As good as it gets? I don't know. But the music and the spirit of the place makes up for any deficiencies the place may have. It was an absolute blast to go in there and hear real musicians do that thing they do when left to their own devices. The amazing generosity among them with each other was absolutely intoxicating and make no mistake, everybody who goes up there is the real deal. They know how to play.
Also, for a city that can be so racially divided there was none of that here. If you can play, you play and if you know good music when you hear it, you sit down and listen. That's it. Very invigorating. The bar is downstairs to separate the partiers from the listeners. That's as much separation as there is.
This was a great musical experience.
It's been too long but this place left such a memorable impression on me that I always yearn to return :)
I'm old(ish) so a 1am open time is a little late for me... Ok, maybe I'm just a woosie or need more booze in my life to make it again. Â
The best & only after hours club I even know of. Â I'd love to see the Diverse Trio ft. Les Izmore here some time soon... HINT HINT! Â This, I would sleep when I die to see :)
This after-hours club is a jazz lovers haven. Not only for listening to live performances, but for musicians who want to play. It's open mike all the time where the veteran musicians invite young musicians on stage to learn their craft.
After the Blue Room called it a night, we came here on a Friday night at 12:45am before they began performing. So we sat in the small first floor room with a bar. We must have looked like rubes as they perform upstairs in a bigger hall. Regardless of our confusion, the people there are super friendly like we were guests at a party.
The $10 cover is high compared to other places, but it's worth it. The drinks are inexpensive which makes up for the high cover. Their website says they have food, but there were only snack-sized bags of chips.
There is plenty of street parking that late at night, but park close for added safety.
I'm hesitant to give out the ultimate 5-star rating because as clubs go, this one is sparse. Drinks are served in plastic cups, the amps hum, and the lighting is fixed. But perhaps this is all part of the ambience and character of a funky jazz hall. Otherwise, the jazz becomes too sterile like at the Blue Room.
So if you love jazz and the free-flowing improvisation, you'll love this place assuming you can stay awake that late.
I am not particularly into Jazz, but this place was cool.
We went Saturday night a little before midnight so we could watch the show "12 o'clock jump" as it was broad-casted for Kansas Public Radio. Â The show was very entertaining, and the music was good.
They are open from 12am to 6am, and this is a very cool scene. Â They have a bar and food, and everything was reasonably priced.
I had a very strong little whiskey and ginger ale for $5, an all beef hot dog with chips for $3, and a glass of water for free (I was worried they were going to charge me for a bottle of water, but they suggested the cup when I asked for water).
This was a very cool place to be, and there were so many different people. Â People of all ages were there. Â
For anyone who likes Jazz, this is the place to be!
You haven't experienced Kansas City if you haven't visited the historic 18th and Vine district. And you haven't experienced 18th and Vine if you haven't been to "The Foundation".
It's been a while since I have been, but I remember driving in from Lawrence at around 2am and this joint was just opening up. I understand they got in trouble for selling beer past 3am. I thought this was odd myself but it was explained to me that they said they were a private club and the money was for suggested donations.
Some of the best Jazz musicians would be sitting around and playing well into dawn. I'm not a huge Jazz aficionado but I can recognize the difference between good Jazz and excellent Jazz. Â All of the musicians were at least 80 years old if not older which just seems cool. I'll be happy if I can change my 'depends' myself when I'm that old.
The building itself looks like a typical older KC area house, and well, it is. You are literally in a living room when you are listening to the music which just has a good vibe.
Well, you've made it. Â As far as there is a center of the Kansas City jazz universe, it would probably of been here, back in it's hey day. Â That's because this building used to be the local musician's union, so if you were a musician in KC back then, you wanted to be in it. Â Well, time goes on, Kansas City changed, and the hey day of jazz moved. Â Kansas City may have been the physical center of the US, it wasn't the artistic center, and so the musicians left for Chicago, St. Louis, New York, &c.
Flash forward: Â A few years ago 'The Foundation', as it is called, enjoyed the particular historical resugrance in Kansas City (18th & Vine, Crossroads, Sprint Center) and began a sort of underground open-mic night on Friday and Saturdays... usually after the other bars closed. Â So it started around midnight and ended whenever. Â You either brought your own drink or bought cans of the cheap stuff from a cooler in the corner. Â There may or may not have been a cover. Â It was loose.
Today it is a little more formalized. Â There was an enforcement of the liquor laws (you needed a license, evidently), and after a hiatus of some time, the owner got a liquor license so she can serve until like 6:00am or so. Â They still play on Fridays and Saturdays, although the hours have changed.
It's quite an informal situation, so don't expect linen tablecloths or anything. Â Yet it is a mystical experience for the uninitiated.
The location is not on the plaza, you'll have to go north and east to 18th and Highland near the 18th and Vine area.
A website from the local university with a bunch of historical stuff:  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.umkc.edu%2Forgs%2Flocal627%2F&s=73fec74c77b1842b01000daf400eb19feada5479ba7a594dd2903e749c6f2f0f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.umkc.edu/orgs…</a>
Actual live radio archives (an oxymoron, I know) from the local public radio stations's show from the Foundation, 12 Street Jump!  (search for 'mutual' or 'oclock') <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kcur.org%2F12th-street-jump-program-archives&s=e115ce70c6de26ca239f97170c33dc4636cdf4e176cca7c0eb5602f85c4da35b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.kcur.org/12th…</a>
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