An enthusiastic and diverse crowd turned out this weekend for the 17th Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival. Central Avenue around 42nd Street is shut down for the annual music festival that pays tribute to the home of the west coast jazz scene from the 1920’s to 50’s.
Saturday’s performance featured a spirited performance by the Sons of Etta, a tribute performance to the late blues and soul singer Etta James, with Thelma Jones on vocals and James’ son Donto on drums.
 As 9th District Councilwoman Jan Perry, Jimmy Z and members of the SONS OF ETTA band look on, one of the Central Avenue Jazz Festival regular attendees shows off his stuff onstage. |
The annual event has its devoted fans; you can tell by the Jazz Festival t-shirts of years gone by worn by festival-goers and the familiar faces who take to the dance floor in response to the irresistible beat from the soul, blues, Latin jazz and big band sounds coming from the stage.
The two-day free festival is held in front of the historic Dunbar Hotel. African American and jazz royalty made stops at the Dunbar in its heyday, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Langston Hughes. Over the years, the Dunbar fell into decay along with the neighborhood surrounding it.
But now it’s getting a facelift and new life. Redevelopment has started on Dunbar Village, which includes refurbishing the Dunbar Hotel — providing 40 units of affordable senior housing — and the renovation of the existing Sommerville I and II apartments, with 41 units of affordable family housing. All three properties will be connected to create the Dunbar Village, an 83-unit mixed-use, intergenerational community for seniors and families.
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