[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 71 (Friday, June 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND KANSAS CITY JAZZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2000

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the House 
gave unanimous support to House Resolution 509 offered by my 
distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania's 2nd 
district, Representative Chaka Fattah. This resolution recognizes the 
importance of the United States to study, reflect on, and celebrate 
African American music. Artists have used and continue to use the 
African American experience as an important source of inspiration for 
various musical genres including jazz, gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, 
rap, and hip-hop. It is especially important to recognize this in June, 
which President Clinton designated three years ago as African American 
Music Month. In 1997, the President noted that ``. . . America's 
musical heritage music is the voice that proclaims who we are as a 
people, then African Americans have helped to give this voice its 
content, its tone, its volume, and its power. . . . This music 
continues to grow and change, continuously adding depth and richness to 
America's cultural heritage.''
  African American music, more specifically jazz, has played an 
important role in the cultural development of Missouri's Fifth 
District. In the 1920's and 1930's, Kansas City was the birthplace of 
swing and a major center in the maturation of bebop style jazz. Several 
jazz greats including Charlie ``Bird'' Parker, Count Basie, Big Joe 
Turner, and Jay McShann have called Kansas City their home, and their 
legacy is alive and well in the community today.
  To recognize Kansas City's role in jazz history and to further the 
appreciation of the art form, Kansas City has revitalized the district 
where jazz once played non-stop through the night. In 1997, the 
American Jazz Museum opened at the historic 18th and Vine address 
immortalized in Lieber and Stoller's song ``Kansas City.'' This 50,000-
square-foot complex features interactive exhibits and sound samples 
chronicling the music and the musicians who made jazz great. Dedicated 
to the unknown African Americans who fought for self-sufficiency, the 
American Jazz Museum also remembers the plight of Africans in America 
from slavery to freedom. The Parker Memorial adjacent to the museum is 
a 17-foot sculpture of Charlie Parker in honor of his vast 
contributions to American culture. More than 350,000 visitors from the 
inner city, suburbs, and around the country experienced the museum last 
year alone.
  Kansas City showcases African American music through its annual Blues 
and Jazz festival which takes place near the historic WWI Liberty 
Memorial. More than 50,000 people come from all parts of the city and 
the region to enjoy some of the best music America has to offer.
  This resolution also comes in conjunction with the Jazz Conference 
sponsored by BET on Jazz and Billboard Magazine June 7-9 in Washington, 
DC to discuss new strategies for taking jazz into the new millennium. I 
hope many of my distinguished colleagues join me at this historic event 
to study the past and anticipate the future of jazz.
  By recognizing the influence and importance of African American 
music, we have called on Americans to learn the history of blues, jazz, 
and other genres. Hopefully, other cities will follow Kansas City's 
lead to promote and study the musicians and their music. Mr. Speaker, 
please join me in commending the gentleman from Pennsylvania and 
supporting adoption of this historic resolution.

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