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Jazz
Philly is a haven for quality jazz artists and venues
The story of jazz in Philadelphia is one of ethnic diversity. In the 1920s and 1930s, immigrants from Italy, Sicily and Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe lived a not-so-peaceful coexistence in North, South and West Philadelphia with African Americans who came primarily from the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. One thing these groups found in common, however, was jazz. Two of the earliest pioneers of the music were Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, Italian Americans from South Philly.
It was Venuti whom some have given credit for creating the jazz violin (a tradition later continued powerfully by Philadelphians Noel Pointer and John Blake), and Lang was one of the most celebrated guitar pioneers of the early years of jazz, backing luminaries such as Bix Beiderbecke and even appearing with Bing Crosby in his films.
From the late 40s through the 50s and early 60s, the next generations were more diverse, with African Americans taking a prominent role. Black musicians were at the forefront of the bebop movement, and luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, born in South Carolina and raised in Philadelphia, as well as Philly Joe Jones, the Heath brothers from South Philadelphia (Percy, Albert and Jimmy) continued the bop and post-bop tradition. Some of the greatest jazz musicians of the avant-garde ‘60s came from Philadelphia, and many of them continue to work today. The great bandleader and keyboardist Sun Ra, an innovator in instrumentation, arrangement and performance style, set up shop in Germantown and brought a uniquely intergalactic perspective to jazz.
As the 70s dawned, Philadelphia was, again, at the center of jazz’s cutting edge. This time, it was saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., bassist Stanley Clarke, violinist John Blake, percussionist “Doc” Gibbs, organist Shirley Scott and others who mixed jazz with rock and funk to create a new fusion.
Today, Philadelphia continues to maintain a strong jazz community, and a multitude of opportunities still exist for jazz fans in the city and nearby. The venerable and classy Zanzibar Blue, owned by second-generation jazz club entrepreneurs Robert and Benjamin Bynum, presents high-level acts most weekends. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the city’s gleaming new venue on South Broad Street, also brings in quality jazz acts on a regular basis. The Painted Bride Art Center in Old City is home to an eclectic, mostly avant-garde array of performers, and the venerable old Clef Club is home to some of Philadelphia’s legends. The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents jazz acts on a weekly basis. You can find monthly Sunday evening Jazz Vespers at Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society brings jazz to the Convention Center several times a year.
As for the club scene, the best local and national performers also grace Chris’ Café on Samson Street, Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus in Northern Liberties -- site of the best jam sessions in the city -- and North by Northwest, the newest jazz venue in the city, on Germantown Ave.
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