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Feature: The History on Kansas City Jazz
The Jazz Tradition Lives On
The roots of Kansas City jazz are quite varied. Blues singers of the 1920s and ragtime music greatly influenced the music scene. Settings such as dance halls, cabarets and speakeasies fostered the development of this new musical style. In the early days, many jazz groups were smaller dance bands with three to six pieces. By the mid-1920s, the big band became the most common. Territory bands also had an influential development on jazz. Many great musicians got their start in these bands, traveling up to 1,000 miles between jobs.
While jazz began in the 1920s with a bang, it flourished in the 1930s, mainly as a result of political boss Tom Pendergast. During prohibition, he allowed alcohol to flow in Kansas City. As an entertainment center, Kansas City had no equal during these dry times.
This "wide-open" town image attracted displaced musicians from everywhere in mid-America. Throughout the Depression, Kansas City bands continued to play while other bands across the nation folded. The city was shielded from the worst of the Depression due to an early form of New Deal-style public works projects that provided jobs, and affluence, that kept the dance-oriented nightlife in town swinging.
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Only in Kansas City did jazz continue to flourish. At one time, there were more than 100 night clubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses in Kansas City regularly featuring jazz music. Legends like Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Joe Turner, Hot Lips Page and Jay McShann all played in Kansas City. A saxophone player named Charlie Parker began his ascent to fame here in his hometown in the 1930s. Kansas City’s 12th Street became nationally known for its jazz clubs, gambling parlors and brothels, earning the city the moniker, “The Paris of the Plains.” At its height, 12th Street was home to more than 50 jazz clubs. Just six blocks to the north, jazz also flourished at 18th & Vine, which became nationally respected as the epicenter of the city’s African-American community. Another great outcome of Kansas City jazz was the jam session. After performances, musicians would get together to exchange ideas and experiment with new methods of playing. The best local and out of town musicians would take part in these jam sessions that lasted all night and well into the next day. |
 Photo: Count Basie |
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The Pendergast political machine collapsed after Tom Pendergast was indicted on tax evasion, reform elements took over and nightclubs and cabarets shut down. Jobs for musicians dried up and the bands took to the road. By 1942, with the turmoil of World War II, many of the musicians had been drafted. Finally, by 1944, the great Kansas City jazz era slowed down, but it didn't totally die out. Today, jazz still thrives in Kansas City. In the history of Kansas City music, blues formed the basic vocabulary for KC-style jazz. The blues originated as a rural Black vocal music with a style improvised to the rhythms of work. That early rhythm evolved and gave birth to the blues, and eventually to Kansas City jazz, a kind of blues that jumps with a jazz sound. In fact, the city's first jazz recording by Bennie Moten in 1923 was "Evil Mama Blues." |
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Many downtown clubs were the scene of jam activity as well as the Mutual Musicians Foundation. This union hall, which still stands today as a National Historic Landmark, remains open on weekends for all-night jam sessions.Related Articles
Other KC Jazz Venues
Here's a list of member venues featuring live Kansas City Jazz.
20 total results returned.
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12 Baltimore Bar & Café
Type: American | Location: Downtown Area
Hot appetizers. Cold martinis. Cool people. One hip place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Happy hour Mon.-Fri., live music Fri.-Sat., and brunch on Sun. Quality contemporary cuisine for all occas...
Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City
Type: Casinos/Gaming | Location: Northeast
Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City has been rated 5 out of 5 stars
- Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City is a Visitor's Choice
Designated as the 2011 "Best Casino by KC Magazine, 2011 "Best Casino" by Home in the Northland, the 2010 “Best Overall Hotel and Casino in Missouri” from Strictly Slots and “Best Casino Gold Award” b...
Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa
Type: Casinos/Gaming | Location: Northwest
Discover Las-Vegas style gaming with non-stop entertainment and gourmet dining at Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa, located just five minutes from downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The award winning hotel ...
B.B.'s Lawn Side Bar-B-Q
Type: Barbecue | Location: Southeast
B.B.'s Lawn Side Bar-B-Q has been rated 5 out of 5 stars
Where barbecue meets the blues! Live blues Wed.–Sun. nights. Slow-smoked barbecue and Louisiana favorites. Appetizers, soups and sandwiches, sliced thin, piled high. ...
Blue Room, The
Type: Jazz & Blues | Location: Downtown Area
Blue Room, The has been rated 5 out of 5 stars
- Blue Room, The is a Visitor's Choice
The American Jazz Museum's Blue Room is a museum by day and a working jazz club at night. Four nights a week, the Blue Room resonates with the sweet sounds of Kansas City jazz.
As the only Kansas ...
Danny's Big Easy
Type: Cajun & Southern | Location: Downtown Area
There's always something going on at Danny's Big Easy on the historic KC corner of 18th & Vine. Great authentic Cajun and Creole dishes in the atmosphere of the best Louisiana hospitality. Great food ...
Fat Fish Blue
Location: Northwest
FAT FISH BLUE - all about good food, good music and good times! With a 50-seat patio and live music filtering out onto the sidewalk, this "Blues-n-Booze Joint" brings a touch of Bourbon Street to Kan...
Harrah's Casino and Hotel
Type: Casinos/Gaming | Location: Northeast
Harrah's Casino and Hotel has been rated 5 out of 5 stars
New 392 luxury-room hotel featuring 69 suites. Casino includes more than 1,800 slots and table games. Property includes five restaurants including The Range Steakhouse Mike & Charlie's Italian Restaur...
Isle of Capri Casino
Type: Casinos/Gaming | Location: Downtown Area
Isle of Capri Casino has been rated 5 out of 5 stars
Conveniently located just minutes away from the downtown area, Isle of Capri Casino offers action-packed gaming, mouthwatering dining and captivating entertainment-all under one roof! Play all your f...
Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen
Type: Cajun & Southern | Location: Country Club Plaza Area
Let the good times roll! No swamps, where there is a dixieland band in every bite. Live music every night. We serve great cajun, creole delights. We re-create the sights, sounds and pleasures of New O...
Kansas City Power & Light District
Type: Nightclubs & Dancing | Location: Downtown Area
Kansas City Power & Light District has been rated 3 out of 5 stars
Visitors can now experience a new Downtown Kansas City with the Kansas City Power & Light District. The $850 million entertainment district - the largest new development project in the Midwest - has r...
Knuckleheads Saloon
Type: Nightclubs & Dancing | Location: Downtown Area
We are a 119 year old 2 story building who hosts the best live music in Kansas City! We are a Honky Tonk Blues Roadhouse, the kind you would find in Key West or South Texas. We have a cool, down home ...
Legends Outlets Kansas City
Type: Shopping Centers & Malls | Location: West
Legends Outlets Kansas City has been rated 4 out of 5 stars
Legends Outlets Kansas City is 1.2 million square-foot open-air shopping and entertainment center and includes over 100 stores and restaurants.
Legends Outlets Kansas City has a diverse and excit...
Midland by AMC, The
Type: Concert Venues | Location: Downtown Area
AEG LIVE, AMC Entertainment and The Cordish Company are pleased to announce the grand reopening of The Midland by AMC, Kansas City's premiere indoor theatre for live events! Located in downtown Kansas...
Mutual Musicians Foundation
Type: Performing Arts | Location: Downtown Area
The Mutual Musicians Foundation is located in the heart of Kansas City's historic jazz district. Originally home to the Black Musicians' Protective Union Local 627 A.F. of M., The Foundation continue...
The Phoenix
Type: Live Music | Location: Downtown Area
A Kansas City landmark! Locally owned and operated. Live jazz & blues five nights a week. Serving lunch and dinner ranging from seared crab cakes to sandwiches and desserts at a price that won't break...
Theater League
Type: Performing Arts | Location: Downtown Area
Theater League is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, performing arts organization dedicated to the development of professional legitimate theater, both as a cultural and an educational resource. Serving it...
WestChase Grille
Type: Steak Houses | Location: Southwest
WestChase Grille specializes in serving upscale comfort food. The decor is warm, elegant and inviting with live music five nights a week (Wed-Sun).
The dinner menu has something for everyone, incl...
Westport
Type: Nightclubs & Dancing | Location: Country Club Plaza Area
Westport - Real People, Real Places, Real Life
To be a truly great destination, you need real places, like the unique shops and exceptional dining of Westport. And, you need real life, like the viv...
