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Jammin' at the Gem
Concerts The American Jazz Museum is pleased to announce the return of its... |
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About Kansas City and the Development of Jazz
Jazz and Kansas City share a rich heritage. In fact, virtually all of the artists documented in the Baker Collection performed in Kansas City at one time, including Charlie Parker, Mary Lou Williams, Count Basie, June Redmond, and Billie Holiday.
In the 1920s, Kansas City put its own stamp on the development of jazz as “territory bands” found an abundance of opportunities in the 18th & Vine corridor.
Kansas City was “a wide open town” during the Prohibition era. Under the auspices of Tom Pendergast’s infamous political machine, almost 200 nightclubs called the 18th & Vine neighborhood home. Music could be heard 24 hours a day. By the 1930s, 18th & Vine would give birth to the Big Band era. Our town taught the world how to dance and, to steal a phrase from Benny Goodman, “to sing, sing, sing.”
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