This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

The Black Dolphin is a live-jazz cocktail lounge at 1813 Grand Blvd in the Crossroads Arts District, owned by Kansas City entrepreneur John Scott as a sibling venue to his adjoining Green Lady Lounge. Scott opened it in mid-2017 in the former Tank Room space, converting the rock club into an elegant, music-forward room where Kansas City jazz musicians perform original compositions. Together with the Green Lady and its downstairs Orion Room, the Black Dolphin is part of a connected jazz complex — patrons can carry a single drink tab between the rooms — that anchors Kansas City’s contemporary jazz revival.

Description

The Black Dolphin is a live-jazz cocktail lounge in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, occupying the space adjoining (and connected to) John Scott’s Green Lady Lounge at 1809–1813 Grand Blvd. The room is more elegant and music-focused than a typical bar: exposed brick walls, comfortable black leather sofas, and acoustics built for listening.12 Although the focus is the music, the Black Dolphin offers a full bar and an extensive list of spirits, with classic cocktails the recommended pairing for the room — a slightly more cocktail-forward identity than the Green Lady’s drinks program.1

As at the Green Lady, the house policy is that Black Dolphin and Green Lady musicians perform only their own original Kansas City jazz compositions, performed live by local players in the Kansas City tradition.23 The Black Dolphin functions as part of a connected jazz complex with the Green Lady’s main room and its downstairs Orion Room: patrons can carry a single drink tab between the connected spaces.4 Unlike the Green Lady’s no-cover policy, the Black Dolphin charges a $10 cover (cash or credit at the door); it is 21-and-over with open seating and no reservations.2 The room also hosts ticketed touring-jazz shows and, at launch, became the new home of the 12th Street Jump radio program.4

Ownership and history

The Black Dolphin is owned by John Scott, the Kansas City entrepreneur (and former owner of Scott Fitness) behind the adjoining Green Lady Lounge, which he opened in December 2012.45 By 2017 the Green Lady was busy enough on Friday and Saturday nights that Scott had spent roughly a year looking up and down Grand Blvd for additional space; he found it next door in the Tank Room, a rock-and-roll club operated by Dustin Racen.4 Racen sold the space to Scott in a sale that closed May 1, 2017, and Scott reopened it as the Black Dolphin, targeting a June 1, 2017 debut.4 He gave the room “a decor treatment” for a more elegant, classic aesthetic, opened it Thursdays through Saturdays at the start, and planned to book touring jazz bands with ticketed shows and expand pianist and vocalist programming.4

The Black Dolphin is not a standalone business so much as an extension of the Green Lady jazz operation — the two share ownership, programming philosophy, original-composition policy, and a single drink-tab system across the connected rooms.41 Scott’s broader influence on the local scene grew in the same period: he took over booking and management of the Broadway Jazz Club and later took over operations of the former Uptown Arts Bar, and in December 2017 the jazz blog Plastic Sax named him its “Person of the Year” for elevating Kansas City’s jazz community.6

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Feast Magazine — “In Kansas City, The Black Dolphin Pairs Live Music with Impressive Cocktails” — https://www.feastmagazine.com/bars/news/in-kansas-city-the-black-dolphin-pairs-live-music-with-impressive-cocktails/article_7be420e6-ce0e-11e7-9541-0b023627d57e.html — accessed 2026-05-30. (Opened 2017 in former Tank Room above/adjacent to Green Lady; owner John Scott; exposed brick, black leather sofas, strong acoustics; full bar, classic cocktails; original KC jazz compositions performed by local musicians.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Black Dolphin Lounge — official site — https://blackdolphinlounge.com/ — accessed 2026-05-30. ($10 cover, cash or credit at door; 21 & over; always open seating, no reservations; full live-jazz calendar of KC bands.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Green Lady Lounge — official site — https://greenladylounge.com/ — accessed 2026-05-30. (Green Lady and Black Dolphin musicians perform only original compositions.) ↩

  4. The Pitch — “Tank Room closing, making way for expanded Green Lady Lounge” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/tank-room-closing-making-way-for-expanded-green-lady-lounge/ — accessed 2026-05-30. (Tank Room owner Dustin Racen sold to John Scott; sale closed May 1, 2017; Black Dolphin targeted to open June 1, 2017; extension of Green Lady, shared drink tabs across main floor / Orion Room / Black Dolphin; Thursday–Saturday at launch; ticketed touring jazz; “12th Street Jump” relocating; “decor treatment” for an elegant, classic look; Scott’s quote about looking for additional space.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. KS.City Registry — green-lady-lounge (BAR-026) — sibling venue; John Scott ownership, December 2012 founding, Scott Fitness background, Orion Room, connected-rooms model. ↩

  6. Plastic Sax — “John Scott: The Plastic Sax Person of the Year” (Dec. 2017) — http://plasticsax.blogspot.com/2017/12/john-scott-plastic-sax-person-of-year.html — accessed 2026-05-30. (Scott credited with elevating KC’s jazz community; Broadway Jazz Club and Uptown Arts Bar roles; profitable-jazz-club formula.) ↩

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Crossroads