Kansas City isn’t just another stop on the jazz and blues tour — it’s the birthplace of a sound that changed music forever. Long before hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll, KC was swinging to a rhythm all its own — the Kansas City Sound — where the blues got bold, the piano got punchy, and the horns told stories all night long.

It all started at places like 18th & Vine, where legends like Charlie Parker, Count Basie, and Big Joe Turner blurred the lines between blues and jazz, creating jump blues, swing, and the roots of R&B and rock. This city had its own beat — thanks to pioneers like Bennie Moten, who turned simple blues into the backbone of big band swing, and Basie, who took KC’s groove coast-to-coast.

And that rhythm still echoes through the streets, in clubs, in soul food kitchens, and late-night jam sessions at the Musicians Foundation. KC isn’t just a chapter in jazz history — it is the headline act.

So this October 3–4, we bring the music back home.