American Jazz Museum

Learned a lot about the some of the staples in jazz music.  Loved the exhibits--especially the television section where you can sit and watch old TV clips.  I called my mom and asked her if she remembered doing the jitterbug!  Wow, have things changed a lot!

I think the music I enjoyed most is the contemporary music played in the gift shop.  I also enjoyed seeing the autographed sax donated by Bill Clinton.

Now, I understand the experience is to be interactive but I'm not using public headphones--not one alcohol or Clorox wipe in sight.  Maybe the ports should remain open since a lot of us carry own headphones anyway.

This museum does not do Kansas City's Jazz history justice. It truly makes me sad. With such a rich history, I would have expected a much more engaging museum with some great artifacts.

I love Jazz.  I will never return to this sorry excuse for a museum.

First off, they try to confiscate your camera.  Always a bad sign.  Usually, museums do that to prevent their pathetic collection from seeing the light of day.

Are you ready for the entire list of noteworthy items?

* One plastic Charlie Parker saxophone

* One Louis Armstrong trumpet

* One tin of Louis Armstrong lip salve

* One Ella Fitzgerald dress

* One pair of Ella's eyeglasses

* One suit that either belonged to Duke Ellington or is simply a recreation  (the exhibit doesn't say)

That's it.

It reminds me of the first time I went to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.  That sucked.  Nobody wants to see records hanging on the wall.  Show me clothes.  Show me instruments.  Show me sheet music they wrote.

This place is a total rip-off.  And for payback, I've uploaded the pictures I snuck.

If you want to learn about Jazz, buy a CD and read the liner notes.  Or watch the Ken Burns' series.  This place is an enormous failure.