blues/jazz

Celebrating the life and legacy of Kansas City singer Ida McBeth, who died last week at age 70. Plus: Missouri voters legalized recreational marijuana last November. Will Oklahoma be next, and what can they learn from Missouri's successful ballot measure?

Ida McBeth started her career as a teenager singing at the Playboy Club in downtown Kansas City. She went on to earn mayoral proclamations and a lifetime achievement award from the American Jazz Museum.

With small towns on the decline, some residents in western Kansas are trying to brainstorm ways to keep their rural lifestyles alive. Their answer? Youth rodeos. Plus: One Kansas City orchestra wants to inspire the next generation of jazz artists.

"Winter Soulstice" includes an almost all-Kansas City cast of musicians, including saxophonist Todd Wilkinson, singers Allena Ross and Wanda Jae, and trumpeter Chris Van Leeuwen.

Kansas City has long held a reputation as a center of blues music and culture. But as elder musicians pass away, one Kansas blues festival appears to have reached its conclusion. Plus, Kansas City's first bicycle collective has transformed junk into reliable rides for 15 years.

The Kansas City, Kansas Street Blues Festival was created as a place for a small group of influential blues artists from northeast Kansas City, Kansas, to share their music with their community. Now, however, so many of these artists have died that the event organizer doesn’t believe he’ll be able to continue the festival.

Kansas City, Missouri, has 12 sister cities, including Hannover, Germany. Both cities are UNESCO Cities of Music and share a strong jazz tradition, particularly when it comes to big band orchestras.

The new exhibit, "Sound and Story: 25 Years at the American Jazz Museum," will include the four pillars of the American Jazz Museum’s mission: exhibition, performance, education and research.

Every year, the jazz community comes together to commemorate saxophonist Charlie Parker with a series of jam sessions, tributes, tours and lectures.

The McFadden Brothers were inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame and Candace Evans is one of the region's most popular pianists and vocalists.

One African-American chef from Kansas City is creating a new community around food in the 18th and Vine District. Also, we hear about a Kansas City jazz singer who made waves across the nation 75 years ago for her specific type of blues.

For three decades, Julia Lee reigned over Kansas City jazz clubs singing raunchy songs “her mother taught her not to sing.” But beyond the lyrical wordplay of hits like "Snatch and Grab It," Lee was a trailblazer for Black female musicians, and forged a career on her own terms.