By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
November 27, 2013

When most people think of Kansas City, they think of jazz, but Kansas City’s musical history goes far beyond one genre.

“Yes, we have a great jazz heritage, but musically, Kansas City is broader than that,” said Denise Morrison, Kansas City Museum interim house director.

On 24th Street one could find a rich Hispanic music and club scene during the mid-20th Century, where bands like Los Pecadores, Bea Vera and La Familia Perez would play. One of the most sought after bands in Kansas City and the region included the Lupe M. Gonzalez Dance Orchestra. The orchestra played at Quinceañeras, concerts, baptismal parties and a myriad of other events.

Gene Chavez, Ed. D., described their music as big band style with a Latin twist.

“It was a very much in demand orchestra during that time period of the 1940s to 1970s,” said Chavez, the curator of the exhibit. “He (Gonzalez) demanded his players to read music; he practiced regularly and made sure they all knew the Mexican standards as well as the standards of the day, swing music and show tunes.”

Kansas City Museum’s latest exhibit “Music is My First Love: The Lupe M. Gonzalez Orchestra” will give museum goers a taste of the band and the life of Gonzalez. The bi-lingual exhibit features recordings of the orchestra, Gonzalezes’ musical notes, photographs, interviews, sheet music, instruments and more.

“I think people will get a sense of who Lupe was but also a sense of the community and the family,” Morrison said. “His family basically turned over his archives to us for the duration of the exhibit. Because we had all access, we were able to pick and choose some really great images that are very personal to the family, but will just resonate with people. They didn’t restrict us to what we wanted to tell, so visually it’s really stunning.”

The exhibit was born out of a committee created by former Kansas City Museum Historic House Director Christopher Leitch that strived to connect to other geograhic areas and ethnic groups of Kansas City. The Kansas City Museum wants to tell the history of all of Kansas City and is working to rectify weaknesses in its collection, Morrison said.

“These initiatives help you get to know new friends and start reaching those people who have great stories to tell and potentially great artifacts. Your museum can only be as good as your collection.”

Chavez, who’s also a member of the Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and La Raza, conducted a series of interviews in 2004 and 2005 with first generation Mexican Americans in the Kansas City area and Gonzalez was one of them. Gonzalez got his start in his father’s band, “Gay Rancheros” and specialized in playing the saxophone. He could also play the bass, guitar and sing. During the 1970s, he set aside his aspirations as a musician in order to spend more time with his five children.

“His kids were young and he basically walked away from the band because he felt like he needed to be a dad, which is just really special that he would walk away from that,” Chavez said. “He wasn’t the type of person that could just sit at home and watch the kids, so the last part of the exhibit really talks about his community involvement and the work he did.”

Gonzalez ran for city council, joined the Knights of Columbus, fought against discrimination and began writing articles for the Kansas City Kansan. He also passed on the love of music to his five children, who each play a musical instrument.

“I knew Lupe personally and he was a great guy, a pleasure to be around,” Chavez said.

“You just don’t see that many people who put that much effort into community and service,” Morrison said. “It’s kind of incredible. I really admire him for that.”

Lupe died at the age of 73 in 2008, leaving behind his wife of 53 years and children.

For his wife, Irene Gonzalez, the exhibit is powerful. She’s already visited the exhibit six times with various family members and friends.

“Every time I come it’s just overwhelming because I never thought in my life this was going to happen. This is a wonderful thing for our family and children,” Irene Gonzalez said. “They really did a magnificent job of displaying all the history, starting with his job. We’re very honored this is happening.”