There’s nothing I like better than sleeping. Well, maybe napping, but sleeping is really my favorite. So Saturday, when my friends asked me to go listen to some jazz at the Mutual Musician’s Foundation starting at 1:30 a.m. and ending at 5:00 a.m., I thought I must be in the middle of one of my weird dreams. Who plays jazz in the middle of the night, and who stays up past 11:30? The answer is legendary musicians and people way cooler than I am. Located at 18th and Vine, The Mutual Musician’s Foundation started in 1917 as Local 627 and served as an African-American musicians’ union and a place for traveling artists to get together and jam before and after their gigs. (Yes, I said “jam” and “gigs.” Quit laughing.) The Foundation has played host to Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Jay McShann, Jo Jones and countless others. Today, this historic landmark is a haven for Kansas City musicians to share music with each other, and those of us who stay up past our bedtime every now and then.
Experience live jazz for $8 at the Mutual Musician’s Foundation every Friday and Saturday between 1:30 a.m and 5 a.m., and do your part to keep this tradition alive and awake in Kansas City. Musicians and music students get in for free.
