and the RoughTet at the Ship

Instagram clip.

6. Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church

Review.

7. Evan Verplough and Ben Baker at World Culture KC

Review.

8. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge

9. Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation

Review.

10. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House

Review.

Top Performances by Artists from Elsewhere

1. Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room

Review.

2. Ohma at the Midland theater

Review.

3. Livia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building

Review.

4. High Pulp at recordBar

Review.

5. Phillip Greenlief at Bushranger Records

Review.

6. Terence Blanchard at Atkins Auditorium

Review.

7. Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead at Black Dolphin

Instagram photo.

8. Esthesis Quartet at the Blue Room

Instagram clip.

9. Kind Folk at the Black Box

Instagram clip.

10. Bill Summers and Forward Back at Dunbar Park

Review.

Concert Review: Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship

A perceptible anomaly prior to the homecoming concert of Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship on Thursday, May 19, indicated the evening would be memorable. The five musicians swaggered with confidence while socializing in a recently opened annex of the venue at which more than 100 revelers paid a $10 cover charge.  Gloating is uncommon among Kansas City jazz musicians.

The men backed up their bold dispositions with a correspondingly towering 80-minute performance.  Unapologetically loud and abrasive, the quintet exhibited a remarkable rapport strengthened during a tour that included a five-night stand at New York City’s jazz shrine the Village Vanguard.  The potency of the outing was hardly a surprise.  

Richardson, Plastic Sax’s 2019 Person of the Year, and vibraphonist/keyboardist Peter Schlamb, Plastic Sax’s 2018 Person of the Year, are arguably Kansas City’s most exciting musicians.  They brought out the best in each other.  The metal-edged guitarist Igor Osypov, the inventive bassist Dominique Sanders and the thrilling young drummer Nazir Ebo are also standout musicians.

The voice Richardson expresses through his saxophone attack, distinctive compositions and decisive bandleading skill has never been more eloquent.  In a heartfelt soliloquy, he name-checked Kansas City jazz forebears including Ahmad Alaadeen, Jay McShann, Eddie Saunders and Claude Williams.  Richardson’s bold innovations and rightful self-assurance honor their legacies.

Now's the Time: Logan Richardson

Four days after completing a five-day run on the hallowed stage of The Village Vanguard, Logan Richardson + Blues People play a homecoming concert at The Ship on Thursday, May 19. The band consists of saxophonist Richardson, guitarist Igor Osypov, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Dominique Sanders and drummer Ryan J. Lee.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Jon McGraw promoted the Spotlight 2021: Charlie Parker initiative on Joe Dimino’s YouTube channel.

*The Kansas City Star made a ​​belated acknowledgement of the passing of Everette DeVan.

* The American Jazz Museum marks the return of Charlie Parker’s plastic sax with a parade in the Jazz District on Sunday, August 29.

*Tweet of the Week: Mike Mahoney- The Ship, a Kansas City live music venue and bar, joins the list of places in KC requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test to enter. May be others soon. @kmbc #MoVaccine