Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri throughout the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the shift from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop. The hard-swinging, bluesy transition design is bracketed by Count Basie who in 1929 signed with the Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra and Kansas City native Charlie Parker who ushered in the Bebop style in America. Kansas City was known for the arranged musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a number of places in the city.

 

The very first band from Kansas City to obtain a national credibility was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which broadcast nationally in the 1920s. The Kansas City jazz school is recognized with the black bands of the 1920s and 1930s, including bands led by Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk, Harlan Leonard, George E. Lee, William "Count" Basie, and Jay McShann.

Kansas City in the 1930s was quite the crossroads of the United States leading to a mix of cultures. Transcontinental journeys at the time whether by plane or train typically required a stop in the city. The era marked the zenith of power of political boss Tom Pendergast. Kansas City was a large open town with liquor laws and hours absolutely disregarded and was called the brand-new Storyville. The majority of allure artists connected with the style were born in other locations however got captured up in the friendly musical competitors among entertainers that might keep a single tune being performed in variations for an entire night. Often members of the big bands would perform at routine places earlier at night and go to the jazz clubs later on to jam for the rest of the night.

Jay McShann informed the Associated Press in 2003:

" You 'd hear some feline play, and someone would say 'This cat, he seems like he is from Kansas City.' It was Kansas City Style. They understood it on the East Coast. They knew it on the West Coast. They understood it up North and they understood it down South."

Claude "Fiddler" Williams described the scene:

Kansas City was different from all other places due to the fact that we 'd be jamming all night.
Clubs were scattered throughout city however the most fertile area was the central city neighborhood of 18th Street and Vine.

Amongst 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 Hey 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.

Design:

Kansas City jazz is differentiated by the following musical components:

A choice for a 4 feel (walking) over the 2 beat feel discovered in other jazz designs of the time. As a result, Kansas city jazz had a more relaxed, fluid noise than other jazz styles.
Extended soloing. Fueled by the non-stop night life under political boss Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well previous dawn, cultivating an extremely competitive atmosphere and an unique jazz culture in which the objective was to "state something" with one's instrument, rather than merely reveal off one's strategy. It was not uncommon for one "tune" to be performed for several hours, with the very best artists frequently soloing for lots of choruses at a time.

So-called "head plans". The KC huge bands frequently played by memory, making up and organizing the music collectively, rather than sight-reading as other big bands of the time did. This more contributed to the loose, spontaneous Kansas City noise.

A heavy blues influence, with KC tunes frequently based around a 12-bar blues structure, rather than the 32 bar AABA requirement, although Moten Swing remains in this AABA format.
One of the most identifiable attributes of Kansas City jazz is regular, sophisticated riffing by the different sections. Glenn Miller's famous swing anthem "In the Mood" closely follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing sections, and is a great example of the Kansas City design after it had been exported to the rest of the world.

Kansas City jazz is a design of jazz that established in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the shift from the structured huge band style to the musical improvisation design of Bebop. The hard-swinging, bluesy shift design is bracketed by Count Basie who in 1929 signed with the Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra and Kansas City native Charlie Parker who ushered in the Bebop style in America. Other cities include New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Kansas City was understood for the arranged artists of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a number of locations in the city.

Glenn Miller's popular swing anthem "In the Mood" closely follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing areas, and is a great example of the Kansas City style after it had been exported to the rest of the world.