Interview by Lysa Allman-Baldwin

A Kansas City native, Angela Hagenbach  is a renowned jazz singer and songwriter. In 1994, she established Amazon Records, an artist-owned jazz label. If you are lucky, you'll catch Angela singing at the one of the many jazz clubs around the city. We sat down with Angela and get her picks on her favorite entertainment hangouts for KC.

When it comes to entertainment and nightlife, what is Kansas City’s best-kept secret?

• Jardine’s, a neighborhood jazz club and restaurant where it’s a fun experience to hear live jazz five to seven nights a week.

What do you love best about Kansas City?

• It’s affordable and I have a lifestyle here I enjoy. It’s also centrally located and I can get to either coast relatively quickly. Plus, there’s lots of shopping, restaurants and beautiful fountains.

If you had visitors for one day and could do only three things, what would you do?

• Start early because if music is what you are seeking, there is music all over the place. If it’s restaurants, you can restaurant-hop. I’d start out for cocktails at Skies (the revolving rooftop restaurant at the Hyatt) so you can see the city.
• Then grab some dinner at Café Sebastienne (an exceptional place for fabulous art and food) and maybe a late show at Jardine’s and an even later show at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Another neat area is the Crossroads Arts District.

 





To learn more about Angela and her love for Kansas City and its rich jazz history, please visit her Web site at amazonrecords.com.