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 during 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 understood for the arranged artists of the Local 627 A.F.M., which controlled a number of locations in the city.

 

The very first band from Kansas City to acquire a nationwide reputation was the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, a white group which broadcast nationally in the 1920s. However, the Kansas City jazz school is determined 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 quite the crossroads of the United States leading to a mix of cultures. Transcontinental journeys at the time whether by plane or train typically needed a stop in the city. The age marked the zenith of power of political boss Tom Pendergast. Kansas City was a large open town with alcohol laws and hours completely overlooked and was called the new Storyville. Most of the jazz musicians related to the design were born in other places but got caught up in the friendly musical competitions among performers that could keep a single song being carried out in variations for an entire night. Typically members of the big bands would carry out at regular places previously at night and go to the jazz clubs later to jam for the remainder of the night.

Jay McShann informed the Associated Press in 2003:

" You 'd hear some feline play, and somebody 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 knew it up North and they knew it down South."

Claude "Fiddler" Williams described the scene:

Kansas City was various from all other places since we 'd be jamming all night.
Clubs were scattered throughout city however the most fertile location was the inner city area 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 distinguished by the following musical components:

A choice for a 4 feel (walking) over the 2 beat feel found in other jazz styles of the time. As an outcome, Kansas city jazz had a more unwinded, fluid sound than other jazz styles.
Prolonged soloing. Fueled by the non-stop nightlife under political manager Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well past dawn, cultivating a highly competitive atmosphere and a special jazz culture in which the objective was to "state something" with one's instrument, rather than just show off one's strategy. It was not unusual for one "tune" to be performed for several hours, with the very best artists often soloing for lots of choruses at a time.

So-called "head arrangements". The KC big bands often played by memory, making up and organizing the music jointly, instead of sight-reading as other big bands of the time did. This further added to the loose, spontaneous Kansas City sound.

A heavy blues influence, with KC tunes often based around a 12-bar blues structure, instead of the 32 bar AABA requirement, although Moten Swing is in this AABA format.
Among the most recognizable qualities of Kansas City jazz is regular, elaborate riffing by the various areas. Riffs were often developed - or even improvised - collectively, and took numerous forms: a) one area riffing alone, acting as the primary focus of the music; b) one area riffing behind a musician, including excitement to the song; or c) 2 or more areas riffing in counterpoint, creating an interesting hard-swinging sound. The Count Basie signature tunes "One O'Clock Jump" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside", for example, are simply collections of complicated riffs, memorized in a head arrangement, and punctuated with solos. Glenn Miller's famous swing anthem "In the Mood" carefully follows the Kansas City pattern of riffing sections, and is a fine example of the Kansas City style after it had actually been exported to the rest of the world.

Kansas City jazz is a design of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri throughout the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the transition from the structured big band design 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. Other cities include New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Kansas City was understood for the organized artists of the Local 627 A.F.M., which managed a number of locations 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 good example of the Kansas City design after it had actually been exported to the rest of the world.