KC's Jazzy New Mayor

Special to JAM by Tim Whitmer

Mayor Kay Barnes

When Mayor Emanuel Cleaver left office last April, there were those in the jazz community who feared it signaled the end of a jazz-friendly administration. But in Kay Barnes, Kansas City has a new mayor whose interest in jazz equals, and maybe even exceeds that of her predecessor.

Following in a tradition that began with Mayor Charlie Wheeler's enthusiastic embrace of Kansas City jazz and continued with Mayor Richard Berkeley's concept of a Jazz Commission and Mayor Cleaver's dedication to the rebirth of 18th & Vine, Mayor Barnes brings both a personal and a professional commitment to "maintain, build and expand" jazz in Kansas City.

In a recent interview, Mayor Barnes took time out of her busy schedule to share her unbridled enthusiasm for Kansas City's musical tradition, past, present and future. She immediately declared that her administration "is committed to do whatever it can" to enable Kansas City jazz to move forward. "It can be a source of tourism as well as a daily enrichment of the local lifestyle," she said. "Kansas City should be recognized worldwide for its jazz."

Barnes, like her predecessor, is also very devoted to the revitalization of 18th & Vine, which she refers to as "a focal point" of the community. "We are moving in the right direction (there)," she said. "Now we need to enrich the mix of venues."

Specifically, the mayor embraces the conviction that restaurants are needed, and she said that at least one, perhaps two are in the final stages of negotiation. "This, combined with the recent approval of more money for development should accelerate the rate of critical mass activity that is needed to ensure the success of this Kansas City treasure."

Mayor Barnes also made it clear that in addition to 18th & Vine, her administration wants to be a part of the promotion of the current club and jazz festival circuit. "I admire the venues that have been developing," she said, "especially on the west side of downtown. They bring in tourists and serve as neighborhood jazz meccas for local residents. I also believe that the River Market will eventually get to a point where increased jazz activity will succeed."

Other destinations the mayor feels could be ripe for jazz include Union Station and the Freighthouse district. "These areas combined with the ongoing jazz clubs should eventually form a musical tapestry that will allow for the different varieties of Kansas City jazz to flourish," she said.

Mayor Barnes told me that she would like to call on the jazz community to keep City Hall current with the news and developments of the many activities that preserve and further Kansas City jazz. "Continue to educate me about the jazz world! Make recommendations; include me in the loop!" And she made the point repeatedly that "the doors of the mayor's office are open to any kind of communication that forwards the mutual goals of City Hall and Kansas City jazz."

So, as the millennium nears and Kansas City jazz enters the next century, it would seem that we are at an exciting crossroads in the progress of both the city and its unique musical tradition.
A personal note: Just days after her election, it was reassuring to see our new mayor walk into the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill one night to catch some tunes. A city with an internationally acclaimed musical tradition and a mayor who actually goes to the venues to support the jazz community should make for a vital urban center ready to swing into the 21st century, and do so with a sense of style, history and class.

Let the good times roll!


Pianist Tim Whitmer appears regularly at the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill, 8th & Central.


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