Creative City KC

08/21/2026

08/16/2026

Why is Kansas City a UNESCO City of Music? This is the house where William "Count" Basie lived with his young family at 1327 Brooklyn. It's gone now. We lost it to neglect and later a fire. Squandered Heritage.

Scenes from the post-fire, pre-demo house on Brooklyn... Why is Kansas City a UNESCO City of Music?

The lost heritage of Kansas City jazz era.... Sites like this remind us of the importance of the tangible heritage we still have left to save, preserve and protect.

08/13/2026

Happy 84th birthday to T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, who was featured in our 2021 project The Voyage of the Drum! And a special shout out to Kansas City's amazing Arts Karavan

08/11/2026

Get down to GREENWOOD and share Ezgi Karakus Ezgi's new project! Tonight!!

08/06/2026

Creative City KC is honored to welcome Jazz Day founder, and amazing human Herbie Hancock to Kansas City. Thank you Herbie for all you do! UNESCO

07/31/2026

Logan Richardson arrives in Kansas City for a rare appearance during Charlie Parker month in Kansas City. Get your tickets now!
Saturday August 8th GEM Theater 18 Vine Link for tickets in bio.

07/31/2026

TBT 2019 GREENWOOD with an International Exchange between two UNESCO Cities of Music: KC & Hannover. Special shout out to Peregrine Honig for the generosity and Mike Dillon for the vibes... Donate link in bio...

Jazz Club Hannover Lothar Krist on sax, Greg Carrol on vibraphones, Matt Leifer on kit...

Congrats to Calvin Arsenia for his preservation of an importantly sonorous sanctuary in KC

07/25/2026

On the passing of a true, Kansas City community advocate.

On July 7th, Kansas City lost one of most important historians and advocates - Elvis "Sonny" Gibson.

The team at Creative City KC recognizes the passing of Sonny Gibson - a true community advocate for Kansas City history, African American heritage, and Civil Rights, and we offer our support to his family and loved ones who are grieving.

Mr. Gibson had a 29-year career at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was well versed in civil rights, fair housing and all matters of urban and community development. He served for years as an advisor to the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center.

Mr. Gibson was one of the great historians of the life and times of musician/composer Charlie Parker Jr. He collected a wide variety of Parker ephemera - building a collection that documented the genius of Kansas City's most influential musical artist of the 20th Century. Mr. Gibson was quick to remind his audience of the importance of the Charlie Parker with strings recording, which he loved.

Mr. Gibson was a dapper gentleman who always looked sharp and observed the world with a side eye, a smile over his glasses, and a fine Fedora. He had high expectations for everyone and was rarely impressed with the status quo.

We are grateful for the legacy of Black historical research developed and shared by Sonny Gibson, which provides an important context for Kansas City's membership in UNESCO as the first City of Music in the United States.

Mr. Gibson was a big influence on our founder Anita Dixon-Brown, and co-founder Jacob Wagner. His work established a vital foundation for our understanding of why and how Kansas City has played a critical role in the development of American music.

Mr. Gibson was a community historian who advanced public understanding of Black Kansas City's historical development through the curation of a variety of books and volumes that collected important stories under one book cover. Like Horace Peterson and JoeLouis Mattox, Sonny Gibson was an advocate for Black historical consciousness as a foundation for political and community empowerment.

We send our condolences to Mr. Gibson's family, friends, colleagues and confidants.

07/24/2026

We're on the verge of Charlie Parker Jr's month of celebration in Kansas City - his home place... let us know your plans in the comments. August 29, 1920...

07/22/2026

The Kansas City Museum Sessions - behind the scenes... 2019 with Lee Langston Odell D. Talley Travel_BukekaStyle and Uzziel Hernandez Pecina The Museum of Kansas City