Kansas City's October 22 jazz listening hour asks how musicians talk without words

Image: AI-generated illustrative photograph of generic record-listening equipment; not American Jazz Museum equipment, album artwork or the scheduled session.

Jazz can sound like a conversation even when nobody sings. The American Jazz Museum's next Listen In Club session takes that interaction as its subject, offering an hour to hear musical exchanges more deliberately than background listening usually allows.

The museum lists the session for Thursday, October 22, 2026, noon–1 p.m., in its KC Jazz Incubator. Visitors check in at the information desk before entering through the exhibition area. Admission is free for museum members and included with museum admission for other guests; confirm current arrangements before attending.

Education programs manager Houston Gonzales leads the listening and discussion. The room stays quiet while records play, with breaks for musical, historical and social context. The published source list ranges from Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk to Larry Young and the Duke Ellington–Ray Brown recording This One's for Blanton!, without promising every record will fit into the hour.

Listen beforehand if you wish, but the museum welcomes people either way. Try following one instrument, then notice how another changes the direction or energy around it. The point is not to arrive with expert vocabulary. A clear observation about what you heard can be the beginning of a better conversation.

Sources and visit details

• American Jazz Museum: October 22 Listen In Club schedule, admission and listening format