Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

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 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 matured in Kansas City". [1] Kansas City is referred to as among the most popular "cradles of jazz". Other cities include New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. [2] Kansas City was understood for the arranged musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a variety of locations in the city.

 

The first band from Kansas City to obtain a nationwide track record was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which broadcast nationally in the 1920s. Nevertheless, 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 very much the crossroads of the United States leading to a mix of cultures. Transcontinental journeys at the time whether by plane or train often required a drop in the city. The period marked the zenith of power of political manager Tom Pendergast. Kansas City was a large open town with liquor laws and hours completely ignored and was called the brand-new Storyville. The majority of allure artists related to the design were born in other places however got caught up in the friendly musical competitors amongst performers that might keep a single song being performed in variations for a whole night. Often members of the huge bands would perform at routine places previously in the evening and go to the jazz clubs later to jam for the remainder of the night.

Jay McShann informed the Associated Press in 2003:

It was Kansas City Style. They understood it up North and they understood it down South."

Claude "Fiddler" Williams explained the scene:

Kansas City was various from all other places because we 'd be jamming all night.
Clubs were scattered throughout city however the most fertile area was the central city community 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 Hello 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 differentiated by the following musical aspects:

A choice for a 4 feel (walking) over the 2 beat feel discovered in other jazz styles of the time. As an outcome, Kansas city jazz had actually a more unwinded, fluid noise than other jazz styles.
Prolonged soloing. Fueled by the non-stop night life under political employer Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well previous dawn, promoting an extremely competitive environment and a distinct jazz culture in which the goal was to "state something" with one's instrument, rather than merely flaunt one's strategy. It was not unusual for one "tune" to be carried out for numerous hours, with the very best artists typically soloing for dozens of choruses at a time.

So-called "head plans". The KC huge bands often played by memory, composing and setting up the music jointly, instead of sight-reading as other huge bands of the time did. This more contributed to the loose, spontaneous Kansas City sound.

A heavy blues influence, with KC songs frequently based around a 12-bar blues structure, instead of the 32 bar AABA requirement, although Moten Swing is in this AABA format.
One of the most identifiable attributes of Kansas City jazz is regular, elaborate riffing by the various sections. Glenn Miller's well-known swing anthem "In the Mood" closely follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing areas, and is an excellent 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 developed in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the transition from the structured huge band style to the musical improvisation style 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 ushered in the Bebop design in America. Other cities consist of New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Kansas City was known for the arranged artists of the Local 627 A.F.M., which managed 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 actually been exported to the rest of the world.