Jazz And Pittsburgh - A Marriage Made in Music Heaven

Jazz came to Pittsburgh on riverboats. And it didn't come quietly....
It came by way of pianist Fate Marable, who brought it here on the riverboats from New Orleans, along with the first African American jazz band to travel North. 18 year-old Louie Armstrong was a member of Marable's band.

The Hill District was nicknamed "Little Harlem" because of it's growing wealth of jazz artists and venues that reminded one of the Harlem jazz mecca in NYC, and it was home to many great jazz vocalists. Just a few of those were Billy Eckstine, Maxine Sullivan and Dakota Staton. The Jazz Age is officially considered by scholars to be 1940-1959. I beg to differ. I see it as happening in NY, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philly from the 20's with the arrival of the riverboats from New Orleans, until the 60's. But I'm no historian.

Many jazz greats were born and raised in Pittsburgh. Lena Horne lived in Pittsburgh, from 1937-1940. It's said that Lena was a vocalist "from" Pittsburgh, but in reality, she only lived here for a few years in adulthood. Pittsburgh claimed and adopted her as home-grown, nonetheless. As a fan of Jazz and the Jazz Age myself, I researched my way into who the Pittsburgh greats were. I heard a lot about the jazz scene and experienced it here, mostly in small venues, but I didn't really know about Pittsburgh's and The Hill District's important place in jazz history, and in its popularity. The list of talents, past and present, is huge.

I read a rumor that James St. Gastro Pub may return. That's exciting.... I heard that someone invested millions to re-incarnate it. I wish the new owner great success, and I look forward to its reincarnation.

Pittsburgh's Contribution To Jazz History

Pittsburgh's diversity has a lot to do with the legendery reputation of it's Jazz Age. The Lower Hill, which was initially inhabited by freed slaves, was originally called  "Haiti". Before the Civil War, the Hill was a center of the underground railroad and the abolitionist movement. The Hill District was an ethnic melting pot, and at times, was blessed with about 25 nationalities, according to the census. Immigrant children attended integrated schools. Jewish, Italian, Greek, and African American merchants served the neighborhood. The historic ethnic churches, business, and entertainment venues provided the Hill's citizens with a very vibrant social and spiritual life.

First associated with African-American musicians and culture, jazz in the 1920s quickly became the music of a generation. Like the decade itself, jazz was fast, loud, uninhibited, joyous and highly controversial. Jazz's appeal to American youths of all races helped break down the hard lines of racial segregation. In the 1920's, no music was more exciting, or more threatening, than jazz. In the 1920's, white Americans fell in love with African-American music and dance.

Concerned parents, black and white, were quick to express their disapproval of the raucous, high-energy, and often erotic music that drew their children to nightclubs and dance halls. Pittsburgh had a strong black middle class that encouraged the arts, especially music. But not all of the Black middle class supported it - those associated jazz with sin and crime. Jazz also drew patrons to illegal speakeasies. Religious folk called it the "devil's music." But many of the youths trained in Pittsburgh's black churches and music schools saw the great artistry possible in this emerging art form, and the possibilities for work. Now appreciated as one of the great musical art forms of the twentieth century, jazz is taught in Pittsburgh's music schools and universities.

By the 1930's, local musicians had developed a Pittsburgh sound that combined a strong, urban swing feeling, that they merged with a deep blues, carried north by the black men and women drawn to Pittsburgh during the Great Migration. The sound was also defined by very strong drumming.

Excerpt from a Fodor's Travel  Guide write-up by  Yvonne McBride, May 10, 2022
"As the thoroughfare city for bands traveling from New York to Chicago and Kansas City, Pittsburgh earned a reputation as one of the hottest cities on the jazz circuit. Much like the Tango Belt of New Orleans, and 52nd Street of Manhattan, Pittsburgh’s Hill District brimmed with its own strip of nightclubs, speakeasies, and hopping spots like The Musician Club, The Loendi Club, and the Crawford Grill. This cultural cradle was so beloved for its nightlife and atmosphere charged with jazz, that poet Claude McKay christened the intersection of Wylie Avenue and Fullerton Street as "The Crossroads of the World."

Jazz On The Hill

Jazz began in the Hill District in the early 1920's, and continued through the 1960's, when urban renewal all but destroyed it.  Jazz evolved in Hill District's many nightclubs,  ballrooms, theaters and the Musicians Club. The jazz clubs located along Wylie Avenue, Fullerton Street, Centre Avenue and Crawford Street were the heart of the neighborhood’s entertainment district. From the 1920's to the mid 1960's the Hill District was the center of a thriving and growing  jazz and big band scene with nightclubs, ballrooms, and concert theaters.  It was a stop on the tours of the big bands and small jazz combos. Duke Ellington would arrive in Pittsburgh in his own Pullman cars, spending the night at the Pennsylvania Station, unlike most black entertainers, who were restricted to staying overnight in the Hill District.

Small jazz combos performed at the Harlem Casino, the Crawford Grill No. 1, Stanley's, the Melody Bar, the Ritz Club, the Washington Club, the Loendi Club,  the Webster Grill, Kelly's Bar, Derby Dan's, Bobby Hinton's, the Blue Note, Teddy Horne's’ club, the American Legion's Carney Post, and the Iron City Elks Club. On the Upper Hill, jazz was featured at the Crawford Grill no. 2, the Hurricane Club, the Flamingo Hotel, Mutt’s Hut, Mason’s, the Ellis Hotel, the Perry Hotel, and the Little Paris Club. Jazz was performed into the early morning hours at the after-hours clubs, the Musicians Club, Berryman and West, and the Bambola Social Club. It was reported that one night at the Washington Club, pianists Art Tatum, Nat Cole and Erroll Garner battled each other for hours during an impromptu jam session.

The Hurricane Club, located on Center Avenue, opened in October 1953, and was one of the most popular small jazz clubs in the world. Working class jazz fans, and celebrities mingled and packed the club.  Wes Montgomery, Roland Kirk, Kenny Burrell, Roy Eldridge, Sonny Stitt, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Wild Bill Doggett, Jimmy Smith and many other jazz greats played the stage of the Hurricane. Birdie Dunlap, owner of the club, was a jazz maven, who graciously welcomed a socially-diverse mix of jazz fans to her club, and introduced her patrons to new artists.

The Savoy Ballroom was an important music venue for African Americans during the 1930's. It opened in 1933, and it hosted the major swing bands of the era. The Savoy Ballroom was an important center for music and social life in the Hill. Young Pittsburgh musicians learned by watching and sitting in with the big bands. They gained experience and earned an income, playing in the pit bands of the Elmore Theatre and with the dance bands of the Savoy Ballroom.

The "Union" - The importance of The Black Musicians Club Local 471 in the local jazz culture

One of the most popular spots for musicians, both black and white, was the Black Musicians Club, Local 471.
The Black Musician’s Union was a group of Black jazz performers who worked Pittsburgh’s clubs, but they dissolved in the 1960s.
It was said that if a performer wanted to play jazz in Pittsburgh, they needed to belong to the black local musician's union. 
The union enforced the rule that the musicians got paid the going rate. but of greater importance was the camaraderie of the musicians.

The heart of black jazz in Pittsburgh was in that club, and there, all the greats. would come. Dr. Nelson Harrison of The Pittsburgh Jazz Network speaks about seeing Frank Sinatra walk into the club with Ella Fitzgerald, they'd sit in with other great players, and it would go on until four or five in the morning.

Decline and Demolition of the Hill and Much Of Pittsburgh's Jazz Culture

The ultimate destruction of the Jazz age in Pittsburgh can arguably be blamed on politics, and feverish urban renewal attempts at the time gone wrong. The Hill was a depressed area, and it did need major restructring. But the vibrant jazz culture of the Hills was destroyed by the politics and machinery of a failed urban renewal, rather than being helped, and the dozing of hundreds of buildings for a failed arena and labeling of The Hill as an example of urban blight led only to further decay, hundreds of residents being displaced, and it further gained a reputation that kept newcomers away. No rebuilding, renewal or gentrification of the Hill happened, and the evidence of that failure is still evident to this day. Among the buildings and venues destroyed were dozens of small jazz clubs and the Musicians Club, where young Pittsburgh music artists learned, earned and grew, while traveling the road to international fame.

At the height of popularity of Jazz on the Hill, touring national jazz artists played week-long engagements in Pittsburgh. During their stays in town, the national artists jammed with Pittsburgh jazz musicians on The Hill, at the Musicians Club and after-hours clubs. Presenting their talents in the jam sessions, many of Pittsburgh's locally-known, and up-and-coming jazz greats, were hired by national touring artists. Clearing the Hill of its jazz clubs destroyed the opportunity for Pittsburgh musicians to interact with national artists. Established national acts performed their one-night stands at the Civic arena, and then quickly left town. They no longer interacted or jammed with Pittsburgh's musicians. 

There Was Also A Jazz Scene In Shadyside.....

Jazz was popular in Shadyside for a time in the 60's. Not of the legendary scope, atmosphere or scale of jazz on The Hill, but definitely worth mentioning, because of the legends who performed in a particular club. Presently, Con Alma is a great club to get a jazz fix in Shadyside, and it's a popular jazz venue. But the first live music venue to open in Shadyside was the Encore jazz club. 

A man by the name of Wil Shiner opened the Encore jazz club on Walnut Street in Shadyside, in 1959.  The Encore served cocktails, steak, and live jazz. Mr. Shiner booked legendary jazz stars Sonny Stitt, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Mingus, Charlie Byrd, Ella Fitzgerald, Ahmad Jamal, Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Roy Eldridge, Stanley Turrentine, Art Blakey, Slide Hampton, J.J. Johnson, Jonah Jones, Yank Larsen, Morganna King and many other jazz greats. Mr. Shiner opened Encore II on Liberty Ave., downtown Pittsburgh, in the 70's. Trombonist Randy Purcell and his band, the Pittsburgh Rhythm Machine, became the regularly-featured act at the Encore. Mr. Shiner closed the Encore in 1982 after a 23-year run.

Getting Your Jazz On

You can still experience great live jazz in the city's music venues, clubs and pubs, including  the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild's MCG Jazz Series on the North Side, Con Alma, and the annual International Jazz Festival takes place in Pittsburgh. There are a lot of hidden-away gems that host jazz bands occasionally. I haven't been to all that's available - I desire a speakeasy atmosphere, a comfortable and friendly space. Low lit, and where food and drinks are reasonably priced for a retiree or senior can afford. Because for me, they go with the jazz. You can visit small bars and clubs that feature a jazz night now and then, or a concert event at one of our large concert halls. Of course, you'll want to attend the annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Jazz festival downtown. Look up jazz offerings in the City Paper for venues and nightly events.

Con Alma -Restaurant and jazz bar in Shadyside
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild  (MCG) - performances, produces live recordings, and provides educational programs to promote Pittsburgh jazz. They are home to Stanley Turrentine’s archive and the MCG Jazz Pittsburgh Jazz Legends program that pays tribute “to the jazz artisans who stayed in Pittsburgh”.
The Pittsburgh Jazz Society - Airs concerts, provides education opportunities, and hosts the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame.
Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival
Radio shows - WESA FM 90.5 - Rhythm Sweet and Hot and Saturday Night Jazz with Bob Studebaker 
WZUM FM - Great shows and their site provides a very helpful calendar of jazz events.
Streaming Jazz - Pittsburgh Jazz Live