Kansas City jazz Kansas City jazz Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City during the 1920s and 1930s, which marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop. The hard-swinging, bluesy transition style is bracketed by Count Basie who in 1929 signed with the Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra and Kansas City native Charlie Parker who ushered in the Bebop style in America. "While New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, America's music grew up in Kansas City". Kansas City is known as one of the most popular "cradles of
Jazz band Jass Band. It is reported that the first known recording of "Jas", "That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland (1916)" was by Collins and Harlan for Thomas A. Edison, Inc. on Blue Amberol in December 1916. The first Jazz record, "The Original Dixieland One-Step" was issue 18255 by Victor Talking Machine Company in 1917. This is the first record with "Jass" on the label, attributed to the "Original Dixieland 'Jass' Band". After litigation and claims of copyright infringement, the title was changed to "Dixie 'Jass' Band One-Step". Vince Guaraldi and Ramsey Lewis were notable leaders of jazz trios in the 1960s,