Count Basie's death occasioned this look at the storied neighborhood
of 18th and Vine, once one of the jazz centers of America, but in the
1980s a desolate stretch of empty lots and old brick buildings housing a
handful of stubborn businesses. Nowadays, I've read, 18th and Vine has
been revived as a thriving tourist and entertainment center, with a
hall of fame for KC jazz players and Negro League baseball. I'd like to
think that articles like this one helped keep the memory alive.
(click to enlarge images)
