Kansas City’s 12th Street became nationally known for its jazz clubs, gambling parlors and brothels, earning the city the moniker, “The Paris of the Plains.” At its height, 12th Street was home to more than 50 jazz clubs. A saxophone player named Charlie Parker began his ascent to fame here in his hometown in the 1930s. Legends like Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Joe Turner, Hot Lips Page and Jay McShann all played in Kansas City. At one time, there were more than 100 night clubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses in Kansas City regularly featuring jazz music. Only in Kansas City did jazz continue to flourish. The city was shielded from the worst of the Depression due to an early form of New Deal-style public works projects that provided jobs, and affluence, that kept the dance-oriented nightlife in town swinging. Throughout the Depression, Kansas City bands continued to play while other bands across the nation folded. This "wide-open" town image attracted displaced musicians from everywhere in mid-America. As an entertainment center, Kansas City had no equal during these dry times. During prohibition, he allowed alcohol to flow in Kansas City. While jazz began in the 1920s with a bang, it flourished in the 1930s, mainly as a result of political boss Tom Pendergast. Many great musicians got their start in these bands, traveling up to 1,000 miles between jobs. Territory bands also had an influential development on jazz. By the mid-1920s, the big band became the most common. In the early days, many jazz groups were smaller dance bands with three to six pieces. Settings such as dance halls, cabarets and speakeasies fostered the development of this new musical style. Blues singers of the 1920s and ragtime music greatly influenced the music scene. The roots of Kansas City jazz are quite varied. More than 40 area nightclubs feature jazz on a regular basis. Kansas City is world renowned for its rich jazz and blues legacy. Jazz in Kansas City was born in the 1920s and continues today in clubs and events held throughout the city.
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