S.D.’s Reviews > Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz > Status Update

This book includes more than jazz; it details blues and R&B artists as well. I was fascinated by Curtis Counce’s “Exploring the Future” album cover and even more curious about the sound. A timeline or discography in the back of the book would’ve been a great addition because these pages contain so many artists and their songs.

I had no idea Alvin Ailey grew up on Central Avenue and attended Jefferson High. Such cool history contained in these pages!

Chapter 2 gives a brief history of the Dunbar Hotel and some of the famous artists who visited, like Billie Holiday. The pictures of the lobby and mezzanine are fabulous and the image of the Green Book page with Los Angeles’ listing adds to the rich history. I wish there were a bit more about the name, since it was changed from the Somerville to the Dunbar Hotel, named after Paul Lawerence Dunbar.

Chapter 1 covers some of the songs made on Central Avenue and covers three main musicians (Kid Ory, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong) who graced the landmarks of South L.A. I wish there was more info on the Spike Brothers’ music store. This chapter drops other important names like Duke Ellington, who visited L.A. to record in Hollywood and often played at the Lincoln Theater, the focus of the next chapter.

The introduction gives a brief but interesting history of Central Avenue’s timeline, the period of its rise and fall. I found the historical context fascinating and wish there had been footnotes or a reference to materials researched for this portion of the book, but I may be expecting something out of this book’s purpose, which dives straight into the artists who helped make this small part of L.A. famous.