CiNii Books - Central Avenue sounds : jazz in Los Angeles

The musical and social history of Los Angeles's black community from the 1920s through the early 1950s is examined in this oral history collection. Through the voices of musicians who performed on L.A.'s Central Avenue during those years, a picture of the Avenue's place in American musical history emerges. By day, Central Avenue was the economic and social centre for black Angelenos. By night, it was a magnet for Southern Californians, black and white, who wanted to hear the very latest in jazz. The oral histories in this book provide firsthand reminiscences by and about some of the great jazz legends: Art Farmer recalls the first time Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie played bebop on the West Coast; Britt Woodman tells of a teenaged Charles Mingus switching from cello to bass; and Clora Bryant recalls hard times on the road with Billie Holiday. Here too are recollections of Hollywood's effects on local culture, the precedent-setting merger of the black and white musicians' unions, and the repercussions from the racism in the Los Angeles Police Department in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Volume: : pbk. ISBN 9780520220980

Description

The musical and social history of Los Angeles's black community from the 1920s through the early 1950s comes to life in this exceptional oral history collection. Through the voices of musicians who performed on L.A.'s Central Avenue during those years, a vivid picture of the Avenue's place in American musical history emerges. By day, Central Avenue was the economic and social center for black Angelenos. By night, it was a magnet for Southern Californians, black and white, who wanted to hear the very latest in jazz. The oral histories in this book provide firsthand reminiscences by and about some of our great jazz legends: Art Farmer recalls the first time Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie played bebop on the West Coast; Britt Woodman tells of a teenaged Charles Mingus switching from cello to bass; Clora Bryant recalls hard times on the road with Billie Holiday. Here, too, are recollections of Hollywood's effects on local culture, the precedent-setting merger of the black and white musicians' unions, and the repercussions from the racism in the Los Angeles Police Department in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Central Avenue Sounds fills a major gap in California's cultural history, and it shows the influence of a community whose role became as significant in the jazz world as that of Harlem and New Orleans. The voices in this book also testify to the power and satisfaction that can come from making music.

Table of Contents

Photographs Acknowledgments Foreword by Steven Isoardi Maps of Central Avenue area Introduction: The Formation of Los Angeles's Black Community Part One: The Emergence of Central Avenue Marshal Royal Lee Young Fletcher Smith Part Two: The Watts Scene Coney Woodman William "Brother" Woodman, Jr. Britt Woodman Buddy Collette David Bryant Cecil "Big Jay" McNeely Part Three: The Eastside at High Tide Jack Kelson William Douglass Melba Liston Art Farmer Horace Tapscott Part Four: Drawn by Central's Magic- New Faces Gerald Wiggins Gerald Wilson Clora Bryant William Green Marl Young Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Central Avenue sounds : jazz in Los Angeles

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Available at 3 libraries

Search this Book/Journal

Note

Description and Table of Contents

Details

Export