Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957

by Robert Dietsche

A fascinating blend of music, politics, and social history, Jumptown sheds light on a time and place overlooked by histories of Portland and jazz. For a golden decade following World War II, jazz talent and musical activity flourished in Portland. A thriving African American neighborhood--that would soon be bulldozed for urban renewal--spawned a jazz heyday rarely rivaled on the West Coast. Such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Wardell Gray headlined Portland clubs and traded chops with the up-and-coming local talent. The Dude Ranch. Lil' Sandy's McClendon's Rhythm Room. The Frat Hall. The Chicken Coop. The Uptown Ballroom. Jazz historian Bob Dietsche leads a guided tour of the main jazz spots--from supper club to dance hall--capturing the emotion, excitement, and energy of an evening on the town. His book for the first time collects hundreds of pieces of local jazz history--photographs, personal recollections, reviews, maps, handbills--to create "an anatomy of a jazz village." Dietsche's compendium of stories and moments brings to life the citizens of the jazz village--the musicians and dancers, the disc jockeys and promoters, the critics and music teachers, the club owners and patrons. Jumptown celebrates and preserves this rich cultural past and showcases its continuing influence. In an afterword, Lynn Darroch recaps the highlights in Portland jazz since 1968 and shows how "Portland's twenty-first-century jazz scene reflects the city's original golden age, and the spirit of the Avenue remains in the sounds of today."

Genres: Music, History

229 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Zeb Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting read and useful if you're looking for an overview of Jazz in Portland. However, it doesn't tackle one of the most interesting questions posed by the research, which is why the land around the clubs was eventually bulldozed for the freeway and the Rose Quarter.

[Carye Bye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book we chose for Hidden Portland book club in prep for a walking tour of the Albina area. This book is a great resource at catalog of pictures and first hand stories of Portland when Williams avenue was lined with jazz clubs. The book is laid out place by place, with stories and people of each location and lots of photographs. It was a perfect layout for me because place and what happened in specific locations is of interest to me. Some of the stories were just great and interesting. I don't usually read this kind of book so it was a fun departure and helped me fill in a picture of history I knew very little about.

[Jackalacka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved learning about the history of jazz in Portland and how key this city was in the 40's/50's. Too bad most of has been torn down and sports facilities built on that land.