Leon A. Brady, Founder/Musical Director of Kansas City Youth Jazz and also Musical Director of the bands, is an educator and professional percussionist. Mr. Brady earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education from Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee. He arrived in Kansas City in 1957 to teach at Northeast Junior High in Kansas City, Kansas. Later, he taught band, marching band, orchestra and jazz band at the old Sumner High School, earning many awards for excellence. From 1976 to 2000, he owned and operated Brady & Sons Music Company & Studio in Kansas City, Kansas. In 2000, Mr. Brady closed the retail store to spend more time teaching. He currently instructs 35 percussion students, both privately and in groups. He has developed a unique program for students on the drum set as young as 4 years old. Mr. Brady has also performed with many national and international musicians throughout his professional percussion career. While serving in the US Air Force, he performed regularly with John Williams and Frank Hitner, and later toured and recorded with Ray Charles. He has also performed with Max Roach, Clark Terry, George Salisbury, Marilyn Maye, Grover Washington, Carmel Jones, George Duke, John Park and many, many others. Since closing the store, Mr. Brady, along with his wife, Linda, has designed and developed the KC Youth Jazz Program, for Kansas City area music students.

Linda Richter Brady is Executive Director of Kansas City Youth Jazz. She is a music educator and earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Music from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas in 1978, and earned a diploma in Band Instrument Repair from Western Iowa Tech School, Sioux City, Iowa in 1980. Mrs. Brady helps to develop and maintain Youth Jazz programs and works on fund development and grant writing.

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Chris Burnett, woodwinds, has recently joined the KCYJ staff (and we’re absolutely thrilled to have him). A bio is on the way...

Jason Goudeau, trombone, is a native of Houston, Texas, where he attended the highly acclaimed High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He studied jazz under the direction of Dr. Robert Morgan and performed with Frank Rehak, Kirk Whalum, Bobby Shew, Billy Cobham, Marvin Stamm and Sebastian Whitaker. He was awarded the first “George Salisbury Memorial Scholarship” given at UMKC in 1985 and earned his Bachelor of Music in music performance degree from UMKC in 1989. He has performed with many local musicians and enjoys serving the music department at his church.

Greg Richter, piano and keyboards. Greg lived for 13 years on St. Croix performing regularly with Jimmy Hamilton. He has performed with such diverse talents such as: Cab Calloway, Little Anthony, The Shirelles, Gary Burton, James Cotton, Boots Randolph, Frank Foster, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has served as pianist and music director for The Wiz, Camelot, and Gypsy. After working for 3 years at the Grand Hotel Resort, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, Greg returned to Kansas City in 1997. Greg has also produced and performed on recordings including “Old Friends-New Point with Bobby Watson and on “Track 13” with Megan Birdsall. He now performs at many of the top jazz venues throughout the Midwest.

Clarence Smith is an instructor of music at MCC Penn Valley where he directs a jazz combo, jazz ensemble, percussion, Music Appreciation and Jazz History.   He holds degrees from Central Methodist University and Lesley University.  Prior to his appointment at MCC, Smith taught band in the Marshall, Missouri public schools and at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts High School in Kansas City.  His Paseo bands earned countless I ratings and won many regional and national jazz competitions.   In 2000, he was named ‘High School Educator of the Year” by Downbeat Magazine and was selected as a Music Fellow at Northwestern University’s School of Music in 2003. Smith has performed throughout much of the U.S. and Canada and is currently performs with the Kansas City Wind Symphony, The Joe Athon Groups and singer-songwriter, Toni Gates. He currently serves as the Chairman of Multicultural Awareness for Missouri Music Educators.  His professional affiliations include IAJE, MENC, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Ron Stinson, a native of Topeka, Kansas, graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. After graduation, Ron spent four years in the U.S. Air Force as Solo Cornet and Lead Trumpet of the NORAD combined forces band stationed in Colorado Springs, CO. Upon completion of the military obligation, Ron attended Yale University where he earned the Master of Music in Trumpet Performance degree. The next several years were spent performing in New York City as a free lance musician. Broadway shows include, The Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt, Singing in the Rain, Miss Saigon, Les Misarables, and Phantom of the Opera. Ron also performed with many jazz groups as well as TV, radio, and motion picture recording. While performing in New York, Ron was also on the faculty of Western Connecticut State University. Re-locating back to Kansas, Ron is currently Professor of Music at Johnson County Community College where he conducts the Music Masters Concert Band, the Midnight Express Jazz Ensemble, the Midnight Blues Jazz Choir, and teaches jazz improvisation.

Emeritus Faculty:

Bob Ousley, tenor, alto and soprano saxophone, clarinet and flute, has played with bands such as Tex Beneke, Henry Mancini and Jack Teagarden. He has played behind many of the biggest stars in the entertainment business – Mel Torme, John Denver, Diahann Carroll, Wayne Newton and Glen Campbell to name a few. Along with playing musical stage productions, he has played for a number of radio and television commercials as well as being featured with the Kansas City Symphony. Mr Ousley, now retired from KC Youth Jazz, was instrumental in the development of the Youth Jazz program.