Conversation

Charlie “Bird” Parker’s famous Grafton saxophone was auctioned off in London back in 1994. I was Mayor of Kansas City at the time, and the American Jazz Museum at 18th & Vine was still 3 years in the making. But we knew Bird’s cream-colored alto sax belonged in his hometown.

Quote Tweet

American Jazz Museum

@ajazzmuseumKC

Feb 7, 2021

@CharlieParkerKC's saxophone now shares the same casing with one of Louis Armstrong's personal trumpets for the jazz exhibit at EPCOT! We are in awe! Hey @iamjamiefoxx , @tiafuller, @JonBatiste, & @DaveedDiggs, each of you helped tell this story! What do you think?

12:15 AM · Feb 9, 2021

Replying to

I cast the winning bid for our city at 4 in the morning, & I’ll never forget the joy I felt that day. For the last 24 years, Bird’s sax has been one of the most treasured displays

@ajazzmuseumKC

. For the next 6 months, it’ll be part of

@EpcotCentre

’s brand new jazz exhibit.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver

@repcleaver

Feb 9, 2021

Charlie Parker’s masterful music transcended borders, and bebop fans from around the world will now get an up-close look at his most prized saxophone. And when they’re done exploring

@EpcotCentre

, I hope they’ll make a trip to 18th & Vine to check out KC’s

@ajazzmuseumKC

Show more replies