Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Jay McShann, Mary Lou Williams & Bennie Moten

In celebration of Con Chapman's 2023 book Kansas City Jazz: A Little Evil Will Do You Good, we spin a full-throttle hour of Kansas City jazz—saluting the sound, the swagger, and the city that helped shape America's music. We light the fuse with the brilliant Eddie Durham, then roll straight into the blues-soaked brilliance of Buck Clayton. Along the way, you'll hear excerpts from Con Chapman himself, painting vivid portraits of the players and the wide-open town where jazz didn't just grow up—it roared to life. This hour shines a spotlight on giants: Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Mary Lou Williams, Jay McShann, Andy Kirk, Bennie Moten, and the mighty Walter Page—architects of a movement that swung harder and freer than anywhere else in the country. We close it down with a roof-raising finale from the legendary Joe Turner, sending you out into the night with Kansas City rhythm still ringing in your ears.

Playlist

• {Eddie Durham}} "Swinging Mood" Blue Bone (JSP Records) 0:00
• Host talks 4:47
• Buck Clayton "What's the Use" Late Night Jazz (Classic Jazz Music) 7:33
• Count Basie "Stereophonic" Hits and Rarities (UMG Recordings) 10:40
• Host talks 12:51
• Pete Johnsons Band "627 Stomp" Just for You (Jazz League Music) 13:42
• Charlie Parker "K.C. Blues" Plays the Blues (UMG Recordings) 16:47
• Host talks 20:08
• Lester Young "Lester Leaps In" Live at Birdland 1951 (Liberation Hall) 20:58
• Mary Lou Williams "When Dreams Come True" The Circle Recordings (Circle) 25:43
• Host talks 28:29
• Jimmy Rushing "Boogie Boogie" The Essentials (Jazz Machine) 29:34
• Jay McShann "Vine Street Boogie" Vine Street Boogie (1201 Music) 33:03
• Host talks 35:33
• Charlie Creath's Jazz O' Matics "Crazy Quilt" KC Jazz (Shellac Revival) 36:30
• Andy Kirk and His 12 Clouds of Joy "Sweet and Hot" KC Jazz (Shellac Revival) 39:48
• Host talks 42:54
• Hot Lips Page "Small Fry" The Harlem Trumpet King (Jazz Classics) 44:04
• Bennie Moten "Missouri Wobble" Territory Jazz (KC Records) 46:15
• Host talks 49:16
• Walter Page and The Blue Devils "There's a Squabblin'" Essential KC Jazz (Shellac Records) 46:15
• Host talks 53:01
• Joe Turner "Blues in the Night" Collection (Classic Jazz Inc.) 53:48