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 huge band style to the musical improvisation design of Bebop. The hard-swinging, bluesy shift 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 introduced the Bebop design in America. "While New Orleans was the birth place of jazz, America's music grew up in Kansas City". [1] Kansas City is referred to as one of the most popular "cradles of jazz". Other cities consist of New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. [2] Kansas City was understood for the organized musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a variety of places in the city.

 

The very first band from Kansas City to get a nationwide reputation was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which transmitted nationally in the 1920s. However, the Kansas City jazz school is related to the black bands of the 1920s and 1930s, consisting of bands led by Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk, Harlan Leonard, George E. Lee, William "Count" Basie, and Jay McShann.

Kansas City in the 1930s was really much the crossroads of the United States resulting in a mix of cultures. Transcontinental trips at the time whether by airplane or train often 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 alcohol laws and hours totally neglected and was called the new Storyville. Most of the jazz artists associated with the style were born in other places but got captured up in the friendly musical competitors among entertainers that could keep a single song being carried out in variations for an entire night. Typically members of the big bands would perform at regular locations earlier at night and go to allure clubs later to jam for the rest of the night.

Jay McShann told the Associated Press in 2003:

" You 'd hear some cat play, and somebody would state 'This feline, he sounds 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 knew it up North and they understood it down South."

Claude "Fiddler" Williams explained the scene:

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

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 There 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 identified by the following musical components:

A choice for a 4 feel (walking) over the 2 beat feel found in other jazz designs of the time. As an outcome, Kansas city jazz had a more unwinded, fluid sound than other jazz styles.
Prolonged soloing. Sustained by the non-stop night life under political boss Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well past daybreak, promoting an extremely competitive atmosphere and a special jazz culture in which the goal was to "say something" with one's instrument, rather than merely show off one's technique. It was not uncommon for one "tune" to be carried out for several hours, with the best artists typically soloing for lots of choruses at a time.

So-called "head plans". The KC huge bands typically played by memory, composing and organizing the music collectively, instead of sight-reading as other huge bands of the time did. This additional added to the loose, spontaneous Kansas City noise.

A heavy blues affect, with KC tunes often based around a 12-bar blues structure, instead of the 32 bar AABA standard, although Moten Swing is in this AABA format.
One of the most recognizable characteristics of Kansas City jazz is regular, fancy riffing by the various sections. Glenn Miller's popular swing anthem "In the Mood" closely follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing areas, and is a good example of the Kansas City style after it had actually been exported to the rest of the world.

Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that established in Kansas City, Missouri throughout the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the shift from the structured big 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 consist of New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Kansas City was understood for the organized musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a number of venues 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 design after it had been exported to the rest of the world.