Celebrating Kansas City’s greatest musical traditions, this year’s 18th & Vine Jazz and Blues Festival will take place Saturday, October 12. Produced in conjunction with the American Jazz Museum, the one-day event features headliners Pieces of a Dream, Bobby Lyle & Maysa, ’70s/’80s hit-makers Con Funk Shun, The Messenger Legacy, Bettye LaVette, and Kelley Hunt, plus local and regional talent, and a main stage salute to the great George Duke.
Voted Best 2011 & 2012 Music Festival in Kansas City by the CVA Visitor’s Choice Awards, the event features great jazz, blues, food and fun at the award-winning American Jazz Museum in the heart of the Historic Jazz District. The annual celebration—formerly known as “Rhythm & Ribs”—attracts thousands of jazz and blues lovers of all ages, and, naturally, BBQ fans. All proceeds from the festival will support cultural programming at the American Jazz Museum.
Featuring great performers on multiple stages, the best food and arts and crafts vendors in Kansas City, the Jazz Links Education Workshop, jazz film screenings, panel sessions, children’s pavilion, and a host of other activities, the festival provides family-style fun in one of America’s greatest jazz crossroads, 18th & Vine. Special VIP tickets include admission to the event plus access to a private food and bar area, special seating and parking.
