Indiana Avenue--the world that produced J.J., Wes and Freddie

[ghost of miles]

Something I wrote a few years back for Nuvo, the alt-weekly in Indianapolis, about the mid-20th century Indiana Avenue jazz scene, with photos and links added...Part 1 is now posted on the Night Lights website.

Edited July 23, 2009 by ghost of miles

[JSngry]

:tup :tup :tup :tup :tup

A very nice primer, especially for somebody like me who is totally ignorant of the subject.

Where/when is Part II?

[ghost of miles]

Many thanks, Jim--I'm hoping that it will serve as a sort of online introduction to the subject. Hoping to post Part II sometime this weekend or on Monday... meantime, I've linked to YOU in this post. :rsly:

Edited July 23, 2009 by ghost of miles

[JSngry]

Geez, it's kinda scary to think that anybody thinks that what I have to say in thse off-the-cuff "conversations" has any merit beyond the chit-chat of the original context, but....thanks!

If nothing else, I can tell my bosses at my straight(jacket) job to go home and Google me next time they think they're dealing with some chimp. :g

[ghost of miles]

Man, you're gonna be piling up Technorati "authority" too fast to shake a chimp-chewin' stick at! You and Larry should run a tag-team blog...

Edited September 22, 2007 by ghost of miles

[JSngry]

Technorati "authority"

[ghost of miles]

It's an Internet meter for how many people have linked to your site or blog. A certain Organissimo poster's very interesting blog has already piled up a "14" authority rating (though I suspect he'd be somewhat scornful of the value of such things). Guess it's a "size matter"--just like "Surrey" is a "car song."

Edited September 22, 2007 by ghost of miles

[paul secor]

Since it's on his blog, I guess it's ok to put it on here. Interested parties may want to check out the poetry of Clem's alter ego: http://jargonbooks.com/brian_berger.html

[Hoppy T. Frog]

It's an Internet meter for how many people have linked to your site or blog. A certain Organissimo poster's very interesting blog has already piled up a "14" authority rating (though I suspect he'd be somewhat scornful of the value of such things). Guess it's a "size matter"--just like "Surrey" is a "car song."

Is that Clem? I've never heard anyone, much less him, mention it. Most people on the interweb pimp their blogs without rest. (Present company excepted).

[ghost of miles]

Part Two of this article is now posted.

[sheldonm]

Thanks for posting, David!

[ghost of miles]

My friend and colleague Daniel Robison, a WFIU news staffer, got a piece on All Things Considered's national newscast. It deals with an ongoing archaeological dig in the Indiana Avenue area:

Dig Finds a Thriving Cultural Mecca in Indianapolis

[fasstrack]

Something I wrote a few years back for Nuvo, the alt-weekly in Indianapolis, about the mid-20th century Indiana Avenue jazz scene, with photos and links added...Part 1 is now posted on the Night Lights website.

Nice work, man. Larry Ridley lived in Brooklyn at 400 Cozine Avenue, my friend's building. Was he from Naptown originally?

[sheldonm]

Something I wrote a few years back for Nuvo, the alt-weekly in Indianapolis, about the mid-20th century Indiana Avenue jazz scene, with photos and links added...Part 1 is now posted on the Night Lights website.

Nice work, man. Larry Ridley lived in Brooklyn at 400 Cozine Avenue, my friend's building. Was he from Naptown originally?

...yep. His brother Tom still works as a tour guide at the Walker Theatre at the top of Indiana Avenue.

[david weiss]

I have a tape of The Jazz Contemporaries recorded at the Orchid Room in Indianapolis in 1957.

The group was Freddie Hubbard, James Spaulding, Al Plank, Larry Ridley and Paul Parker.

They sound good. The band is tight and does tunes of the day like Tadd's Delight, Ray's Idea, Au Privave and Stompin' at the Savoy.

Freddie sounds just like Clifford Brown, the articulation is dead on, he's just 19 on this. Spaulding plays Alto and Tenor Sax.

Fun stuff.

[sheldonm]

I'm putting on a panel discussion this coming Sunday at the Jazz Kitchen with several of the legends of Indiana Avenue.....bassist Mingo Jones, Al Coleman (owned a club and was a drummer), trombonist Reggie DuValle (his grandfather let the first band to play at the famed Madame Walker Theatre) and Dr. David Baker. They will discuss the scene in the late 40s, 50, and beyond.

I've invited Ghost to moderate this discussion.

If any of you are in the Indy area this coming Sunday, it discussion starts at 4:30....followed by the Kenny Phelps trio and then Deep Blue Organ Trio....!

m~