Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, Blue Room jazz club and Gem Theater.Since its inception in 1997, the Museum has hosted thousands of students, scholars, musicians fans for over 200 performances, education programs, special exhibitions, community events and more each year, providing an opportunity to learn about the legends, honor their legacy, or simply enjoy the sounds of Kansas City jazz. Our mission is to celebrate and exhibit the experience of jazz as an original American art form through research, exhibition, education and performance at one of the country’s greatest jazz crossroads – 18th & Vine.As the only museum in the world solely focused on the preservation, exhibition and advancement of jazz, the American Jazz Museum is dedicated to public service and collaborative efforts to expand the influence, awareness and appreciation of jazz within Kansas City and to audiences worldwide.

Since the birth of America’s only indigenous art form and its journey across the globe, certain cities have put distinctive stamps in its sound, history and development. Kansas City is one of the greatest purveyors of jazz – and it continues to offer fertile ground for the music to thrive.

The signs, streets, walls and windows in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District are infused with the rich legacy of those who worked, lived and played here. It’s our honor to pay tribute to the legacies of those who helped shape the sounds of Kansas City jazz (and beyond) – and to cultivate new generations of engaged citizens who actively support the arts, music and education.

Our drive is to build upon the great efforts of those who laid the groundwork in advancing the excellent musical traditions that were established decades ago in this very neighborhood. This is where jazz lives. At the American Jazz Museum, it’s all about the music. Swing on down to the Vine and see what it’s all about.