Kansas City jazz in the 1930s marked the transition from big bands to the bebop influence of the 1940s.
The 1979 documentary The Last of the Blue Devils portrays this era in interviews and performances by local jazz notables.
In the 1970s, Kansas City attempted to resurrect the glory of the jazz era in a family-friendly atmosphere.
In the 1970s, an effort to open jazz clubs in the River Quay area of City Market along the Missouri ended in a gang war.
Three of the new clubs were blown up in what ultimately ended Kansas City mob influence in Las Vegas casinos.
The annual "Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival" attracts top jazz stars and large out-of-town audiences.
It was rated Kansas City's "best festival."
by Pitch.com.

Live music venues are found throughout the city, with the highest concentration in the Westport entertainment district centered on Broadway and Westport Road near the Country Club Plaza, as well as the 18th and Vine area's flourish for jazz music.
A variety of music genres can be heard or have originated there, including musicians Janelle Monáe, Puddle of Mudd, Isaac James, The Get Up Kids, Shiner, Flee The Seen, The Life and Times, Reggie and the Full Effect, Coalesce, The Casket Lottery, The Gadjits, The Rainmakers, Vedera, The Elders, Blackpool Lights, The Republic Tigers, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Skatterman & Snug Brim, Mac Lethal, Ces Cru, and Solè.
As of 2003, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, a big band jazz orchestra, performs in the metropolitan area.

In 2018, UNESCO named Kansas City as a "City of Music", making it the only city in the United States with that distinction.
 The city's funding of $7 million for improvements to the 18th and Vine Jazz District in 2016, coupled with the city's rich musical heritage, contributed to the designation.
Kansas City jazz in the 1930s marked the transition from big bands to the bebop influence of the 1940s. The 1979 documentary The Last of the Blue Devils portrays this era in interviews and performances by local jazz notables. In the 1970s, Kansas City attempted to resurrect the glory of the jazz era in a family-friendly atmosphere. In the 1970s, an effort to open jazz clubs in the River Quay area of City Market along the Missouri ended in a gang war. Three of the new clubs were blown up in what ultimately ended Kansas City mob influence in Las Vegas casinos. The annual "Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival" attracts top jazz stars and large out-of-town audiences. It was rated Kansas City's "best festival." by Pitch.com.
Live music venues are found throughout the city, with the highest concentration in the Westport entertainment district centered on Broadway and Westport Road near the Country Club Plaza, as well as the 18th and Vine area's flourish for jazz music. A variety of music genres can be heard or have originated there, including musicians Janelle Monáe, Puddle of Mudd, Isaac James, The Get Up Kids, Shiner, Flee The Seen, The Life and Times, Reggie and the Full Effect, Coalesce, The Casket Lottery, The Gadjits, The Rainmakers, Vedera, The Elders, Blackpool Lights, The Republic Tigers, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Skatterman & Snug Brim, Mac Lethal, Ces Cru, and Solè. As of 2003, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, a big band jazz orchestra, performs in the metropolitan area.
In 2018, UNESCO named Kansas City as a "City of Music", making it the only city in the United States with that distinction.  The city's funding of $7 million for improvements to the 18th and Vine Jazz District in 2016, coupled with the city's rich musical heritage, contributed to the designation.
Kansas City, Missouri