Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957
 |
Robert Dietsche
Foreword by Jim Swenson
Afterword by Lynn Darroch
2005. 7 x 10 inches. 288 pages. Illustrations. Discography. Index.
ISBN 0-87071-114-8. Paperback, $24.95.
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A fascinating blend of music, politics, and social history,
Jumptown sheds light on a time and place overlooked by
histories of Portland and jazz. For a golden decade following World War II, a thriving African American neighborhood—that
would soon be bulldozed for urban renewal—spawned a jazz heyday rarely rivaled on the West Coast. Such luminaries as
Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Wardell Gray headlined Portland clubs and traded
chops with the up-and-coming local talent.
The Dude Ranch. Lil’ Sandy’s. McClendon’s Rhythm Room. The Frat Hall. The Chicken Coop. The Uptown Ballroom. Jazz
historian Bob Dietsche leads a guided tour of the main jazz spots—from supper club to dance hall—capturing the emotion,
excitement, and energy of an evening on the town. His book for the first time collects hundreds of pieces of local jazz
history—photographs, personal recollections, reviews, handbills—to create “an anatomy of a jazz village.”
Dietsche’s compendium of stories and moments brings to life the citizens of this jazz village—the musicians and dancers,
the disc jockeys and promoters, the critics and music teachers, the club owners and patrons.
Jumptown celebrates
and preserves this rich cultural past and showcases its continuing influence. In an afterword, Lynn Darroch recaps the
highlights in Portland jazz during the past forty years and shows how “Portland’s twenty-first-century jazz scene
reflects the city’s original golden age, and the spirit of the Avenue remains in the sounds of today.”
"Action central was Williams Avenue, an entertainment strip lined with hot spots where you could find jazz
twenty-four hours a day. . . . You could stand in the middle of the Avenue (where the Blazers play basketball today) and
look up Williams past the chili parlors, past the barbecue joints, the beauty salons, all the way to Broadway, and see
hundreds of people dressed up as if they were going to a fashion show. It could be four in the morning. It didn’t matter;
this was one of those ‘streets that never slept.’
-from Jumptown
About the Author
Robert Dietsche has taught courses in jazz history at Oregon colleges and universities and was the longtime host of
“Jazzville” on Oregon Public Broadcasting radio. He is the founder and former owner of Django Records, Portland’s
legendary used-record store. His writings about jazz have appeared in numerous publications, including
Jazz Journal,
The Oregonian, Willamette Week, Pittsburgh Press, and the Toledo
Blade.
Jim Swenson is an independent film director in Portland.
Lynn Darroch is a Portland writer and editor. His articles about jazz and culture often appear in
The Oregonian.
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