(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Music Sunday: Exploring the rich history of jazz in San Francisco [1] [] Date: 2023-10-22 ”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new. Though the jazz scene in San Francisco started later than the one in Los Angeles, it not only flourished, but generated some of the most famous recorded live performances in the genre. Prior to World War II, modern jazz in the swing and bebop forms was thriving nearby in the Central Avenue area of Los Angeles, but San Francisco was still largely preoccupied with traditional jazz, often known as Dixieland. During the late 1940s, however, a few brave, new clubs opened up in the Tenderloin and North Beach neighborhoods, offering up the bebop sound to San Franciscans. They took to it voraciously. By the mid-1950s, a plethora of jazz clubs dotted the San Francisco neighborhoods. Drummer Earl Watkins reminisces that "You might have four clubs in a block, one on each side of the street. And then you go around a couple more blocks and then you have another couple of clubs. You had the Club Alabam, which was one of our old established jazz clubs. It later became Club Sullivan. Across the street was the New Orleans Swing Club. They had a line of girls in there. The guys had excellent bands. On Fillmore between Sutter and Post, you had Elsie's Breakfast Club. And then later you had Harold Blackshear's Cafe Society. ... Then across from the Blue Mirror, they had the Ebony Plaza Hotel. In the basement, they had a club. And if you went up Fillmore to Ellis Street, you had the Booker T. Washington Hotel. And on their ground floor, in their lounge, they had entertainment. That' s where Slim Gaillard played when he came here."' Drummer Art Lewis, a.k.a. Sparky, also remembers the local jazz scene back then: "There was the Coffee Gallery which was on Grant Street and one right off Columbus on Green was The Cellar. ... And there was another one called The Rickshaw. And the list continues. … And these clubs all drew musicians, both local and traveling, who ultimately ended up at Jimbo's Bop City after their formal gigs. … During the early 1950s, even the U.S. involvement in the Korean War played a small role in drawing musicians to San Francisco. The Bay Area was home to, or visited by, many a musician in military attire. As often as he could, John Handy returned to San Francisco from his Army base to the south, to play and listen, before shipping off to Korea. Chet Baker was a young, James Dean-like, handsome, white boy, with a hot trumpet and plenty of energy. Legend has it that while stationed as a soldier at Fort Mason, Chet would go AWOL at night, dash into town to play jazz 'til the wee hours, then sneak back into the barracks before reveille. Both John Handy and Chet Baker survived Korea and went on to have successful careers as musicians. I admit that as an East Coaster I knew almost nothing about this history. I was delighted to find this documentary about The Fillmore from KQED, known as “The Harlem of the West,” which premiered on June 1, 2001, was chock full of fascinating information—and not just for jazz lovers: If you know anything about San Francisco's Fillmore District, it's probably because it houses an auditorium of the same name, where the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead helped shape American music in the 1960s. But The Fillmore, a PBS documentary, goes even deeper to tell a dramatic story -- the rise and fall (and rise again?) of San Francisco's premier Black community, as it faced the nationwide juggernaut known as urban renewal. ... In the streets of the Fillmore can be found the stories of the Japanese in San Francisco, from internment to integration; the jazz heyday created by the arrival of thousands of Black workers during World War II; and the dramatic battle to save the neighborhood from the bulldozers of urban renewal, a struggle faced by neighborhoods across the country during the 1950s and 1960s -- and even today. The 90 minute documentary, narrated by actor Ossie Davis, features music from the jazz greats who frequented the neighborhood in its prime: Count Basie, Etta James, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and others. The Fillmore showcases a remarkable group of on-camera storytellers, from mayors and musicians to journalists and community activists, who experienced the Fillmore as both the best and the worst of 20th century city life. ... "Because the neighborhood in its prime was primarily African American and working class, it was often ignored or dropped from mainstream city history and photo records," says Peter L. Stein, the program's producer and writer. "On top of it, the Fillmore was largely bulldozed in the 1960s -- so in many senses we are telling the story of a lost world. But I've come to believe it is one of the great object lessons in American urban life." x Embedded Content This shorter documentary also features the Fillmore District, as well as archival photos and interviews with city officials, contemporary artists, and musicians who talk about what keeps art thriving in the area today: x YouTube Video x Johnny Mathis, Jimbo’s Bop City, late 1950s. This image by Steve Jackson Jr. is from the book “Harlem of the West, The San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era,” 2006 pic.twitter.com/tKhG7SnfX3 — Roger R. Rubin (@RogerRRubin1) October 19, 2022 x left to right: Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Heath, Atlee Chapman, Eric Miller, Roy Porter, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, Hampton Hawes, Howard Jeffries, Joe Stone, Chuck Thompson, Sonny Criss, Jimbo Edwards. Jimbo's Bop City in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of Evelyn Gibson,#jazzphoto pic.twitter.com/3odPYGBV1K — Andrzej Orski (@OrskiAndrzej) December 27, 2022 Carol Chamberland detailed the jazz venue Jimbo's Bop City for Found SF: On the outside at 1690 Post Street, loud signs proclaimed that bebop lived here. At the brightly painted entrance were double doors; one led to the minuscule cafe, the other into Bop City itself. Jimbo sat at the entrance to the back room, collecting one dollar per person, except from musicians. If your attitude wasn't right, you didn't get in, dollar or no. Jimbo ran a tight ship. ... With compassion, dignity and diligence, Jimbo maintained a unique climate within his domain. Black discrimination against white players occasionally became an issue on the bandstand, but Jimbo tolerated no racial discrimination whatsoever in his establishment, a rule that he vigorously enforced in those days, and by which he still abides today. At Jimbo's Bop City, the intense music served as a binding agent, uniting the audience and musicians in a shared passion that transcended ethnic considerations. Vocalist Bobbe Norris recalls her days as a young, attractive, white woman at Bop City. "We really had a good scene. People weren't prejudiced, there wasn't any of that going on. It was just like you were either good or you were bad. And that was how people judged you. I never felt the color thing or any of that. I was just accepted as a singer and a young person who was talented. And that was wonderful." Singer Mary Stallings comments on the jazz they were playing at Bop City, from her black perspective: "It's such a spiritual music, it really binds people together. And for that time, people that had any kind of prejudice or any kind of hang-ups, they don't even feel it. They'll sit next to each other, drink out of the same glass and won't feel a thing. I mean, that's from the heart." Patricia Nacey sums it up nicely: "Jimbo's was more than just a place to gather to hear great sounds. It was like a snapshot of your soul or a snapshot of the soul of the community. I think in the early dawn of the civil rights movement, it was 3:00 AM at Jimbo's." x Charlie Parker unpacking his alto saxophone at Jimbo’s Bop City, early 1950s. Photo by Steve Jackson Jr.#Jazz pic.twitter.com/TV075NYdHb — Salad Jazz (@SaladJazz1) March 5, 2022 Andre Torrez explored the history of the Blackhawk jazz club located in the Tenderloin and open from 1949-1963 for KTVU, as well as a museum exhibit exploring its history. Mongo Santamaria, Count Basie, and Lester Young were just some of the incredible talents that performed there: Many people aren't even aware San Francisco's Blackhawk jazz club existed, but in its time, the Tenderloin dive bar regularly showcased Black musical excellence. It was where the city's native son, Johnny Mathis, was discovered. At the corner of Turk and Hyde streets, what is now a makeshift park in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, is where the likes of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Billie Holiday once graced the nightclub's tiny stage. "It isn’t the music history that gets top billing in the San Francisco story, but maybe should. The Blackhawk enabled that world to break in a more widespread consciousness," Alex Spoto, program director of the Tenderloin Museum says reflecting on the club's historical significance. "The club launched the careers of Johnny Mathis, [Dave] Brubeck in a way, Gerry Mulligan, Cal Tjader all had extensive periods at the beginning of their career where the Blackhawk helped them build up their chops and get some exposure and in some cases, make some records." x YouTube Video This comment about the club struck me: "The Blackhawk was one of the first clubs to introduce Latin jazz to the West Coast," Grier says, referring in part to Tjader and Santamaria, neither of whom is African American. "All the Latin jazz people came through The Blackhawk.” Music historian Geo Thelen wrote for AllAboutJazz about Cal Tjader’s live album at The Blackhawk: The smoky neighborhood nightclub launched the career of Johnny Mathis, helped Dave Brubeck find an audience, and gave numerous national artists such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk a musically intimate space to experiment and record quality live albums. Arguably though, Bay Area vibraphonist Cal Tjader (pronounced Jay-der) was the most synonymous name associated with this historic jazz club. Cal Tjader first came onto the San Francisco jazz scene after returning from U.S. Navy service and meeting future jazz great Dave Brubeck while each was attending San Francisco State (University) in the early 1950s. Over the next decade, the two future Grammy award-winning artists would navigate successful jazz careers as part of a young trio, then as individuals, with the Blackhawk playing a significant role in their development and popularity. Cal Tjader would ultimately record five live albums at the historic venue and was the featured entertainment during the Blackhawks' final two weeks of operation in July 1963. Here’s Tjader: x YouTube Video Tarik, at It’s a Raggy Waltz, writes: From 1956-57, Tjader led one of his best bands, one that was well-versed in both Latin music and modern jazz. On this album, Cal wanted to show that he and his group could swing as well as they could make Latin music. The band certainly had the pedigree. Vince Guaraldi was described by some as the West Coast version of Red Garland, and Vince constantly challenged the stereotype of West Coast musicians not swinging like the cats out of the Eastern United States. The Latin sound many of us have come to know and love from Tjader is on full display in 1957 on “Guajira At The Blackhawk (Live At The Blackhawk, San Francisco, CA)”: x YouTube Video For your listening pleasure here are some more of the magical musical Blackhawk albums, starring Monk, Miles, and Ahmad Jamal: “Thelonious Monk Quartet Plus Two at the Blackhawk” from 1960, the full album: x YouTube Video Here’s the full album from 1961, “Friday Night Miles Davis in Person at the Blackhawk San Francisco:“ x YouTube Video And the full album from 1962, Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk: x YouTube Video I’m going to stop here—but I have lots more to share in the comments section below, so I hope you’ll join me and post some of your favorite San Francisco jazz moments. 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