KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City area artist received the opportunity to commemorate a local jazz artist’s centennial birthday.
Alexander Austin created a mural of KCK native Charlie Parker that is on display at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.
James McGee, creative director of the Mutual Musicians Foundation, said the artwork is a way to continue preserving the legacy of jazz in Kansas City.
“The musicians and the music keeps everything alive,” McGee said. “This is just like something to help us remember where we come from and where we’re at and where we’re going.”
Parker is credited as an influencer in the jazz community and became an inspiration for a plethora of artists who followed him.
The foundation is an organization built to preserve the legacy of Kansas City musicians and the Black American musical experience.
