Jazz Birds Take Flight at New Airport Terminal
With the airport opening upon us in mere weeks, we’ve got an exciting sneak peak to share at one of the amazing art installations debuting at the new MCI: Willie Cole’s Jazz Birds
Photos by Blake Hamilton
More than airplanes are taking to the skies at the new Kansas City International Airport terminal scheduled to open in a few short weeks. Travelers coming, going, or just passing through can look up and see a dramatic art installation of “jazz birds” in flight, paying tribute to the city and its vibrant musical heritage.
Renowned artist and sculptor Willie Cole has created one of the 28 site-specific art installations for the new airport terminal. Inspiration came quickly when Cole heard about the Public Art Program at KCI. He thought about the city and, in his own words, “in walked Charlie.” The New Jerseyan recalled listening to jazz on the radio and one artist in particular - Charlie “Bird” Parker.
Parker was an American jazz saxophonist who grew up in Kansas City and developed as a musician in the notorious jazz district of 18th and Vine. His legacy now informs “Ornithology,” the title of Cole’s work which is composed of twelve avian figures assembled from dozens of hand-hammered alto saxophones which will be on display at the new Concourse B terminal.
In a style like the innovative and improvisational music that inspired them, the jazz birds of “Ornithology” were hatched over the summer of 2022. Willie Cole came to Kansas City and began collaborating with Mike “The Horn Doctor” Corrigan and Cameron Seip. The three performed what they call “visual jazz” as they assembled and disassembled saxophones experimenting with the anatomy of the birds. The movement of wings evolved from straight lines to more dynamic and bent forms. By prototyping wingspans, body shapes, and mounts, they began to turn machines into something natural and aerodynamic.
They spent 12-hour days working in the historic Boone Theater across from the American Jazz Museum, immersed in Parker’s old neighborhood near the intersection of 18th and Vine Street.
Learning about jazz history was integral to the process of creating “Ornithology.” The saxophones that make up the bodies of the birds were produced by Corrigan’s company, B.A.C Musical Instruments, which manufactures new instruments in the American-made tradition of the 1930s-1960s. This period is known as the “Golden Age” of American musical instrument manufacturing and is also the time in which Charlie Parker performed.
KCI visitors can engage further with the installation through QR codes that will accompany the birds and offer more information about the history and sounds of the jazz legends who came out of Kansas City. Musical heritage inspired “visual jazz,” a dynamic and innovative process that brought to life a flock of new jazz icons for the city.
