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Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles
Oral History Association Book Award 1999
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.
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.
- GenresMusicHistoryNonfiction
472 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 19, 2020
Central Avenue in LA was LA’s answer to New York’s Harlem, peaking in the 30s and early to mid 40s. The focus of this book is the music scene in this Mecca that drew every type of black music from Dixieland to swing to blues and bebop.
The book is structured around interviews with many of the LA musicians who came of age during this time. A treasure trove of history as many of them would already have passed on by the time the collection here was published.
The only downside is that there is a certain amount of repetition that comes from many of the interviewees telling the same stories. For instance all seem to be asked about the integration of the white and colored musicians unions and many have the same opinion of what happened there.
Some have more interesting stories than others. I was especially hooked by the remembrances of people like Horace Tapscott and Melba Liston who relate stories about growing up black or as a woman out in the jazz world. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in jazz or LA history.
The book is structured around interviews with many of the LA musicians who came of age during this time. A treasure trove of history as many of them would already have passed on by the time the collection here was published.
The only downside is that there is a certain amount of repetition that comes from many of the interviewees telling the same stories. For instance all seem to be asked about the integration of the white and colored musicians unions and many have the same opinion of what happened there.
Some have more interesting stories than others. I was especially hooked by the remembrances of people like Horace Tapscott and Melba Liston who relate stories about growing up black or as a woman out in the jazz world. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in jazz or LA history.
March 10, 2023
I decided to read "Central Avenue Sounds" after reading Mike Davis and Jon Wiener’s "Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties" and Steven Isoardi’s book about Horace Tapscott, "The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles," because while these two books offer fascinating glimpses of the jazz scene in South Central Los Angeles, "Central Avenue Sounds" develops a longer and fuller view that confirms the patterns of a cultural rise and fall sketched out in the other books.
Although I’ve liked jazz for a very long time, went to grad school in Southern California through the 1980s, and discovered Horace Tapscott while I was there, I had no idea about this amazing and unfortunate history. The introduction of "Central Avenue Sounds" makes a similar claim. Doing the preparatory work for the books, the editors–Clora Bryant et. al.--could find little documentation of the music scene that thrived along Central Avenue: no archives and few articles published in the mainstream Los Angeles newspapers. Fortunately, the local African American newspapers did cover the Central Avenue scene.
The book is an oral history project, a collection of interviews of jazz musicians and composers who were still alive at the end of the 1990s. These musicians were born mostly in the 1920s, a few in the 1910s and 1930s. Some of the interviews are quite lengthy; the interviewers seem to simply give these folks the space to tell their stories, with only a little prompting. In general, the interviews include the interviewees background and origins, their arrival in Los Angeles, their memories of and involvement in the musical and cultural life of Central Avenue before WWII, the war years, and the years after WWII. In general, the interviewees discuss the rise, peak, and decline of Central Avenue as a national hotspot for 20th C jazz and their place in that historical trajectory.
A few more general themes. Most of the interviewees moved to Los Angeles individually or with their families from the south or midwest looking for economic opportunity and prosperity. They had an understanding that Los Angeles was wide open and did not suffer from the constricting racial prejudices of their home cities, states, and regions. Initially, their experience of Los Angeles seemed to synch with what they had heard. For instance, those who attended school in Los Angeles experienced schools with black, white, asian, and chicano students. Unfortunately, as the African-American population increased, real estate covenants limited the places where they could live–South Central, Watts–and segregation became a reality. On the other hand, this limited geographical space created a cultural hotbed and magnet for jazz. In terms of education, the local high schools had amazing music programs and teachers who turned out lots of accomplished jazz musicians, some of whom became nationally and internationally famous: e.g., Buddy Collette, Charles Mingus, Don Cherry, Eric Dolphy, Horace Tapscott. Moreover, after WWII, many of the musicians who served in the war took advantage of the GI Bill to attend music conservatories. Central Avenue also attracted nationally known musicians to come and stay and play and share their expertise: e.g., Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ornette Coleman. With the confluence of local and national talent, the number of clubs exploded, and people came from all over Southern California to hear the music. In essence, Central Avenue became like Harlem. Central Avenue was prosperous, as was the African American community, which was employed by industry (war and otherwise). After WWII, all that success, and all the race mixing in the clubs, was seen as a threat by the white powerstructure in the city, and action was taken to undermine the cultural and economic successes of that community. The extensive Los Angeles streetcar system was pulled up, making it difficult for African-American to travel beyond their neighborhoods. Schools were defunded. Industrial jobs dried up, were moved further away, or required specialized–that is, college-level–training that was inaccessible to students educated in underperforming, defunded schools. On top of the systemic impoverishment, the police began to act aggressively and threaten everyone, including white club goers. As a result, for the jazz scene audiences dwindled, clubs closed, and Central Avenue no longer provided the musical, cultural, and economic opportunities that it once had. The scene died. The scene was killed. Some, like Horace Tapscott, were able to keep a local scene alive, even in the wake of the Watts riots/rebellions, and it was amazing that Tapscott and others could do that, but my sense after reading Central Avenue Sounds is that what they created, although really important, didn’t hold a candle to the Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
It was wonderful to read about this cultural ferment and how it came about. It’s sad to read about its end, a very purposeful, systemic and systematic snuffing out.
Although I’ve liked jazz for a very long time, went to grad school in Southern California through the 1980s, and discovered Horace Tapscott while I was there, I had no idea about this amazing and unfortunate history. The introduction of "Central Avenue Sounds" makes a similar claim. Doing the preparatory work for the books, the editors–Clora Bryant et. al.--could find little documentation of the music scene that thrived along Central Avenue: no archives and few articles published in the mainstream Los Angeles newspapers. Fortunately, the local African American newspapers did cover the Central Avenue scene.
The book is an oral history project, a collection of interviews of jazz musicians and composers who were still alive at the end of the 1990s. These musicians were born mostly in the 1920s, a few in the 1910s and 1930s. Some of the interviews are quite lengthy; the interviewers seem to simply give these folks the space to tell their stories, with only a little prompting. In general, the interviews include the interviewees background and origins, their arrival in Los Angeles, their memories of and involvement in the musical and cultural life of Central Avenue before WWII, the war years, and the years after WWII. In general, the interviewees discuss the rise, peak, and decline of Central Avenue as a national hotspot for 20th C jazz and their place in that historical trajectory.
A few more general themes. Most of the interviewees moved to Los Angeles individually or with their families from the south or midwest looking for economic opportunity and prosperity. They had an understanding that Los Angeles was wide open and did not suffer from the constricting racial prejudices of their home cities, states, and regions. Initially, their experience of Los Angeles seemed to synch with what they had heard. For instance, those who attended school in Los Angeles experienced schools with black, white, asian, and chicano students. Unfortunately, as the African-American population increased, real estate covenants limited the places where they could live–South Central, Watts–and segregation became a reality. On the other hand, this limited geographical space created a cultural hotbed and magnet for jazz. In terms of education, the local high schools had amazing music programs and teachers who turned out lots of accomplished jazz musicians, some of whom became nationally and internationally famous: e.g., Buddy Collette, Charles Mingus, Don Cherry, Eric Dolphy, Horace Tapscott. Moreover, after WWII, many of the musicians who served in the war took advantage of the GI Bill to attend music conservatories. Central Avenue also attracted nationally known musicians to come and stay and play and share their expertise: e.g., Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ornette Coleman. With the confluence of local and national talent, the number of clubs exploded, and people came from all over Southern California to hear the music. In essence, Central Avenue became like Harlem. Central Avenue was prosperous, as was the African American community, which was employed by industry (war and otherwise). After WWII, all that success, and all the race mixing in the clubs, was seen as a threat by the white powerstructure in the city, and action was taken to undermine the cultural and economic successes of that community. The extensive Los Angeles streetcar system was pulled up, making it difficult for African-American to travel beyond their neighborhoods. Schools were defunded. Industrial jobs dried up, were moved further away, or required specialized–that is, college-level–training that was inaccessible to students educated in underperforming, defunded schools. On top of the systemic impoverishment, the police began to act aggressively and threaten everyone, including white club goers. As a result, for the jazz scene audiences dwindled, clubs closed, and Central Avenue no longer provided the musical, cultural, and economic opportunities that it once had. The scene died. The scene was killed. Some, like Horace Tapscott, were able to keep a local scene alive, even in the wake of the Watts riots/rebellions, and it was amazing that Tapscott and others could do that, but my sense after reading Central Avenue Sounds is that what they created, although really important, didn’t hold a candle to the Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
It was wonderful to read about this cultural ferment and how it came about. It’s sad to read about its end, a very purposeful, systemic and systematic snuffing out.
July 4, 2022
This is a history of LA and a history of music in one. As an oral historian, I would have utilized the oral histories here differently; they are lengthy. If one is not a true music expert/aficionado, the numerous names and musical references can get a bit murky. But certainly one gets a good sense of what this area of LA once was, and why perhaps it's not that anymore.
September 22, 2025
An excellent oral history of the Central Avenue music scene in Los Angeles. One of the parts that really caught my interest was the trumpet player Clora Bryant talking about backing up Billie Holiday in a band with Wardell Gray and Frank Morgan! Damn! If there are any recordings of that, I would love to hear them...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews