Ted's Taproom

About Ted's Taproom

Ted's Taproom arrived in the Crossroads in 2026 and, within a few months, had become an important room in Kansas City jazz. Jon Copaken founded the club in honor of his late friend Ted Burns, a passionate jazz enthusiast, and he built it as a listening room first: an intimate space where the bandstand is the center of gravity and the audience is close enough to hear everything.

The programming has serious pedigree. Musical director Gerald Dunn spent 25 years at the American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room shaping one of the city's premier jazz programs, and Ted's has quickly earned a reputation for adventurous booking — jazz, blues and soul, with live music Tuesday through Saturday nights. Early sets start at 7; Fridays and Saturdays run three performances deep into the night.

The Tuesday night jazz jam is already one of the best-run in town — LiveJazzKC's guide notes that players come from all over the city for it, and listeners get the benefit. Add a full cocktail program and kitchen, and Ted's is the Crossroads' newest argument that the center of Kansas City jazz keeps getting stronger.

Standing gigs

Tuesday Jazz Jam — Tuesdays, 7–10:30 p.m.

Thursday Blues Day — weekly Thursday blues programming.

Live music Tuesday–Saturday nights — three separate performances Fridays and Saturdays.

More Kansas City jazz rooms

Browse the full directory of Kansas City jazz venues, compare the city's clubs in our Kansas City jazz clubs guide, or see who's playing tonight. More rooms to know: The Majestic, The Phoenix and The Bad Cat Jazz Bar.