Where to Hear Great Jazz in Kansas City

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The Phoenix is a popular night club in downtown Kansas City’s old ‘Burgeoning Garments’ district. The Phoenix features live music provided by local jazz bands and even has a Saturday jazz brunch. In addition to local music, The Phoenix prides itself on serving a menu consisting of ‘local flavors,’ with items such as bourbon county sliders, fried green beans, pan seared Kansas City strips, and a ‘cajun chicken mac’ sandwich. The Phoenix club also serves other popular items like hand-pulled mozzarella, avocado fries, and hand-cut chicken tenders.

The Blue Room is a jazz club inside the American Jazz Museum, located right on the historic ’18th and Vine Jazz District’ area of Kansas City where Kansas City jazz originates from. The Blue Room has a performance space where local and national jazz musicians play. Big bands perform on the last Monday of every month, and Latin Jazz performances are usually on the last Thursday of every month. In addition, there is a weekly ‘Blue Monday Jam,’ where visitors can bring their own instruments and join in on the fun.

The Majestic Restaurant is a steak house and jazz club inside the historic Fitzpatrick saloon on Broadway Boulevard that features performances from live Kansas City jazz musicians every night of the week. Customers can eat steaks and sip wines in the main dining room, or slip away to the lower level dining room which, during prohibition, was a real speakeasy. In addition to fine and dry-aged steaks, The Majestic Restaurant also serves popular items like New Zealand lamb chops and beer battered pork chops.

Green Lady Lounge is a bar and jazz club on Grand Boulevard that features live jazz music performances every night of the week and no cover charge to enter the club. The Green Lady Lounge has a high class, refined feel, with dark red walls, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to light the club, and ornately framed vintage oil paintings on the walls. The Green Lady Lounge has a large variety of cocktails for customers to drink as they listen to the live jazz music, as well as two separate stages so that multiple performances can happen simultaneously.