INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW by JOEL NICHOLS

The Heartbeat of The City.

That is how Executive Director Rashida Phillips describes the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine in KCMO. She took the reins over two years ago. As the museum celebrates 25 years of keeping the music playing, Rashida is focused on the future.

Was music a part of your life growing up in St. Louis?

My mother was a teacher. My father was a postal worker and served in the Air Force. They listened to Motown and a little jazz. That music came to all of the kids. My older brother was in a boy band back in the day, and my younger brother is a music producer in Atlanta now. In high school, I was a jazz diva. I just fell in love with that music, the stories, especially the songs from the 1940s.

The voice is the original instrument. From the moment we come out of the womb, music helps to soothe us. Music will also push us forward. There’s a literacy there that’s so important. It’s so universal.

For you, jazz was the sound that resonated?

I had folks coming to me saying, “Why don’t you sing pop or do R&B?” and I thought, well, we’ve got folks doing that. Somebody has to carry the torch for jazz. I thought, this is music that I could jump into and sing for the rest of my life.

Kansas City is a good place to land for a jazz singer like yourself, then.

Jazz would not be what it is without the Kansas City imprint. This place really became a launchpad for so many legendary careers … Basie, Bird, Mary Lou Williams. If they didn’t cut it here they wouldn’t be able to cut it anywhere.

Something that was made here really came together and expressed this American ideal. Music has always served so many purposes. When you think about civil rights or you think about protest songs, it’s music that gets you through a moment or a movement.

What role does the American Jazz Museum play in keeping this important music alive?

This is a hybrid institution. We’ve got the museum element for daily visitors to come in and learn about the history; but we also have a working jazz club in the Blue Room, and we’ve got the Gem Theater across the street. We shepherd them into an experience where they can really see and feel the effects of being in a live environment.

I’ve always been at the intersection of arts education, of nonprofit business, and of culture. I live in this matrix. It really allows me to work hard and play hard at the same time. I love what I do and, you know, our staff loves what we all do. It’s a work of passion.

You started here as the pandemic was really taking hold. That must have presented special challenges right from the start.

There was an opportunity even during the pandemic. It makes me think of the seasons. We need the winter because there are things happening beneath the soil. Things being seeded that will burst when the spring comes. I think that happened with the pandemic. There was a lot of opportunity to grow, to incubate. In fact, we opened up our Jazz Incubator for the musician community, which had a tough time in the pandemic, a space for them to come in, play, learn, and get resources.

It has been a quarter of century since the American Jazz Museum opened its doors. I know you have so much planned starting with the “In The Yard” celebration the weekend before the August 29th birthday of Charlie Parker. Then, in September, a beautiful new exhibit honoring 25 years at 18th and Vine. But, you are always looking forward, to the next 25.

It’s important for us to continue to anchor the neighborhood. Our community depends on that. This was a vision that was started 25 years ago but it’s got to grow. It’s got to grow in a way that’s authentic and genuine. I think it’s really a wonderful opportunity.

People need to come here and really understand the roots of this town. What’s in the soil. What’s in the sidewalks. Appreciate the authentic and genuine culture that contributed to much of Kansas City history. Eighteenth and Vine. The American Jazz Museum. It’s the heartbeat of the city.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joel Nichols has been interviewing fascinating people from Kansas City and around the nation for 35 years. Today, he does freelance work for a number of area organizations, as well as emcee events in our town. Please, visit Joel Nichols Communications, online.