Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City Music History - Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City jazz is a design 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 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 design in America. Kansas City was understood for the arranged musicians of the Local 627 A.F.M., which managed a number of places in the city.

 

The very first band from Kansas City to acquire a national track record was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which broadcast nationally in the 1920s. The Kansas City jazz school is identified with 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 journeys at the time whether by airplane or train typically required a stop in the city. Kansas City was a broad open town with alcohol laws and hours totally disregarded and was called the brand-new Storyville.

Jay McShann informed the Associated Press in 2003:

" You 'd hear some cat play, and someone would state 'This cat, he sounds like he is from Kansas City.' It was Kansas City Style. They knew 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 various from all other locations since we 'd be jamming all night. And [if] you show up here ... playing the incorrect thing, we 'd correct you out.
Clubs were spread throughout city but the most fertile area was the inner 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 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 distinguished 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 an outcome, Kansas city jazz had a more relaxed, fluid noise 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, fostering a highly competitive environment and an unique jazz culture in which the objective was to "state something" with one's instrument, instead of just flaunt one's strategy. It was not uncommon for one "song" to be carried out for several hours, with the very best musicians frequently soloing for lots of choruses at a time.

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

A heavy blues affect, with KC songs often based around a 12-bar blues structure, instead of the 32 bar AABA requirement, although Moten Swing remains in this AABA format.
One of the most identifiable characteristics of Kansas City jazz is frequent, elaborate riffing by the various areas. Glenn Miller's famous swing anthem "In the Mood" closely follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing sections, and is a good example of the Kansas City design 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 during the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the transition 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. 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 places in the city.

Glenn Miller's well-known 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 actually been exported to the rest of the world.