Kansas City Jazz
What is jazz music? A single definition cannot be found. Many people try to define jazz music only to regress to trying to define what it does. Even this approach is difficult. People are only able to find things to agree on, such as agreeing that jazz is music. Jazz has been so many things throughout it long and illustrious history that it 's even hard to point out its origins, which stem from many places, many styles of music, and many people. However, there is an ongoing debate as to its precise origins. It is known to have evolved out of New Orleans in the 20th century and from they’re spread to the North and Midwest. Based in blues and ragtime, jazz have geographical "hot spots" throughout the country; New Orleans, Chicago, New York, and Kansas City. Each "hot spot" has its own history containing significant events and people that helped shape the musical style of that culture center. Kansas City is no exception. There are innumerable persons that helped make Kansas City jazz what it has become.
Jazz emerged in a time that one might think that something new, such as the jazz movement, would not succeed. Jazz began to gain notoriety in the midst of The Great Depression. Kansas City 's ability to sustain throughout such a horrible time can only be accredited to one thing; the administration of Thomas J. Pendergast, The Boss of Kansas City from 1911 until his arrest for tax evasion in 1938. His methods, however, where not one of the most reputable morals. Pendergast openly tolerated a "wide-open town" in Kansas City in exchange for political and financial benefits. Pendergast 's tolerance of such laws as prohibition were so extreme that from the year 1920 to 1933, there was not a single felony conviction for violation of that law. This is seen as more unusual when one realizes that there were over 300 bars in the city that employed live musical entertainment (Pearson, Political 181).
Pendergast and his followers were not avid supporters of black music, in
Jazz emerged in a time that one might think that something new, such as the jazz movement, would not succeed. Jazz began to gain notoriety in the midst of The Great Depression. Kansas City 's ability to sustain throughout such a horrible time can only be accredited to one thing; the administration of Thomas J. Pendergast, The Boss of Kansas City from 1911 until his arrest for tax evasion in 1938. His methods, however, where not one of the most reputable morals. Pendergast openly tolerated a "wide-open town" in Kansas City in exchange for political and financial benefits. Pendergast 's tolerance of such laws as prohibition were so extreme that from the year 1920 to 1933, there was not a single felony conviction for violation of that law. This is seen as more unusual when one realizes that there were over 300 bars in the city that employed live musical entertainment (Pearson, Political 181).
Pendergast and his followers were not avid supporters of black music, in
Bibliography: of Jazz." Notes, 2nd Ser., Vol. 10, No. 2. (Mar., 1953): pp. 202-210. Ostransky, Leroy. The Anatomy of Jazz. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1960. Pearson, Nathan W. Goin ' to Kansas City. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1987. Pearson, Nathan W. "Political and Musical Forces that Influenced the development of Kansas City Jazz." Black Music Research Journal. (1989): pp. 181-192. Russel, Ross. Jazz Style in Kansas City and the Southwest. Berkely and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1971. Stearns, Marshall W. The Story of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1956.