Last Wednesday (15/12/2015) we were addressed by Karen Griffin who is a tour docent and an education assistant with the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She is a graduate from the University of Phoenix and is planning to do her Masters in Liberal Art in the University of Missouri In Kansas. Karen has been a member at Sheffield Family Life Center for 25 years and participates in feeding the homeless and performs praise dancing at the church.

During her speech, she provided us with some valuable and interesting facts about Jazz.

Jazz was born in New Orleans and it grew up in Kansas City. While New Orleans was the birthplace of Jazz, Americas Music grew up in Kansas City.  Kansas City is known for the most popular “Cradles of jazz”. During 1930s, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop. Kansas is the place where John Coltrane first met Charlie Parker and nurtured many more who shaped the sound of Jazz. Other cities include New Orleans, Chicago, St Louis and New York City.

The hard-swinging, bluesy transition style came together in Kansas City. Early jazz styles influenced by ragtime music from New Orleans, travelled to Kansas City with Musicians who came seeking for jobs.  The Kansas City jazz was cheerful and thrilling at the same time that it was almost impossible to sit down and listen to. The musicians of the Kansas used to have jam sessions after playing their gigs of the evening. Musicians used to share old and news ideas and helping in creating the Kansas City sound of swing. Kansas City is one of the greatest sources of Jazz and it continues to offer fertile ground for the music to thrive.

Apart from the Jazz in Kansas City, She also gave us a brief but an interesting description about the American jazz Museum. It is located in the 18^th and Vine District in Kansas City. They celebrate and exhibit the experiences of Jazz. It is one of the most interactive museums in the country and the only museum devoted exclusively to Jazz. The museum features four major exhibits in honour of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Kansas City native son, Charlie “Bird” Parker. The American Jazz Museum showcase the sights and sounds of Jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the gallery exhibit place, visitors center, Blue room Jazz club and Gem Theatre.

Thank you Karen for coming to Australian Jazz Museum all the way from Kansas City, Missouri, USA, to share this information with us.