Brad Allen Jazz Trio

A former U.S. Army drummer, Brad Allen is proof positive that Kansas City is still a stomping ground for quality jazz musicians. “I classify us as jazz, because it seems you have to be put into a genre to market yourself,” says Allen. “Sometimes though I think jazz has stagnated. When entertainment becomes an art form, people tend to think of it in terms of very specific parameters. I think that can limit your creativity.”

Taking classic songs and then stepping out of parameters is what Allen has sought to do on his latest effort. Infusing smooth guitar jazz with beatnik style percussion, his renditions of television’s “Meet The Flintstones,” to the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” are nothing but fun.