Ĭlubs were scattered throughout city but the most fertile area was the inner city neighborhood of 18th Street and Vine.Īmong the clubs were the Amos 'n' Andy, Boulevard Lounge, Cherry Blossom, Chesterfield Club, Chocolate Bar, Dante's Inferno, Elk's Rest, Hawaiian Gardens, Hell's Kitchen, the Hi Hat, the Hey Hay Club, Lone Star, Old Kentucky Bar-B-Que, Paseo Ballroom, Pla-Mor Ballroom, Reno Club, Spinning Wheel, Street's Blue Room, Subway, and Sunsetx. playing the wrong thing, we'd straighten you out. Kansas City was different from all other places because we'd be jamming all night. Ĭlaude "Fiddler" Williams described the scene: They knew it up North and they knew it down South. You'd hear some cat play, and somebody would say "This cat, he sounds like he is from Kansas City." It was Kansas City Style. Jay McShann told the Associated Press in 2003: Often members of the big bands would perform at regular venues earlier in the evening and go to the jazz clubs later to jam for the rest of the night. Most of the jazz musicians associated with the style were born in other places but got caught up in the friendly musical competitions among performers that could keep a single song being performed in variations for an entire night. Laws and hours totally ignored and was called the new Storyville. Kansas City was a wide open town with liquor. The era marked the zenith of power of political boss Tom Pendergast. Transcontinental trips at the time, whether by plane or train, often necessitated a stop in the city. Kansas City in the 1930s was very much the crossroads of the United States resulting in a mix of cultures. However, the Kansas City jazz school is identified with the black bands of the 1920s and 1930s, including those led by Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk, Harlan Leonard, George E. The first band from Kansas City to acquire a national reputation was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which broadcast nationally in the 1920s. Kansas City was known for the organized musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a number of venues in the city. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Other cities include New Orleans, Chicago, St. Thus, Kansas City is known as one of the most popular "cradles of jazz". It has been said that while New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, "America's music" grew up in Kansas City. The hard- swinging, bluesy transition style is bracketed by Count Basie, who in 1929 signed with Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, and Kansas City native Charlie Parker, who ushered in the bebop style in America. Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the transition from the structured big band style to the much more improvisational style of bebop. The Mutual Musicians Foundation was listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1980.Towns which are popular with Kansas City jazz A living museum, the Foundation preserves and develops Kansas City's rich musical heritage.Įxplore the online exhibit at UMKC’s LaBudde Special Collections “ Musician’s Local 627.” supports the Mutual Musicians Foundation and its programs. The Foundation also serves as a rehearsal space for members, a classroom for visiting students and a place for private parties. A National Historic Landmark, the building is also entered in the National Register of Historic Places and the Kansas City Landmarks Commission Register.Īs they have since 1930, musicians gather at the Foundation Friday and Saturday nights after midnight to jam into the early morning hours. In 1979, the Foundation was prominently featured in Bruce Ricker's film, The Last of the Blue Devils. The Mutual Musicians Foundation, Inc., originally incorporated to manage the building and assets of Local 627, continued operating the building as a social club for musicians and fans after the merger with Local 34 in 1970. Today, the tradition jams on at the Mutual Musicians Foundation, located on the former site of Local 627 at 1823 Highland Ave., in the heart of the historic 18th and Vine District.
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