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The History on Kansas City Jazz

The Jazz Tradition Lives On

Blue Room Kansas City is world renowned for its rich jazz and blues legacy. Jazz in Kansas City was born in the 1920s and continues today in clubs and events held throughout the city. More than 20 area nightclubs feature jazz on a regular basis.

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.

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

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.

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."

Other KC Jazz Venues

Here's a list of member venues featuring live Kansas City Jazz.

18 total results returned.

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Isle of Capri Casino

Type: Casinos/Gaming | Location: Downtown/Conv Center Area

Isle of Capri Casino has been rated 5 out of 5 stars

Isle of Capri Casino is a player's paradise! Conveniently located just minutes away from the convention area, Isle of Capri offers your favorite slot and table games. Spectacular live entertainment t...
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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 Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill and Mike & Cha...
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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

Photo of Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City

Designated as the 2008 “Favorite Casino in Missouri” from Missouri Gaming and Travel and the 2007 “Best Overall Hotel Casino in Missouri” from the Casino Player Magazine and Strictly Slots Magazine, t...
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Blue Room, The

Type: Jazz & Blues | Location: Downtown/Conv Center 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 ...
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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. ...
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The Legends at Village West

Type: Shopping Centers & Malls | Location: West

The Legends at Village West has been rated 4 out of 5 stars

The The Legends at Village West is 1.2 million square-foot open-air shopping and entertainment center and includes over 100 stores and restaurants. The Legends has a diverse and exciting tenant lin...
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Kansas City Power & Light District

Type: Nightclubs & Dancing | Location: Downtown/Conv Center Area

Kansas City Power & Light District has been rated 3 out of 5 stars

Photo of Kansas City Power & Light District

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...
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