by Katya Deahl of The Daily Campus
DEEP ELLUM — In the 1920s and 1930s, Dallas was a hotspot for blues and jazz artists, following cities like Memphis and Detroit.
Dallas was host to legendary artists such as Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Red Garland, Lightning Hopkins, Alex Moore and many others, who dominated Deep Ellum's street corners and jazz clubs.
But the jazz scene in general declined in the 1940s and 1950s, when buildings were torn down to build I-75 freeway and divided Deep Ellum from downtown, said Marty Monroe, the owner of Adair's Saloon, a live-music venue on Commerce Street.
Today, however, Deep Ellum, a former warehouse district east of downtown, has again become a headquarters for jazz in Dallas. The neighborhood continues to keep its energy alive and attracts people who are eager to experience and learn about the deep musical roots found in South Dallas.
“Jazz in DFW is on an upswing. Newly opened smallish venues are catering to a diverse and fractured market with all kinds of music available,” said Kim Corbet, an instructor of Jazz/Rock History at SMU, and a jazz musician.
In general, jazz’s popularity comes and goes in waves. Various club owners will feature it for however long their regulars support it. Then it will subside for a few years and come back later. That's been the pattern, said Corbet.
Read more: http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2012/nov/30/deep-ellum-witnessing-revitalization-jazz-music/?refscroll=0
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