St. Louis is known for its world-class music institutions: the St. Louis Symphony, Jazz St. Louis, The Muny... For Chris Hansen, though, it’s not just the institutions that make St. Louis’ music scene notable; it’s the agglomeration of styles and traditions formed here that reach the rest of the country.
“We birth genres,” says Hansen, executive director at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “It’s a scene that has taken from its deep roots in soul, jazz, and blues, and found a way to fuse that and intersect it with hip-hop and R&B. Music here is deep, diverse, and dynamic.”
It’s also continually evolving, which was part of the impetus for the creation of Music at the Intersection, a two-day festival to celebrate St. Louis’ impact on the American songbook. “It’s a multi-sensory, multi-musical experience festival that’s immersed in the cultural center of town,” Hansen says, referring to Grand Center, the home of Powell Hall, The Fox Theatre, The Grandel, Jazz at the Bistro, and more. “For inspiration, we’re looking at the Essence Festival and Jazz Fest in New Orleans to bring together a truly diverse festival that’s representative of the city. It’s foundationally rooted in St. Louis and is never compromising.”
Paul Nordmann
During the pandemic, the group expanded the festival’s scope beyond music. “It’s an experience,” says Hansen. “There [were] 50 great bands, DJs, massive art activations, a mural wall, a big food truck row. There [were] 35 artists and vendors showcasing the best of St. Louis’ small businesses. There [were]yard games and activities for families.”
Over time, the festival’s name has also taken on multiple meanings. While it acknowledges the intersection of streets, it’s also a tribute to the crossroads of musical genres that have emerged from St. Louis. “The festival is rooted in our foundational role for music in America,” Hansen says. “Sometimes, our sound has layers founded in jazz, blues, and soul. Or it’s rock and roll fused with R&B and hip-hop. It allows us to go as far and wide as we want to go on the rest of the spectrum. All of that music is centered on foundational genres. It gives us a lot of license to curate.”
Some group that performed at the festival in 2022 were from St. Louis but have gained a national following, such as The Urge and Foxing. Some have connections to St. Louis through relationships, such as the one between JJ Grey & Mofro and Vintage Vinyl owner Tom “Papa” Ray. Still others have a conceptual connection to St. Louis through their style of music. “Take John Scofield, for example,” Hansen says. “Scofield embodies jazz music, and that’s one of the defining genres in St. Louis. Booker T is the originator of soul; Dumpstaphunk comes out of our sister city [New Orleans] that’s a connection of a fellow river city.” And every festival has to have a headliner: In 2022, that was Erykah Badu, the queen of neo soul music.
TO HAVE A RICH MUSIC SCENE IS TO HAVE A RICH CITY; A HEALTHIER CITY; A HAPPIER, MORE CONNECTED CITY THAT TAKES PRIDE IN ITS EXISTENCE.
While Music at the Intersection focuses on the ways that musical genres meet in St. Louis, it has also branched out with a free two-day, pre-festival conference called Intersessions, which offers lectures and workshops that discuss the junction of music, art, and entrepreneurship.
“It’s a thought-leadership conference,” Hansen says. Conference-goers participated in discussions about the metaverse, art and activism, and art and technology. Hansen hopes to eventually evolve Intersessions into a paid event that has the same depth as the music component. He sees it as an extension of a music scene that already has a strong infrastructure; the festival expands that base and empowers attendees to be true arts patrons.
“All of the money from the festival stays in the economy,” says Hansen. “If the festival makes money, it goes back to supporting the arts.”
The festival is part of Hansen’s push to elevate the role that the arts play in the region’s wellbeing. “We punch high above our weight compared to other cities,” he says, “and we haven’t maximized our potential.” Hansen says the table is set for St. Louis to be its own center of excellence for music.
“Music and art are not an amenity,” he says. “They are air and water. When you take it away, you start realizing what the meaning of life is all about. To have a rich music scene is to have a rich city; a healthier city; a happier, more connected city that takes pride in its existence. This is not something that is replaceable by something else. It’s the core of our existence.”
