The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2003 with a clear purpose: to preserve, celebrate, and advance the big band tradition that is central to Kansas City’s musical identity. Founded by Gene Hall, Jim Mair, and Mary Mair, KCJO brought together leading professional jazz musicians from across the region under the artistic direction of Jim Mair, then Professor of Jazz Studies at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

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KCJO gave its first performance on November 21, 2003, at Unity Temple on the Plaza. What began as a modest concert series quickly established a devoted audience, with Unity Temple serving as the Orchestra’s primary home for much of its first decade. As the organization grew, so did its presence on Kansas City’s cultural landscape.

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Artistic leadership passed from Mair to acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and arranger Kerry Strayer, who led the Orchestra until his death in 2013. Clint Ashlock subsequently assumed the role of Artistic Director and continues to lead KCJO today, shaping an artistic vision that honors the lineage of Kansas City jazz while creating space for the music to evolve.

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A major milestone came in 2012 when KCJO began presenting its Signature Series in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. In the years since, the Orchestra has expanded its footprint to stages throughout the metropolitan area and region, including the historic Folly Theater, the Gem Theater in the 18th & Vine Jazz District, and the Midwest Trust Center.

In 2018, KCJO took Kansas City jazz abroad on its first international tour, performing in Hannover, Germany, and Szczecin, Poland. The tour included a performance at the Swinging Hannover Jazz Festival and strengthened a musical exchange between Kansas City and its sister city of Hannover that continues today.

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That growth has extended well beyond the concert hall. KCJO now performs in configurations ranging from solo musicians and small ensembles to trios, quintets, septets, and its signature 18-piece big band. In My Jazz Era brings the language of jazz into conversation with contemporary popular music, while the JazzWorks! education initiative creates opportunities for students, musicians, educators, and audiences to engage more deeply with the art form.

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Central to that educational work is New Jazz Order, originally founded by Clint Ashlock and revitalized by KCJO as a weekly big band reading program. NJO brings professional musicians, emerging artists, students, and community musicians together for regular performance, mentorship, and musical development, helping ensure that the next generation has opportunities to learn and carry the big band tradition forward.

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More than two decades after its founding, KCJO has grown from a two-concert series into a multifaceted jazz organization encompassing performance, education, artist development, and community engagement; yet. its purpose remains closely connected to the reason it was created. Big band jazz is a defining part of Kansas City’s distinctive contribution to American music, and KCJO exists not simply to preserve that legacy, but to keep it alive, relevant, and evolving for generations to come.

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