audiobook Swingin' on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles by Peter Vacher in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy PeoDad loved this book3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Early Central Avenue comes aliveBy S. IsoardiMany years in the making; painstakingly researched; edited; and annotated; Peter Vacher’s new book offers a fresh; in-depth and revelatory look at the early years of jazz on Central Avenue; the heart of the Los Angeles African American community until the mid-twentieth century. Focused on the pre-World War II years; a period for which documentation is thin; he offers oral histories from sixteen musicians; which cast significant light on this period. Even to fairly knowledgeable jazz enthusiasts; many of these names will be unrecognized. Most were journeymen musicians; at times supporting their music and families with day jobs; more often than not in the U.S. Postal Service. But in the hothouse that was African American musical culture during that earlier era; they roamed throughout Southern California and; in many cases; the United States; performing in myriad venues; usually jumping from band to band as circumstances dictated; and mixing with a wide range of fellow musicians; from the many members of territorial bands to artists at the summit of their artistry; including Lester Young; Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington; and Charlie Parker. Billy Hadnott and Streamline Ewing recall their encounters on the bandstand; while passing through Kansas City in the 1930s; with a teen-age Parker and his impact on them. These testimonies offer detailed and compelling accounts of the struggles and joys of life on the road; and wonderful descriptions of venues and personalities. The portrait of jazz in pre-World War II Los Angeles is among the most compelling we have; from descriptions of music programs and personalities in the schools and community; to the rich variety of venues and bands that performed throughout the community from the end of World War I through the years of the Depression; including pre-Samuel Browne Jefferson High School; taxi dances in downtown Los Angeles (a source of employment for many musicians); myriad clubs up and down Central Avenue; and many more within a few blocks of the “main stem;” and playing on Hollywood sets. There is little socio-political or socio-economic history. Each interviewee remains focused; for the most part; on their lives in music; their challenges and choices; evolution and preferences; the bands and venues in which they performed. At times the welter of names; bands; and venues can be complicating; but there is also something of importance in appreciating this constant movement; the myriad bands and venues; the constant motion of the music and the intermingling; jostling; sorting out of its advocates as they struggled to survive and grow as artists. Of course; Vacher takes each of his interviewees through the length of their lives and careers; and there is much of value in learning how they coped with the bebop years and after. But the achievement of this book rests on these invaluable glimpses into the earlier period; one which is now more present for us thanks to the diligence and tireless effort of Peter Vacher.