The Phoenix at Station Casino
Phoenix owner Ron Schoonover didn't like the idea of riverboats coming to the Kansas City area. "There are only so many entertainment dollars to go around," he remembers saying back when he was certain the riverboats would take business away from Kansas City jazz clubs.

As the boats got up and going, however, Schoonover's opinion began to change.

"I came to realize that competition is good," he now says. "It forces everyone else to get better."

Not only was Schoonover inspired to make the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill better, he actually made it bigger when, on January 16, he opened the Phoenix at the Station Casino.

"The idea of opening a second Phoenix at Station Casino was very appealing," says Schoonover, "namely because it was the first casino to come into Kansas City where jazz wasn't going to be an afterthought."

Representatives from the Station Casino did market studies in Kansas City and realized that jazz needed to be a focus of the new Kansas City complex. Schoonover was then contacted in the early planning stages of the casino and the relationship was born.

"What I liked was that they allowed us to create a room designed for jazz," Schoonover says. "We built the Phoenix at the Station with the listeners and the musicians in mind. The result is a beautiful 4000 square foot building with seating for 140 people and enough standing room for 100 more."

Though this new Phoenix is a little slicker than the downtown original, much care has been taken to recapture the magic that makes the 8th and Central location so special. Regulars at the downtown Phoenix will recognize, for example, the neon lights on the back wall that welcome the guests into the bar. Also, as is the case downtown, one wall of the new club is dedicated to a mural celebrating the history of jazz. And photographs of area jazz musicians (by Beverly Rehkop) are prominent.

The focal point of the room, however, is the piano bar itself as it curves around the baby grand and state of the art sound system. An advantage of being able to create the bar from scratch, says Schoonover, was that the piano area could be made big enough to accommodate larger bands than at the downtown location. "We have many more creative options," he says, adding that he intends to book an eclectic mix of talented artists to fill the weekly schedule.

Regulars at the Phoenix at the Station will include pianists Tim Whitmer (Thursday nights), Pete Eye (Saturday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.), and The Scamps (Sunday, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.). Schoonover is also working in conjunction with Donald Cox of the Mutual Musicians Foundation to round out the rest of the seven-day-a-week live music schedule.

"Working with Donald allows us to tap into the Foundation to give the audience a wide range of musical styles," says Schoonover of this partnership.

Schoonover hopes to use both locations to cross-promote each as many of the same musicians will be appearing. However, he is quick to add that he anticipates the Phoenix at the Station will develop its own distinct identity.

"The great thing about the Station is that it's a total entertainment complex. You don't have to go to the Station just to gamble. The casino is unique in the fact that it allows for people to go there to reach a number of different destinations. We just hope that the Phoenix at the Station becomes a destination for a number of people."

Great atmosphere, great food, and Kansas City jazz. The Phoenix at Station Casino is sure to be one of the best bets in town.


-- Bart Swartz



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