JAZZ ON THE AVENUE

If there’s one genre of music associated with Indianapolis history, it has to be jazz.

The bulk of Indianapolis’ celebrated jazz legacy emanated from Indiana Avenue. During the era of segregation, Blacks in Indianapolis were forced to live and work within the confines of the neighborhood’s borders.

In the face of this ugly oppression, one of the greatest artistic movements in Indianapolis history was born. The Avenue produced jazz icons like Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson and dozens of other lesser-known musicians who created important work in both the local and national jazz scene.

In many ways, the history of Indianapolis jazz mirrors the history of jazz itself. The early 20th century saw the rise of ragtime and boogie-woogie pianists on Indiana Avenue. Some of the scene’s early stars recorded tunes celebrating the Avenue’s rich culture, like Herve Duerson’s 1929 release Avenue Strut, or Montana Taylor’s Indiana Avenue Stomp, also issued in 1929.

One of the first major jazz stars to emerge from Indianapolis was band leader, composer and vocalist Noble Sissle. After leaving Indianapolis, Sissle’s greatest achievement was co-authoring the 1921 musical Shuffle Along. Featuring an all-Black cast of performers and producers, Shuffle Along helped bring jazz culture to Broadway.

Indianapolis jazz exploded in the mid-1900s. During this time, Indiana Avenue was like a jazz factory, pumping out dozens of important players whose work overlapped with almost every major jazz musician of the 20th century.

During the ’50s and ’60s, Indianapolis jazz players were shaping the sound of both West Coast and East Coast jazz. In California, Naptown musicians like Leroy Vinnegar, Carl Perkins and Benny Barth contributed to key West Coast jazz recordings. While in New York, players like Larry Ridley,

James Spaulding and Virgil Jones performed on many classic recordings for the Blue Note and Prestige labels.

Many music fans have asked why this jazz renaissance formed in Indianapolis. The answer can be found in the Avenue’s unique mix of highquality education and easy commerce. Avenue institutions like Crispus Attucks High School and the McArthur Conservatory of Music produced a generation of skilled jazz musicians and academics. The wide variety of nightclubs that lined the Avenue provided ample opportunities for working musicians and the ability to observe touring jazz groups up close.

The Ferguson brothers were among the Avenue’s most important entrepreneurs. Their Sunset Terrace nightclub regularly featured the most important names in jazz, from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. Friendly competition among Avenue players drove innovation and greatness in the Indianapolis jazz scene.

The legacy of this golden era lives on, thanks in part to the work of the late great Indiana Avenue jazz academic and former Indiana University Professor David Baker (1931-2016). On any given night you can hear former Baker students like Rob Dixon, Joel Tucker, Nick Tucker, Sophie Fought, Charlie Ballantine and Marlin McKay holding down sets at the Chatterbox or Jazz Kitchen. These players help carry Indianapolis jazz forward, adding their own ideas and style to the city’s evolving sound. ■