Cavalcade of Jazz

Last updated

The Cavalcade of Jazz events were large outdoor jazz festivals held annually between 1945 and 1958 in Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, U. S... They were the first such large-scale events and were produced by an African American, Leon Hefflin, Sr.

Hefflin was an entrepreneur who had started promoting dances and concerts for Black residents of Los Angeles in the 1930s. The first Cavalcade of Jazz was held on September 23, 1945, and starred Count Basie, The Honey Drippers, Valaida Snow, Joe Turner, The Peters Sisters, Slim and Bam and other artists. [1] Attendance was some 15,000. [2]

Subsequent festivals were widely promoted across the city, with Hefflin's aim being to "cement" race relations. The Los Angeles Sentinel reported: "The Cavalcade of Jazz is a tremendous talent showcase. It is eagerly looked forward to by countless entertainment goers of all ages, colors and creeds." [2] A wide range of musicians were involved, including Lionel Hampton (on multiple occasions), Louis Jordan, and Josephine Baker. [2] The Cavalcade of Jazz events were the stepping stone to success for such stars as Toni Harper, Dinah Washington, Roy Milton, Frankie Laine and others. [3] Hefflin also hosted annual beauty contests at the events. [2]

Hefflin's last concert was held at the Shrine Auditorium on August 3, 1958, as part of the Central Ave Jazz Scene. It showcased over 125 artists from 1945 to 1958, [4] including Sam Cooke, Bo Rhambo and Band, Ray Charles, The Cookies, Ernie Freeman and his Band, Little Willie John, The Clark Kids and Sammy Davis Jr. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Hampton</span> American jazz musician, bandleader and actor (1908–2002)

Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Quincy Jones. In 1992, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Willie John</span> American R&B singer (1937–1968)

William Edward "Little Willie" John was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as "All Around the World" (1955), "Need Your Love So Bad" (1956), "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" (1958), "Leave My Kitten Alone" (1960), "Sleep" (1960), and his number-one R&B hit "Fever" (1956). An important figure in R&B music of the 1950s, he faded into obscurity in the 1960s and died while serving a prison sentence for manslaughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinah Washington</span> American singer, songwriter, pianist

Dinah Washington was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barney Bigard</span> American jazz clarinetist

Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Witherspoon</span> American jump blues singer

James Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.

John Vivian McVea was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player and bandleader. He played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall</span> Large event venue in Los Angeles, California

The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1975, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Hunter Dunagan Hancock was an American disc jockey regarded as the first in the Western United States to play rhythm and blues records on the radio, and among the first to broadcast rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Liggins</span> American R&B musician (1916-1987)

Joseph Christopher Liggins, Jr. was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist and vocalist who led Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers in the 1940s and 1950s. His band appeared often on the Billboard magazine charts. The band's biggest hit was "The Honeydripper", released in 1945. Joe Liggins was the older brother of R&B performer Jimmy Liggins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Avenue (Los Angeles)</span> Street in Los Angeles, California, United States

Central Avenue is a major north–south thoroughfare in the central portion of the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. Located just to the west of the Alameda Corridor, it runs south from the eastern end of the Los Angeles Civic Center down to the east side of California State University, Dominguez Hills and terminating at East Del Amo Boulevard in Carson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Milton</span> American singer, drummer and bandleader

Roy Bunny Milton was an American R&B and jump blues singer, drummer and bandleader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernie Freeman</span> Jazz musician and performer

Ernest Aaron Freeman was an American pianist, organist, bandleader, and arranger. He was responsible for arranging many successful rhythm and blues and pop records from the 1950s to the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cookies</span> American R&B group

The Cookies were an American R&B girl group active in two distinct lineups, the first from 1954 to 1958 which later became The Raelettes, and the second from 1961 to 1967. Several of the members of both lineups were members of the same family. Both lineups were most prominent as session singers and backing vocalists.

Richard James "Dick" Hugg was a radio disc jockey in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvell Shaw</span> American jazz musician

Arvell Shaw was an American jazz double-bassist, best known for his work with Louis Armstrong.

Ewell Goldyn Rhambo, known as Bo Rhambo, was an American trumpeter and tenor saxophonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kelley (photographer)</span>

Tom Kelley Sr. was an American photographer who photographed Hollywood celebrities in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best known for his iconic 1949 nude photographs of Marilyn Monroe, which were distributed widely as calendar art—one of which was featured in the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine in 1953. He paid Marilyn Monroe only $50 dollars for the shoot.

George Dewey Washington (1898–1954) was an American singer active in vaudeville and motion pictures from the 1920s through the 1940s. He was a baritone or bass-baritone who often appeared on stage in the guise of "The Gentleman Tramp". He was sometimes compared to Al Jolson.

Joe Adams was an American actor, disc jockey, businessman and manager. He was manager to Ray Charles and won a Golden Globe — the first African-American to do so.

Leon Norman Hefflin Sr. was a pioneering African-American producer, director, business owner, furniture manufacturer, and entrepreneur. After losing his large and successful manufacturing business in the Depression he rebounded to produce the first and largest outdoor jazz entertainment event of its kind, the "Cavalcade of Jazz," in 1945. Held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, it was part of the Central Ave jazz scene, and showcased over 125 artists over 15 years.

References

  1. “Big Name Bands, Singers in ‘Cavalcade of Music’ Sept. 23” ” The California Eagle Sept. 13, 1945.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hadley Meares, "The Extraordinary Leon Hefflin and his Groundbreaking Cavalcade of Jazz", LAist, February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2023
  3. Cox, Bette Yarbrough. (1996). Central Avenue--its rise and fall, 1890-c. 1955 : including the musical renaissance of Black Los Angeles. Los Angeles: BEEM Publications. ISBN   0965078302. OCLC   35673638.
  4. Reed, Tom (1992). The Black music history of Los Angeles, its roots : 50 years in Black music : a classical pictorial history of Los Angeles Black music of the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's : photographic essays that define the people, the artistry and their contributions to the wonderful world of entertainment (1st, limited ed.). Los Angeles: Black Accent on L.A. Press. ISBN   096329086X. OCLC   28801394.
  5. Guralnick, Peter. (2005). Dream boogie : the triumph of Sam Cooke (1st ed.). New York: Little, Brown. ISBN   0316377945. OCLC   57393650.