![]() ![]() They were very open to passing along their knowledge and traditions with anyone who shared their love of the music I wanted to capture some of this feeling before it slipped away. ![]() ![]() "I'd been listening, watching and talking to those in the local jazz scene for quite some time. " I began photographing jazz musicians in 1987, hoping to create a visual record of these talented artists and to help preserve Kansas City's tradition as a birthplace of jazz," White says. It is this mixture of activity, tenacity and nostalgic charm that moved Pulitzer Prize winner Dan White to spend almost 20 years photographing and interviewing renowned jazz musicians. Today the tradition jams on, with clubs across the city featuring jazz nightly. Many of the musicians who got their start in Kansas City's jazz hub became household names across the nation in the 1930s and 1940s as jazz exploded in popularity, but the genesis of the movement also left its mark forever on the Kansas City music scene. The Roaring 20s saw local and out-of-town musicians forge a distinctive Kansas City style of jazz as they enjoyed the camaraderie of all-night jam sessions with boisterous, noisy clubs as the backdrop. Musicians and vocalists like Charlie Parker, Pete Johnson, Mary Lou Williams, Count Basie, Jay McShann, and Booker Washington associated with Prohibition-era jazz found a welcome home in Kansas City nightclubs, bustling with crowds eager for the entertainment. Many of these artists are performing today and remain a powerful influence on the jazz genre. This exhibition showcases the impact Kansas City Jazz musicians and vocalists had on the national jazz movement of the 1920s and 1930s through photographs of and commentary on renowned jazz musicians who got their start in Kansas City and grew from there to have great impact on American jazz as we know it today. Exhibit on view at OCCC's Visual and Performing Arts Center Gallery Also watch News 9 " First at Four" highlighting The Fine Art of Jazz Exhibit. ![]()
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