Welcome to a special edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. In this episode, we catch up with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II to talk about the 90-year celebration of jazz icon Count Basie—happening on International Jazz Day 2025 in Kansas City.

Titled “90 Years of Count Basie’s Swing!”, the celebration promises an unforgettable evening of live music, tributes, and rhythm featuring the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, surprise guests, and a late-night jam session at Lonnie McFadden’s Reno Club.

Congressman Cleaver—currently serving his tenth term representing Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District and former Mayor of Kansas City (1991–1999)—shares insights on Basie’s Legacy, Kansas City’s rich jazz history, and how he helped establish KC as the official “Home of Jazz” in 2016.

🎷 Join us as we celebrate jazz, heritage, and one of KC’s greatest musical legacies.
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/joe-dimino/episodes/Congressman-Emanuel-Cleaver-on-the-KC-Jazz-Icon-Count-Basie-90-Celebration–KC–Jazz-e314vrh

🎟️ Tickets are selling fast—get yours now: kccreativecity.com/count-basie

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Joe Dimino Podcaster/Artist

Joe Dimino has been writing & creating in a variety of capacities since his college days at the University of Missouri-Kansas City somewhere around 1993. If you are keeping score, that would be about 29 years+. It all began at UMKCs University News as a Sports Writer & turned into a myriad of expressive avenues. Inventing poems, art, video & audio has always been in the proverbial cards.