NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City Jazz is a style of jazz that developed and flourished in Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s and marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop. According to a Kansas City website, "While New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, America's music grew up in Kansas City". ^[1] Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... Dixieland music is a style of jazz. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion group that can be large, technically classified as a membranophone. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 1903 KB) Summary Charlie Parker at the Kansas City Jazz Museum. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 1903 KB) Summary Charlie Parker at the Kansas City Jazz Museum. ... The Premiere Jazz Museum in the United States. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... Kansas City satellite map The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers (Kaw Point) and straddling the state border between Missouri and Kansas. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. ... Musical improvisation is the spontaneous creative process of making music while it is being performed. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ...

Background

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. However, the Kansas City jazz school is identified with the black bands of the 1920s and 1930s. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Kansas City in the 1930s was very much the crossroads of the United States resulting in a mix of cultures. Transcontinental trips at the time whether by plane or train often required a stop in the city. The era marked the zenith of power of Big City Tom Pendergast. Kansas City was a wide open town with liquor laws and hours totally ignored and was called the new Storyville. 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 various variations for an entire night. Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1873 â€“ January 26, 1945) controlled Kansas City as a political boss. ... Storyville was the prostitution district of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1897 through 1917. ...

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.

Claude Williams described the scene: Claude The Fiddler Williams (February 22, 1908 â€“ April 26, 2004) was an American jazz violinist and guitarist. ...

Clubs were scattered throughout city but the most fertile area was the inner city neighborhood of 18th Street and Vine. The term inner-city is often applied to the poorer parts at the centre of a major city. ... The 18th and Vine District is a center of African American culture in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

Among 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, Lone Star, Old Kentucky Bar-B-Que, Paseo Ballroom, Pla-Mor Ballroom, Reno Club, Spinning Wheel, Street's Blue Room, Subway and Sunsetx.

Style

Kansas City Jazz is not easily recognizable as a style because of its improvisation method in which musicians passing through town would compete with each other. It was not uncommon for one "song" to be performed for hours at a time. The music was not recorded or written down. The transition style is bracketed by Count Basie who in 1929 signed with the Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra and Kansas City native Charlie Parker who was to usher in the Bebop style in the 1940s. William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 â€“ April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Bennie Moten (1894-1935) was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ...

Aftermath

Kansas City influence overtly transferred to the national scene in 1936 when record producer John H. Hammond launched his career by discovering Kansas City talent starting with Count Basie. John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910â€“July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ...

Pendergast was to be convicted of income tax evasion in 1940 and the city cracked down on the clubs effectively ending the era.

Beginning in the 1970s Kansas City has attempted to celebrate the heritage by taking off the rough edges for family friendly environments. In the 1970s, the city tried to create a jazz enclave in the River Quay area on the Missouri River in the City Market neighborhood. Three of the clubs were bombed during a mob war that ultimately also led to the demise of mob influence of Las Vegas casinos that was depicted in the movie Casino. Casino is a 1995 film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi and Larry Shandling. ...

In 1981 114 people died in the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in an attempted recreation of the jazz scene during a tea dance. View of the lobby floor, during the first day of the investigation The Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapse was a major disaster that occurred on July 17, 1981 in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200 others during a tea dance. ... A tea dance or thÃ© dansant is an afternoon or early evening dance. ...

In 1996 Kansas City native Robert Altman released the film Kansas City depicting the Kansas City jazz era. Robert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 â€“ November 20, 2006) was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. ... Kansas City is a 1996 film, directed by Robert Altman, and featuring numerous jazz tracks. ...

In 1997 the American Jazz Museum opened in the 18th and Vine neighborhood with a mission of celebrating Kansas City's jazz heritage. The Premiere Jazz Museum in the United States. ...

Musicians

William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 â€“ April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Buck Clayton (born Wilbur Dorsey Clayton in Parsons, Kansas on November 12, 1911-died in New York City on December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpet player, fondly remembered for being a leading member of Count Basieâ€™s Old Testament orchestra and leader of mainstream orientated jam session recordings... Herschel Evans (born March 9, 1909 in Denton, Texas; died February 9, 1939 in New York City) was a tenor saxophonist who worked in the Count Basie Orchestra. ... Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes Bean, (November 21, 1901 or 1904 - May 19, 1969) was a prominent jazz tenor saxophone musician. ... Jo Jones (October 11, 1911â€“September 3, 1985) (later known as Papa Jo Jones) was an American drummer, one of the most influential in the history of jazz. ... Peter (Pete) Johnson (March 24/25, 1904 - March 23, 1967) was an American jazz pianist best known as a leading boogie-woogie player. ... Harlan Leonard (1905â€“1983) was an American jazz bandleader and clarinetist from Kansas City, Missouri. ... James Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (born in 1909 or January 12, 1916) is an American blues and Swing pianist, bandleader, and singer. ... Bennie Moten (1894-1935) was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader. ... Oran Thaddeus Page (27 January 1908 in Dallas, Texas - 4 November 1954 in New York City), jazz trumpeter, singer, bandleader, better known as Hot Lips Page by the public, and Lips Page by his fellow musicians. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Sammy Price (born Sam Blythe Price, October 6, 1908 - died April 14, 1992) was an American jazz pianist. ... James Andrew (Jimmy) Rushing (August 26, 1901/02/03 - June 8, 1972) was an American blues singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ... Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr. ... Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909â€“September 20, 1973) was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... Claude The Fiddler Williams (February 22, 1908 â€“ April 26, 2004) was an American jazz violinist and guitarist. ... Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 â€“ May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. ... Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 â€“ March 15, 1959), nicknamed Prez, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. ...

References

Jazz | Jazz genres The History of Kansas City of Missouri and Kansas (and surrounding communities) dates back to the 1800s. ... Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is known for many famous and interesting buildings. ... View from atop the Liberty Memorial; The Loop and Crossroads skyline, Crown Center isnt shown. ... Kansas City barbecue refers to the specific inner city style of barbecue that evolved from the pit of Henry Perry in the early 1900s in Kansas City, Missouri. ... Image:KCMOSeal. ... Landmark KCTV-TV tower on 31st Street on Union Hill, with the Firefighters Fountain in foreground. ... The city of Kansas City, Missouri has often been a locale for Hollywood productions and television programming. ... . ... Kansas City satellite map The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers (Kaw Point) and straddling the state border between Missouri and Kansas. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Acid jazz Avant-jazz Bebop Dixieland Dixieland revival Calypso jazz Chamber jazz Contemporary jazz Cool jazz Creative jazz Crossover jazz European free jazz Franchesca jazz Free funk Free jazz Groove jazz Gypsy jazz Hard bop Jazz blues Jazz-funk Jazz fusion Jazz rap Jazz rock Kansas City Jazz Latin jazz...

Acid jazz - Asian American jazz - Avant-garde jazz - Bebop - Crossover jazz - Dixieland - Calypso jazz - Chamber jazz - Cool jazz - Free jazz - Gypsy jazz - Hard bop - Jazz blues - Jazz-funk - Jazz fusion - Jazz rap - Latin jazz - Mainstream jazz - Mini-jazz - Modal jazz - M-Base - Nu jazz - Smooth jazz - Soul jazz - Swing - Trad jazz - West Coast jazz Acid jazz (sometimes groove jazz) is a musical genre that combines jazz influences with elements of soul music, funk, disco and hip hop. ... Asian American jazz is a musical movement in the United States begun in the 20th century by Asian American jazz musicians. ... Avant-jazz (also known as avant-garde jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of avant-garde art music composition with elements of traditional jazz. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... In the wake of fusions decline in the mid-1970s, jazz artists who continued to seek wider audiences began incorporating a variety of popular sounds into their music, forming a group of accessible styles that became known as Crossover Jazz. ... Dixieland music is a style of jazz. ... Calypso jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of calypso music with elements of traditional jazz. ... Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz based around small, acoustic-based ensembles where group interplay is important. ... CD reissue of Daviss 1957 LP Birth of the Cool, collecting much of his 1949 to 1950 work. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard bop is an extension of bebop (bop) music which incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. ... Jazz blues is a musical style that combines jazz and blues. ... Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds. ... Jazz fusion (or jazz-rock fusion or fusion) is a musical genre that merges elements of jazz with other styles of music, particularly pop, rock, folk, reggae, funk, metal, R&B, hip hop, electronic music and world music. ... Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz harmonies from the United States. ... Mainstream jazz is a genre of jazz music that was first used in reference to the playing styles of musicians like Buck Clayton among others; performers who once heralded from the era of big band swing music whom did not abandon swing for bebop, instead performing the music in smaller... Originating in Haiti during the 1960s, the mini-jazz movement was influenced by other Caribbean music styles, the British Invasion, and French pop. ... Modal jazz is jazz played using musical modes rather than chord progressions. ... M-Base is a form of modern jazz music which reached its peak in the mid-to-late-80s and early 90s. ... Nu-jazz (sometimes electro-jazz) was coined in the late 1990s to refer to styles which combine jazz textures and sometimes jazz instrumentation with electronic music. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Soul jazz was a development of hard bop which incorporated strong blues and gospel influences in music for small groups featuring keyboards, especially the Hammond organ. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... Trad jazz, short for traditional jazz is a music genre popular in Britain and Australia from the 1940s onward through the 1950s and which still has enthusiasts today. ... West coast jazz is a form of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles at about the same time as hard bop jazz was developing in New York City, in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Contents

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Style

Aftermath

Musicians

References

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