Blue Room   

1616 E 18th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-474-2929
www.americanjazzmuseum.com/

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

Part of the American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th and Vine District, the Blue Room is both a jazz club and a museum that celebrates Kansas City's connection to swing, free-funk and anything in-between. The Blue Room is designed to look like a '30s-era jazz club, and while you probably won't leave believing Franklin Roosevelt is president, you may learn a little bit more about bebop. All the tables at the club are really museum showcases -- underneath their glass tops are artifacts from the area's jazz heyday that celebrate figures like Charlie "Bird" Parker, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Performers at the Blue Room may not be the biggest names in jazz, but that's not to say they aren't good at what they do. Many local jazz combos record live CDs at the Blue Room, and the variety of performers that come through the door guarantees you'll find something to enjoy. Club-goers range from college kids to couples who are dressed to the nines; it's not uncommon to see Italian suits escorting designer gowns. Not really a pickup joint or a place you'd go for a night of heavy drinking, the Blue Room trades on class and the history of jazz. One caveat: Get your nicotine fix before the show starts, because smoking is banned to protect the museum's collections. -- Brendan Walsh