1 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: Double Elvis, Kansas City is the birthplace of Charlie Parker, 2 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: which makes it fair to say the birthplace of jazz 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: as we know it now, or at least the best 4 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 1: of what's left of jazz in twenty twenty three. The 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: River city is home to a legend, and no one 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: looms larger in the myth of jazz than Charlie Bird Parker. 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: The myth of Parker is and was emblematic of our 8 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: toxic cultural storyline that the public craves to project onto 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: the life of the artist. Though when it comes to Parker, 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: the myths are kind of true. He ushered in bebop 11 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: and upset Louis Armstrong and jazz's stiff old guard. You see, 12 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: there's always a previous generation of musicians not getting it, 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: and Bird changed music itself in the process. He was 14 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: also an archetype of the doomed artist that we needlessly 15 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: still witness to this day. Parker was sonic, exhilaration and 16 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: access to the point of tragedy. He was talent built 17 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: on hard work, so much hard work that the phrase 18 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: wood shedding aka practicing ten or more hours each day 19 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: was basically taken from his practicing lifestyle bird is America, 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 1: So of course he came from Kansas City. 21 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 2: I listened to you time and time again, and you 22 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 2: tell me just what's right? Can you tell me a 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 2: thousand things a day? Then sleep somewhere else at night. 24 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: I'm going back to Kansas City, and I love. 25 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: You, dear, But just how long can I keep singing 26 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: the same old song? 27 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: I'm going back to Kansas City. Bob Doyling unreleased basement 28 00:01:52,480 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: tape Lyrics Kansas City. People love to think of the 29 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: Midwest as landlocked, but the first thing you should know 30 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: about Kansas City is that it supports city a major 31 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: hub the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers, and 32 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: that's a huge part of why it was such an 33 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: integral part of early American industry and trade. The way 34 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: Paris is split by the Sin, Kansas City is split 35 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 1: by the Missouri River, and that's not the only thing 36 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: that two cities have in common either. Omaha based radio 37 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: personality Edward Morrow, a star journalist of the era, summed 38 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: up the American attitude towards Kansas City and its jazz 39 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: scene in the nineteen thirties with the following commentary, if 40 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: you want to see some sin, forget Paris and go 41 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: to Kansas City. I think he meant it as a dig, 42 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: but retrospectively, what a compliment. And back then Casey was 43 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: known as the Paris of the Plains, exempt from prohibition 44 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: rules due to the influence of political boss Tommy Pendergast, 45 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: who allowed alcohol to be sold in assumed there surrounded 46 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: by dry counties, and already a central hub for folks 47 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: traveling across the country and domestic shipping. The allure of 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: America's own Paris was partially based on its underbelly nightlife, 49 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: and isn't that always where all throughout history the greatest 50 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: musicians have found their people. Musicians came to the city 51 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: to play these clubs where patrons stuck around longer because 52 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: they could drink. And since there was a growing demand 53 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,119 Speaker 1: for patrons and a plethora of musicians, more and more 54 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: jazz clubs opened a musical boom and bus cycle in 55 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: the Midwest that had a positive effect. Fronts from the 56 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: Green Lady Lounge to the Midland Theater, Knucklehead Saloon and 57 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: Grinder's k C. Plenty of these iconic stages are still 58 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: going strong. Rivers aren't the only thing that split the city. Either. 59 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: The state line is another dichotomy forming force, and some 60 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: people think that straddling a state line is bad for 61 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: a city, But all it really does, in the case 62 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: of KC, is proved how much more powerful the spirit 63 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: of a city is than the stratified confines we try 64 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: to project onto it. Missouri, Kansas these both fall away 65 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: and melt into the heart that is the roiling, melting 66 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: pot of case. And just for the record, because I 67 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: know they we're going to want to hear this, Kansas City, 68 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: Missouri technically came first. States, cities, countries. These are man 69 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:29,799 Speaker 1: made designations anyway, except sometimes places like Kansas City become 70 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: their own kind of universe. And in case, no matter 71 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: which side of the state lines you're on, the center 72 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: of that universe is jazz. And it's given us that 73 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: and so much more, including Count Basie Orchestra, Big Joe Turner, 74 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: Curtis Most, Chuck Norris, Lamar Wright, Junior, Kevin Old, Lottie Beeman, 75 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: Paul Webster, Ron Ford, The Carpets, Sincere Tech nine, Bob Brookmine, 76 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,679 Speaker 1: Tom Shapiro, The Rainmakers, Frog, Larry Davis, Robert Russell Bennett, 77 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: Kansas City Symphony, Frank but Harlan n Black Star Kids, 78 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: Redline Chemistry, Lester Young, Get Up Here, Republic, Tigers, Blood, 79 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: Pat mcfeine, Janelle Monet, Charlie Parker, and Burton Bacarak. Honestly, 80 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: that list of musicians could have been twice as long, 81 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: especially when it comes to big band, swing, bebop and jazz. 82 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,559 Speaker 1: But we need to stop dashing out the sheer number 83 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,239 Speaker 1: of talented artists in the area to talk a little 84 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: bit more about why so as covered, Jazz kicks up 85 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: in the nineteen twenties and becomes very popular in Kansas 86 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: City in the nineteen thirties due to the aforementioned free 87 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: flowing booze. Pendergast's ties to the mob let him play 88 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: a role in the bootlegging and gambling scene that went 89 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: along with the late night jazz clubs. But, and this 90 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: is important, not everyone was in for the alcohol and 91 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: the gambling. Mostly people just want to let off some steam. 92 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: They wanted something to do. Jazz was the cure for 93 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: the Depression era America in a time before not just 94 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: the Internet but TV and regular phones, when it was 95 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: still relatively expensive to even have a radio in your home, 96 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: and the programming on there was limited to mostly talk 97 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: shows think podcasts, so Yes, booze and partying, sure, but 98 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 1: also socializing, putting on clothes to go out, also distraction 99 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,359 Speaker 1: from the gripping poverty that was sweeping the nation. The 100 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: cure to all that was Kansas City, where something was 101 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: always happening, which simply wasn't the case for a whole 102 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: lot of small towns and communities throughout the rest of 103 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 1: the area. At the peak of the jazz era, musicians 104 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: would travel over one thousand miles between gigs, with Kansas 105 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: City is one of the northernmost destinations because aside from 106 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: the audience's eager for the chance to numb out from 107 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: their backbreaking jobs and utter poverty, musicians had very few 108 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:01,280 Speaker 1: places they could work either, places where what they were 109 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 1: doing was even understood. Mecca's were more important when we 110 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: didn't have all this hyper connection. Even if the Internet 111 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: is part of what broke jazz down, it failed to 112 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: do so in Kansas City. Two decades after the advent 113 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: of napster. In the age of Spotify and Instagram, after 114 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: the takeover of hip, the commodification of pop and all 115 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: the TikTok record deals, the cost of gas and travel 116 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: and venues taking a cut of artists merch sales. In 117 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: spite of all that, the dream of jazz is alive 118 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: in Kansas City. All those closed jazz clubs throughout the country, 119 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: it seems emptied their patrons here like everyone who used 120 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: to pack inside those clubs, the lost patrons of a 121 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: lost art ended up in the belly of America. Those 122 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: are the things you see here that you might not 123 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: recognize elsewhere. Musicians making a living playing jazz. It's standing 124 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: room only at night in some of these clubs. It's 125 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: the rest of the world that are suckers. The legacy 126 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: and future of jazz are being heard here, from the 127 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,679 Speaker 1: traditional to the mystic, athletic to cathartic, the mind bending 128 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: to a straight groove. And once you make it here 129 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: to the promised Land, here's where you need to go 130 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: for the best of it. The Sound of Our Town 131 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: is a podcast about the music that shaped the city 132 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: you are touching down in. It is also about finding, hearing, 133 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: and experiencing its best music in sonic spots. This is 134 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: our eleventh episode in season two, and we are visiting 135 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: a very special American city. I am your host, Will 136 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: Daily I am an independent artist. I travel around. I 137 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: love playing these towns, and I particularly love playing Kansas City, Missouri. 138 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: What if you first stop in the city was a 139 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: venue that pays homage to the past. Tucked inside the 140 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: American Jazz Museum, a fascimile of a former working club, 141 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: the Blue Room awaits. As the museum tagline declares, this 142 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: is where jazz lives, and the Blue Room is a 143 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: permanent exhibit and a working club that offers free music 144 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: to the public three days a week, with small cover 145 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: charges of like ten or fifteen dollars on other nights. 146 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: All the money goes straight to the museum or the 147 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: musicians playing, So if you do attend to set with 148 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: a ticket price, rest easy that your money is basically 149 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:34,559 Speaker 1: a donation to preserving the history of this music city. 150 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: The Blue Room is an important pillar of the Black 151 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: history of Kansas City, a community which is essential to 152 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: the dna of jazz here, if not completely responsible for 153 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: the creation of the genre. Jazz is one of the 154 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: indigenous American art forms, and the primary creative force behind 155 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 1: the sound of jazz is Black musicians. Located in the 156 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: historic eighteenth and Vine Jazz District, which was historically a 157 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: segregated district of the what's now is the museum is 158 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: the former site of the Street Hotel, a guesthouse that 159 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: was included in the Negro Mortorist Green Book. It was 160 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,959 Speaker 1: designated as a safe place for black travelers in the 161 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties who were still subjugated to not just segregation 162 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: in the era of Jim Crow laws, but violence and 163 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 1: murder when they traveled. The courage it took to just 164 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: play jazz is imbued in its dynamism. Claims to fame 165 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: for this district. Jackie Robinson stayed at the Street Hotel 166 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: when he was in town, and Charlie Parker, one of 167 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: the all time greats, hung out in and around eighteenth 168 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: and Vine neighborhood during the thirties and forties two. The 169 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: State Street Hotel's nightclub was called the Blue Room, so 170 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: the museum's current club is an homage to that. Both 171 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: an exhibit and a venue, the lounge currently hosts over 172 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: twenty live shows a month, so whether it's a daytime 173 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: activity after staying up laid at a show, or a 174 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,439 Speaker 1: pregame for a night filled with live music. Checking out 175 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 1: the exhibits about the people who are in strumental in 176 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,080 Speaker 1: creating Kansas City Jazz is a must see while you 177 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:14,680 Speaker 1: are in town. The Folly Theater needs little introduction aside 178 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: from the one they've given themselves. Come see Wonder within 179 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: our walls. The website proudly proclaims, knowing what kind of 180 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: significance this space contains. Initially built as a vaudeville theater, 181 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: the architect behind this venue was Kansas City native Louis C. Curtis, 182 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: who designed the neoplatian facade of Carthage limestone in red 183 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: pressed brick with huge arch windows, getting the place of 184 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: stately air. Like a lot of cities we've touched on 185 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: throughout the past two seasons, the Folly is special because 186 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: of the time when it was built, literally in the 187 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: year nineteen hundred, which is hard to comprehend. This venue 188 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,439 Speaker 1: has seen the turn of the century, not just once 189 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: but twice, both World Wars, the Great Depression, the Civil 190 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: Rights movement of the nineteen sixties, Vietnam War, the War 191 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: on Drugs, the birth of the Internet, nine to eleven 192 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: more wars than the list goes on. It is seen 193 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: a lot, and it is officially the oldest theater in 194 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: the city. Its claim to fame at the time of 195 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: opening was the use of exposed light bulbs, which was 196 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: brand new technology at the time. Listed on the National 197 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: Registry of Historic Places as the Grand Lady of Twelfth Street. 198 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: Like so many other historic buildings, it was almost lost 199 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: forever after a few decades of misuse and disrepair, left 200 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: on the cusp of being destroyed along with a lot 201 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: of historic buildings in central Kansas City. Luckily, concerned citizens 202 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: stepped in and lobbied for the theater to be rescued, 203 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,559 Speaker 1: and a million dollar grant allowed it to be purchased. 204 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: Since nineteen seventy four, when it was saved from being 205 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: turned into a parking lot, a crew of supporters secured 206 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: additional funding to renovate and restore the building, which is 207 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: now considered one of the best jazz venues in the world. 208 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,199 Speaker 1: Some have compared the acoustics inside the theater to Carnegie 209 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: Hall in the tiered seating rich interior in historic context 210 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 1: definitely puts it in the upper echelon of existing American theaters, 211 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,439 Speaker 1: though not a dive bar or a club like plenty 212 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: of the other places where musicians come to support each 213 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 1: other throughout this city. There's something special about the community 214 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: that shows up to gigs at a faithfully restored venue 215 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,840 Speaker 1: like this. It shows a sense of appreciation and respect 216 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: for the craft and for the stages that try to 217 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: bring a sense of pomp and elegance to the proceedings. 218 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: Not a lot of cities have the infrastructure to support 219 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: something like the Mutual Musicians Foundation, but as we've already established, 220 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: Kansas City is in most cities, it's a musician's town 221 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: and furthermore, a place where both visitors and the community 222 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: really put the needs of the artists first. As the 223 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: name might have tipped you off, the Mutual Musicians Foundation 224 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 1: is one such place. Don't expect this to be a 225 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: bright and shiny venue open early on weekends and serving 226 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: food and beverages all night long. It's much more laid 227 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: back and formless. The best replication of sitting in and 228 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: on jam night with some friends you're ever gonna get 229 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: without personally knowing one of the players and getting an 230 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: invite to a practice space or a private show designed 231 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: to help musicians learn, grow and improve their craft while 232 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: also letting audiences in on the process. The Foundation is 233 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: located in the historic eighteenth and Vine district and has 234 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: been working to build community between younger musicians who are 235 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: just starting out in older seasoned veterans for the one 236 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: hundred and five years that it's been active. Some might 237 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: praise the older musicians for mentoring new young talent, but 238 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: the ethos here is that the young people have a 239 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,680 Speaker 1: lot to share with the older generations too, and that 240 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: there's a mutual benefit between the two sharing their work together. 241 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: This kind of ethos is missing from a lot of 242 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: the weird generational standoffs happening in the rest of the 243 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: music industry right now. Scratch that in the rest of 244 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: the country, and it is something, frankly, that we could 245 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: all learn and gain from. Everything here is donation based, 246 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: and the sets start very late, usually after one I am, 247 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 1: and can run all the way until five am. But 248 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: there's probably not a more authentic jazz jam in the 249 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: entire city. Another element that makes this jam special it's 250 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: free attendance for all the musicians, so any troubadours who 251 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: are traveling through the city have a place to come 252 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: soak up some history and some tunes, no matter how 253 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: broke your last brewing tour schedule left you. The Mutual 254 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,479 Speaker 1: Musicians Foundation has had such an impact on the community 255 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: that in twenty twenty two, the local PVS chapter featured 256 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: their work in an hour long documentary called Art Moves Us. 257 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: There's another documentary wreck later on to give a broader 258 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: sense of the history of KC scene in one of 259 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: its most prominent stars, but this one, Art Moves Us 260 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: is a great look at the current local work as well. 261 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: There's a couple of different places you can go over 262 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: that loud ears, ringing, knee knocking, and face melting feeling 263 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: in KC. If you head into the Brick, a quintessential 264 00:15:58,160 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: dive bar, you're going to find a mix of both 265 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: old timers and young timers, which might be surprising, but 266 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: this mix of generations actually begins to make sense once 267 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: you parse through it. There are the older fans, the 268 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: one who are really wearing black Flag T shirts because 269 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: they really saw black Flag, and the younger ones who 270 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: only get to hang around to hear the tail wearing 271 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: a slightly crisp or cleaner version of the same shirt. 272 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: Maybe fandom skips a generation because the age gap between 273 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: these two factions can be wide, but their dedication to 274 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: the T shirts tell it all, Especially for the older crew, 275 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: gruff men whose effort into looking this way tells a 276 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: larger story. Spend some time at the Brick, Yes, and 277 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: definitely try out their meat loaf sandwich to get a 278 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: taste of the local delicacy. It showed up on Guy 279 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: Fieri's beloved Diners, Dive, Ins and Dives. But that isn't 280 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: the only place to get your face melted here. During 281 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 1: my last visit, I got my face melted personally on 282 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: the stage of the Uptown Theater, another historic building that 283 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: dates back to nineteen twenty eight and was built in 284 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: the Italian Renaissance style as what they call an atmospheric theater. 285 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: Somewhere between that extravagant opening and the present day, the 286 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 1: theater fell into severe disrepair, a story we've heard many times, 287 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: until it was added to the National Register of Historic 288 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: Places in nineteen seventy nine and underwent a fifteen million 289 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: dollar renovation. These days, the stage is packed with face 290 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: melters and acts like Elvis Costello, Bands of Horses, and 291 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: BlackBerry Smoke. But the real place to get your fix 292 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: for loud, grandios, epic, hard and fast music in this 293 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 1: town is record bar. Record bar is the kind of 294 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,640 Speaker 1: venue that draws the loyalty of all ages the obsessives 295 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: who frequent its rooms. Originally opened in a strip mall 296 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:43,120 Speaker 1: in two thousand and five, the venue has relocated since 297 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: then and remains a staple for over fifteen years. Pretty 298 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: Much every indie touring band worth their assault, including yours truly, 299 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: has played here over the last almost two decades has 300 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: been opened, from Destroyer to Low to Pedro, the Lion, 301 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: and so many others. Local emerging bands site Record Bar 302 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:02,919 Speaker 1: as an essential stage to play when it comes to 303 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: getting their sea legs and learning the ropes as performers, 304 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: and plenty of veterans also name checked the spot for 305 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: the way it helped foster a continued sense of community 306 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: in the area. Continuing to serve as the authentic and 307 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:25,119 Speaker 1: intimate underplay for bigger acts in the area, the Record 308 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:27,360 Speaker 1: Bar is the perfect place to get your face melted. 309 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 1: So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise 310 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: that it is this stage that plays host to Kansas 311 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: City's annual The Band That Fell to Earth David Bowie 312 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 1: Tribute weekend. So what's Kansas City's connection to the Thin 313 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,239 Speaker 1: White Duke. Well, this was a festival born on what 314 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: was supposed to have been a one off tribute show 315 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: to celebrate Bowie's birthday, which is on January eighth, which 316 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: is also the album release date of his last album, Blackstar. 317 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 1: No one knew it at the time, but Bowie has 318 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,719 Speaker 1: been working on the album while secretly very ill, and 319 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: he only lived two days out after the release of 320 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: the record on his sixty ninth birthday. It's almost as 321 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: though he was waiting to give the world one final 322 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: piece of music, and after he saw that through, he 323 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: was finally able to rest. So the event was already 324 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: scheduled to celebrate Bowie's album release, but ended up as 325 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: a celebration of his life in a space to mourn 326 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 1: for his fans in the Ksey area, of which there 327 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 1: are many. At the first event at the Uptown Theater, 328 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: a crowd of almost nine hundred people showed up to 329 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: the tribute show and it's basically been going strong ever since. 330 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: These days is now hosted at Record Bar and the 331 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,640 Speaker 1: tribute is spread across two nights, but the band has 332 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: continued to bring back the show every January for so 333 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: many years that twenty twenty four will mark the eighth 334 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: iteration of the event. As part of the show, the 335 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: organizers commissioned local makers and partner with small businesses, as 336 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: well as sell tickets to the event and end up 337 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: raising thousands of dollars for a different nonprofit organization each year. 338 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: The Band That Fell to Earth is made up of 339 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: thirteen band members total, but they also corporate a whole 340 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:04,959 Speaker 1: slew of guest vocalists each night, usually keeping it in 341 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,120 Speaker 1: the family and sticking to locals from the Casey music scene. 342 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: Band members include members of local acts such as Frog Pond, 343 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: Katie Gillion in the Drive, Reason to Risk, High Lux 344 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: and more. Even if your plan wasn't originally to visit 345 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: Kansas City in January, if you're a Bowie head, hearing 346 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: about this vest might just have you rethinking that time frame. 347 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: If you can't make it for the event, or if 348 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 1: Bowie just isn't your thing, don't worry. The Vatican is 349 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:49,400 Speaker 1: just a block away. The Green Lady and Black Dolphin 350 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: are tied together as sister venues, interchangeable one to the other, 351 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: and no matter what happens in other spots, the duo 352 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: is the winner. In this town. It's these It has 353 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: its own gravitational pull, reaching out to every corner of America. 354 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: If you go to Kansas City and leave without visiting 355 00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: the Green Lady, not only have you not seen what 356 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: the city is, you haven't seen what America can be. 357 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 1: The Green Lady Lounge and it's two floors and two stages, 358 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:22,360 Speaker 1: is best during the early evening or late late that night, 359 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: once your eyes adjust, even if you are coming in 360 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: from the dark. The red velvet walls and vintage oil 361 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: paintings set the scene, but the music hits you first, 362 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: right when you walk in, staggering in your blindness. The 363 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: story of the outside world becomes just that, and you 364 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: are in sync with the Green Lady. The only music 365 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: performed here is original compositions of Kansas City jazz. They 366 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: don't take requests, they don't play the hits. They don't 367 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: cater to the whims of TikTok trends or pop's latest whim. 368 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: This is old school regional jazz. And that's what makes 369 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: it absolutely unmissible, bestowing everyone in the room a night 370 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 1: that lungs just to them simply by being there. These 371 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,199 Speaker 1: are songs you probably can't hear anywhere else in the world. 372 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: It's an ephemeral, changeable, unbreakable bit of Kansas City history, 373 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: and it's happening all around for the patrons here every 374 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: single night. On my first visit to the Green Lady Lounge, 375 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: I was struck by the unassuming entrance, knowing what a 376 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,679 Speaker 1: hollowed hall it is. I walked in at seven pm 377 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: after blocks of bar hopping. The sinking sun was beating 378 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: down on me in my weavy legs a five dollars cover. 379 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 1: Had it been dark out already, my vision might have 380 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: stood a chance. But as I pushed forth on the thick, 381 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: chubby cushion of a red leather door and into the dark, 382 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: it was as though I was reborn into that lush darkness. 383 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: My eyes adjusted, and I don't know if they've ever returned. 384 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: The respectable chatter of the crowd at seven pm on 385 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,719 Speaker 1: a Friday was exhilarating. The place was full and hopping, 386 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,400 Speaker 1: and the music was loud. The bartender told me seven 387 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: pm isn't even the busiest time yet, wait till one am. 388 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,600 Speaker 1: The band is flying through the red glaze, loud and proud. 389 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 1: You can almost feel the ghost of cigarettes past running 390 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: through your lungs. Though they are clean. The music of 391 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: the past and the future are happening at the same time. 392 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,920 Speaker 1: The gold decorated frames with intricate molding and soft lamplight 393 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,639 Speaker 1: completes the world building. There's so many lamps hanging from 394 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 1: the ceiling. I can't help but think of all that 395 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: they have barely illuminated over the years. My eyes live 396 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: here now, so do my ears. Everything is red. I 397 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: guess the Green Lady was just a red herring. There's 398 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,160 Speaker 1: no green here. It's seven PM in a world within 399 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: a city already exists. This is jazz music for I'd 400 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: say an age group, but they're all here. They're all 401 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,679 Speaker 1: here with every culture, color, gender, Girls night out, guys' 402 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: night out. There are pickups happening, and there are date 403 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: nights too. There are people who seem like they've been 404 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: sitting at the bar since it's open. All of America 405 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: is in the room, and it's best represented at the 406 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: Green Ladyenge doing what music is always supposed to do 407 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: for us, bring us together. It's hard to call anything 408 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,440 Speaker 1: a hidden gem in a city where most locals are 409 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: just as obsessed with the music scene as any traveling 410 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: truer toor. But there's still a spot in Kansas City 411 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 1: that continues to fly a little bit under the radar, 412 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: and that's the Ship. It's one of the city's coolest 413 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: speakeasy's hidden behind a fairly unassuming front, with live music 414 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: almost every night in a fairly robust dancing scene too. 415 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: Head to the Ship on the right evening and it 416 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 1: feels like the whole world is down there. It's a 417 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: twelve piece salsa band for ten bucks and people of 418 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: every age once again, spread out and dancing. All of 419 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: America's in the room again, and they're dancing. The floor 420 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: clears out after each number as the crowd resets or 421 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,439 Speaker 1: fills their drinks, or shows their preference for some tunes 422 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: over others, or tips the band, or just listens because 423 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: they're so good. But the dancing never really stops with 424 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: the Ship. And it isn't just salsa. It's honky TNK, blues, country, 425 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 1: every form of heartland music known to mankind, and a 426 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: little you probably haven't heard anywhere else too. Don't try 427 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: this spot on a Sunday or Monday. Those are the 428 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: nights off, but any other day of the week, this 429 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,959 Speaker 1: place is open from eleven am on for food, drinks, 430 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: and music, starting up around five or six. You could 431 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: easily spend a whole day in this historic bar, which 432 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: has been around since the nineteen thirties, and like we've 433 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: heard so many places, it's been decommissioned and deconstructed until 434 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen, when the current owners found most of the 435 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 1: old interior of the bar in a basement and began 436 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: patiently putting the historic venue back together. Now the ship 437 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,479 Speaker 1: is a testament not only to Kansas City's pass but 438 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: also its future and the people who want to preserve 439 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,679 Speaker 1: the incredible history of their city and see it for 440 00:25:54,720 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 1: the treasure that it is. Though the Case Jazz seemed 441 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: produced and nurtured a number of legends, none of them 442 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: are more legendary than Charlie Bird Parker. To celebrate the 443 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: one hundred year anniversary of his birth in nineteen twenty, 444 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: PBS released a centennial documentary in twenty twenty that is 445 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,399 Speaker 1: an ideal way to ease yourself into the world of 446 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 1: the Bird in case you've been living under a rock 447 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: Yardbird Parker was a leading influential figure of several forms 448 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: of jazz, like bebop, characterized by super fast tempos, advanced harmonies, 449 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: and virtuoso techniques considered head and shoulders above many of 450 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: his peers. Entitled Bird Not Out of Nowhere, the film 451 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: is a look at not only his musical career, but 452 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: also includes archival footage, interviews with his peers and friends, 453 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: and some live performances from shows in Kansas City. Parker 454 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: began playing alto saxophone as young as age eleven and 455 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: would sometimes practice up to fifteen hours a day. Well, 456 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: that is after you got a symbol thrown at him 457 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: when he was sixteen years old for not being good enough. 458 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 1: At that moment, he decided to remedy that. Like many 459 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,639 Speaker 1: other genius players, his life was cut short due to 460 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 1: a tragic accident that left him with a spine injury 461 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: and an addiction to opioids that led to health complications 462 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: that eventually took his life. But in the moments when 463 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:39,439 Speaker 1: he was the brightest star in the music scene, all 464 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 1: this darkness fades out of view. This Dog, along with 465 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: the one that highlights Kansas City's current scene, supported for 466 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: over one hundred years by the Mutual Musicians Foundation, which 467 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: started up right around the time of Charlie's tragic death, 468 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:58,359 Speaker 1: are both must watches for music fiends who want to 469 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: get the overarching themes in local idiosyncrasies of the town. 470 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:16,040 Speaker 1: Kansas City is America, the core, the gut, the centerpiece, 471 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: the piano we gather around. In its heyday, Kansas City 472 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 1: was also the only place in America where musicians and 473 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: music obsessives could still have a drink, stay out late, 474 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: play and hear music, and basically survive. Based on its 475 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: status as a citadel of booze during Prohibition, creativity was 476 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: at an all time high here during the nineteen twenties 477 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: and thirties, when the overall shift from big band and 478 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: swing to improvisational bebop and jazz was happening. Decades later, 479 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: Kansas City is still considered one of the major birthplaces 480 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: of the American jazz movement and remains a scion of 481 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 1: live music in this country. It's also a place where 482 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: things can get a little hazy. Your mind wanders along 483 00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: with the song, and next thing you know, you've been 484 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 1: in one of the many jazz clubs in the city 485 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: for days on end, or is it weeks. Kansas City 486 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 1: it's the center of everything. That doesn't mean you can't 487 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: get lost inside the music scene, or maybe more accurately, 488 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean you don't want to even the experts 489 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 1: can get lost inside the feeling of this music more 490 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 1: than anything perfect to pristine about what's happening in it. 491 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 1: That virtue, also quality of Bird and his ability to 492 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: carry on whatever else might be plaguing him at the time, 493 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: is exactly what contributed to his vivid, short lived genius. 494 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: Peers like Charles Mingus have commented on this as Mingus 495 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: once named Bird's erratic book brilliant lover Man Recordings. It's 496 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: his favorite thing the artist ever did. Bird famously hated 497 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: the lover Man recording session because he was struggling with 498 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: drugs and the recording is riddled with errors. But to Mingus, 499 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: that texture is part of what makes both lover Man 500 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: and the work of Bird himself so singular. He said, 501 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: I like Awe none more than and the other, but 502 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: I'd have to pick lover Man for the feeling he 503 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: had then in his ability to express that feeling. This 504 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: is likely a better piece of music criticism than most 505 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: people can muster, even when they get into the idiosyncratic 506 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: depths of what a melody song or record is supposed 507 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 1: to accomplish. Here's the best part. It's supposed to make 508 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: us feel. To communicate those emotions to one another, to 509 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: preserve and protect the most unique and compelling element of 510 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 1: being alive on this planet. And that's what the Kansas 511 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: City scene was built on and why it remains one 512 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: of the most important epicenters of culture in America today. 513 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: And one more thing. It was during my last pass 514 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: through Kansas City when I was sitting at the bar 515 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 1: at the Green Lady, and I'm one drink in and 516 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,360 Speaker 1: my mind is starting to wander. The defenses you had 517 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: up all day fall away. All that information of what's 518 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: going on in the world that you block out while 519 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 1: you're on the treadmill of working and staying afloat. It 520 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: creeps in. The conflicts, the emergencies, the vapid dramas, the 521 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: industry of violence prevalent both within America and everywhere outside. Meanwhile, 522 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: band is sitting right in front of you. You could 523 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: throw your straw at them. Then they're ripping and they're 524 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: loud and they're swinging, and it all just kind of 525 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: sits there right in front of you. But we have 526 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: legacies of tragedy that we tell ourselves for generations, and 527 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 1: legacies of art that we tell ourselves for generations, and 528 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: the power of the ladder of those two paths has 529 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: been systematically removed from our upbringing and in a lot 530 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,480 Speaker 1: of way from our national pride. And when that happens, 531 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: tragedies have their way, and this band before me is 532 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 1: amazing and we are all deserving of so much more. 533 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Sound of Our Town. This is 534 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: our eleventh episode of season two. Will there be a 535 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: season three? That depends on if you share the show 536 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: and if you review it. That's pretty much how podcasting works, 537 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: so that at least that's what I'm told. Sound of 538 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: Our Town is a production of iHeartRadio and Double Elvis. 539 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 1: It's executively produced by Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan. Production 540 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: assistance by Matt Boden. Sound of Our Town has created, written, produced, 541 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: and scored by me Will Daily. This episode's head writer 542 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,160 Speaker 1: is Caitlin White. If you need to find out more 543 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: about me, or hear more from me, or hear more 544 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: of my music, just look up Will Daily, but spell 545 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: it with all the vowels d A I L E. Y. 546 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: We have one more special episode on this season and 547 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,479 Speaker 1: then we're going to get into some remixes. Keep this 548 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: little show going while we fight for season three. More cities, 549 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: more places, more venues, more music, more life. I hope 550 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: to see you at a show out there somewhere. Until then, 551 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: thank you for your ears.