KC Jazz -- Brown Quarterly -- v. 2, no. 2 -- Winter 1998

Volume 2, No. 2 (Winter 1998) -- Black History Month Issue

Our thanks to Payless ShoeSource for their contribution toward the support of this newsletter.

KC Jazz
Breathing New Life Into The 18th & Vine Historic District

When large numbers of African Americans migrated to Kansas City in the early 1920s, segregation kept them living and trading in a small geographic area. Eighteenth and Vine became the main stem, the heart of the community where you could find literally everything: offices of black doctors and lawyers, clothing stores, theaters, eateries, and jazz and blues clubs. Jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Jay McShann, Lester Young, and Mary Lou Williams played in area clubs on 18th and Vine, and helped set the pace for jazz music as the world knows it today.

Kansas City celebrates the legacy of jazz in the new Kansas City Jazz Museum - America's only museum dedicated to the art form that has become its classical music and gift to the world. The Jazz Museum pays tribute to four jazz masters: Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Kansas City's own, Charlie Parker, whose achievements and contributions are highlighted through interactive exhibits/authentic artifacts, and hundreds of recordings.

Kansas City's new and exciting venue for live jazz, The Blue Room, is also a part of the Jazz Museum's exhibit space. This lively nightclub scene swings with the traditional Kansas City style of jazz on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. After its opening in September, the club has developed a loyal following of local jazz enthusiasts, in addition to visitors to the city. The traditional Blue Monday is the only jam session of its kind in town that features classic Kansas City jazz.

Featured in the changing gallery is the traveling exhibition, Beyond Category: the Musical Genius Of Duke Ellington, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution. In conjunction with this exhibition, the Jazz Museum's Education Department has initiated the Duke Ellington Youth Project, an educational outreach initiative between the Museum and five participating middle schools in the Kansas City, Missouri School District. This program introduces students to the legacy of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, one of America's greatest composers, and incorporates music, art, social studies, foreign language, and English. A Youth Festival, the culminating activity of a year's study will take place in April in the atrium of the Museum. The Duke Ellington Youth Project supports the Museum's overall goals:

to increase efforts with educational institutions;

to develop curriculum for permanent and changing exhibitions; and

to introduce young people to jazz, a traditional and truly American music form.

A rebirth has taken place in one of Kansas City's most culturally significant districts, a district that is once again making its mark in history with the opening of a cultural and educational institution that honors a rich African American heritage.

The Brown Foundation is pleased to publish this newsletter for classroom teachers through which we will share the rich and accessible curricular resources available from national parks. Our organization was estabilshed to maintain the legacy of the Brown decision and we play an exciting role as a park partner. In 1990 we were instrumental in developing a new national park in Topeka, Kansas, the Brown vs Board of Education National Historic Site, which we will have more about in the next issue. We hope you enjoy the Brown Quarterly and eagerly anticipate your comments, in particular about the section, Teachers Talk.

Executive Director:
Cheryl Brown Henderson Book Reviews:
Linda Brown Thompson Editor/Design:
Grace L. Wilson
gracewilsoneditor [at] cox.net Mailing Support:
Charlene Howard

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