THE KANSAS CITY JAZZ AMBASSADORS
Kansas City is known throughout the world for its rich jazz heritage. It has produced some of the greatest names in jazz and continues to do so. Names in jazz associated with Kansas City include: Charlie "'Bird" Parker, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Count Basie, Benny Moten, Mary Lou Williams, Jay McShann, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Bob Brookmeyer, Carmell Jones, Marilyn Maye, Gary Foster, Pat Metheny, Karrin Allyson and Kevin Mahogany.
During the golden age of Kansas City jazz (the late 1920s through the mid-1940s), there were hundreds of jazz clubs, many of which were located in the 12th & Vine to 18th & Vine area. Most never closed. Some club owners didn't even have keys because they never locked their doors.
As the second half of the century began, however, Kansas City was among the hardest hit by a national jazz recession. Most of the jazz clubs closed. Jazz was still alive, but only in fragments.
In the mid 1980s, the world's first and only city government jazz commission was formed in Kansas City. Its purpose was to preserve the city's jazz history and to revive the local jazz scene. Out of the Kansas City Jazz Commission's programs came the need for volunteers to support jazz events. Thus, the KC Jazz Ambassadors, Inc. was organized in the fall of 1984. Today, the KCJA is one of the nation's strongest and most successful jazz support organizations. And, with Kansas City enjoying a strong rebirth of jazz in the 1990s, the Jazz Ambassadors feel it has been another new beginning that will carry well into the 21st century.
WHO ARE THE KC JAZZ AMBASSADORS?
The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), all-volunteer jazz support organization. Simply stated, we are dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of Kansas City jazz and developing and promoting the current Kansas City jazz scene. Our mission is to serve all components of the jazz community: jazz musicians, jazz venues and jazz fans.
WHO IS THE TYPICAL KC JAZZ AMBASSADOR?
Our 500-plus members enjoy a wide variety of jazz music and jazz events. Some members prefer Dixieland and some like bebop. Others are into more modern jazz styles. The common denominator is a love for jazz and a desire to help keep the music alive.
WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE KCJA?
We are not the only game in town but we are the leaders. Kansas City has many jazz support organizations and presenters and we support them all. Among them are: the Folly Theater Jazz Series, the American Jazz Museum and the Gem Theater at 18th & Vine, Kansas City Youth Orchestra, Jazz Friends at UMKC Conservatory of music and dance, Young Audience, the KC Blues Society and local venues and festivals. The KC Jazz Ambassadors is the only jazz support organization that lends support to all other such organizations.
GET IN ON THE ACTION!
We ask our members to do a little bit of work, and also have a lot of fun. And, as always, volunteers are needed to help with our events. You might be a ticket taker or usher at a concert. You might sell KCJA apparel at a booth. You might help host a visiting convention on a private pub crawl. Or you might be asked to write an article for JAM or develop web pages for the Internet. Maybe you will help an Public radio station with a fund drive for a jazz program. You can be as involved as you like. We will be glad to take all or none of your time. If your only involvement is to support us with your donation of a membership fee, that's fine. If you would like to work for a couple hours at a festival or concert (and be admitted free), that's fine, too. If you would like to be an officer in our organization or serve on our Board of Directors, we welcome you.
Start your membership or renew your membership today using our secure online ordering system!
Don't want to become a member but still want to help support the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadorrs?
You can make a donation in the amount of your choice :
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MANY KCJA ACTIVITIES?
– JAM (Jazz Ambassador Magazine) -- JAM has covered the KC jazz scene since 1986 and is considered by many to be one of the best regional jazz magazines in the country. It is distributed by subscription to members (and subscribers) and is also distributed free at area jazz venues, record stores, book stores, libraries, hotels and tourists sites. JAM is produced bimonthly (even numbered months) and usually consists of 56 to 72 pages of action-packed jazz reading. Jazz trumpeter and music journalist Mike Metheny had been JAM's editor from 1994 to 2003. The reigns of editor of the Jazz Ambassador Magazine has now been turned over to Roger Atkinson.
– Wholenotes Newsletter -- Wholenotes is produced bimonthly (odd numbered months), is distributed by mail to all KCJA members, and provides current information about the local jazz scene as well as news about KCJA members.
– Jazz Scholarships -- The KCJA periodically awards jazz scholarships to worthy students. More often, our scholarship funding is donated to a local university that has a degree program in jazz performance.
– Musicians Emergency Assistance Fund (M.E.A.F.) -- The Kansas City jazz community includes many veteran jazz musicians, some of whom are in need of our help from time to time. Through the M.E.A.F., it is sometimes possible for us to pay a musician's utility bills, rent, medical bills, or even buy them a new instrument.
– "Jazzin' Up the Town" Private Pub Crawls -- The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors will take your group of 30 or more people out for a "Jazzin' Up the Town" Private Pub Crawl. You will visit at least three of the evening's hottest live jazz spots, one of which will likely be the Mutual Musicians Foundation (listed on the National Registry of Historic Places), where Count Basie once jammed, and where Charlie "Bird" Parker and Dizzy Gillespie first met. We will provide your group with a night of great jazz, transportation for the evening, and hosts who really know KC jazz. We will even serve you authentic KC Bar-B-Que to make your evening complete. (And, if you request it, we can arrange to have live music on your bus!) All of this for $60 per person (for groups of 30 or more).
– For more information and reservations, call
913-402-8151
or write to KC Jazz Ambassadors/Private Pub Crawls, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181.
– Jazz Festivals -- KC is jazz festival crazy! And the KCJA provides volunteer support to all local jazz festivals that request our help. Annual festivals include: the Corporate Woods Jazz Festival, the Parkville Jazz & Fine Arts River Jam, the Rhythm/Ribs and several others.
– Special Concerts -- Occasionally, we find an opportunity to spotlight great talent on short notice. We have become experts at pulling off a special event in a short period of time. Be assured, we will keep you informed about these super jazz concerts.
– Jazz Parties -- Most jazz folks like a good party. So, several times a year we get together for a good time, and for no other reason than to have a good time! The evening almost always includes live music, good food, and a group of people as varied as you can imagine.
– Jazz Awards -- Each December at our annual Christmas Party, The KCJA presents awards to its volunteers for their much-appreciated efforts. One of the highlights of this meeting isparty with live KC jazz!
HOW YOU CAN CONTACT US?
There are several ways.
Write to us at:
KC Jazz Ambassadors
P.O Box 36181
Kansas City, MO 64171-6181
Call us at:
913-967-6767
Join the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors!
It's the "jazzy" thing to do.
