JAM June/July 2007 Issue: Feature Story

John Bluford's Vision for 18th and Vine
By Charlton Price

“The future …(long pause)… lies ahead!” ... satirist-pundit Mort Sahl liked to intone. Well, natch. For 18 th & Vine -- and for everybody and everything else -- the future of course, does lie ahead. But for 18 th & Vine, what can and should that future be?

JAM visited about this with John Bluford, a Kansas City community leader who has three current jobs, only one of which is for pay. He's the chief executive at Truman Medical Center . Also, he's the newly chosen board chairman at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. And now the Chamber has asked him to focus on a priority effort to expand and strengthen development of the 18 th & Vine District .

“I've met so far with over 30 people that have an interest, or involvement, or historical perspective on the District,” Bluford told us. “[This is] to solicit input on what has been done well, and what needs to happen for things to continue to flourish down there.

“One thing I've learned is that there are a lot of different things at 18 th & Vine. What is it? Is it the corner? The street sign? The Foundation? There's the Black Economic Union. There's a Jazz District Foundation. The Mutual Musicians Foundation. The Gem Theater. The Negro Baseball League Museum . The American Jazz Museum with the Blue Room. They all have separate boards, different constituencies, different agendas, different missions. And by and large, not enough money. That's not a good combination.

“We're trying to see to it that all of the entities can become somewhat less parochial, and have a broader vision of what could be done,” he added. “For example, for music, just the Blue Room or a Dianne Reeves [or other national star] every month at the Gem is not enough. If I had it to do all by myself I'd bring in a salsa club. That's what's hot. And I've been given to understand, from talking to all these people, that we need to draw in our own local musicians more.

“But I'm an optimist. And that means by definition I don't yet understand the depth of the problem. I don't see why we can't get the branding that New Orleans has had, historically. And now is the time. The stars are aligned. Because of the energy the city is generating for itself. Four and a half billion dollars of development going on downtown. The Sprint Center will be an attraction. The new residential development and attractions at the Crossroads. I think our new mayor will have an affinity for some of the urban core issues, and 18 th & Vine will be a part of that.”

The District is a line item in the city budget. Many people don't realize that 18 th and Vine properties aren't owned by the various organizations mentioned. It's city property.

“We have a strong advocate in the City Manager's office for growth and development of the area, as well as strong support from the newly elected councilwomen for the Third District,” Bluford added. “And Alvin Brooks won't disappear. He needs to be involved in these efforts.

“There's a tremendous interest in the area by a lot of people. Some are knowledgeable about the area, and some are not. There's tremendous history and tradition, some of which is not as well founded as we would like it to be. But what needs to be conveyed to the community is: That's history! What are we going to do now?”

East and west of Troost Avenue is still a divide for some. Bluford believes “that's for people who have a long history they can't forget. New folks don't have a clue. Unless you tell them. The people living in all these lofts and apartments around here -- this is a new crowd.”

The main issue now for 18 th & Vine, Bluford believes, is the need for some kind of formalized game plan that everyone buys into. That would be part of the therapy. But what's the diagnosis?

“We have been somewhat fragmented. And there has been no overarching decision-m akin g structure,” says Bluford. He points out that “the Chamber's engagement is specific to that two to three block entertainment area of 18 th & Vine. But the District is a lot broader than 18 th & Vine. As Ollie Gates and others would say, it's the [broader] east side, from 12 th Street to Cleaver II Boulevard .”

What are some specific possibilities? “It would be wonderful to have the Rhythm and Ribs jazz festival event grow into a really world class venue and activity. In the music area, we've got the Blue Room and the Gem. We need two or three more music venues to make [the District] a real magnet. Blues. Salsa. Et-cetera. And another restaurant.

“The presence in Kansas City of the Friends of Alvin Ailey [ballet], at Woodland and 18 th, will be important for attracting traffic and interest. The Chamber was instrumental in facilitating that. And we're getting some pro-bono help from a major local marketing firm, to work on the branding of the District. The Chamber commissioned another group to do some focused interviews, to find out how people, both locally and nationally, view the area and its possibilities.”

So that's John Bluford's view of the needs and challenges to discover and design the 18 th & Vine future. And it's clear that JAM readers and the Jazz Ambassadors interest and support help that future to flower.