Universal Music, Jazz France One of the most highly praised reissue series in jazz, Jazz In Paris, was heralded by collectors around the world when it was released over twenty-five years ago. Volkher Hofmann chronicled his passion for the series on his web site, living with music.com. Alas, the site no longer exists. His introduction […]
Continue ReadingZoot Sims
Tommy Makagon
Thomas Kelly Makagon was born on April 3, 1926, in San Francisco. The family relocated to southern California in the late 1930s where he attended high school in Sun Valley at John H. Francis Polytechnic. The 1942 high school yearbook page devoted to members of the school band and orchestra shows Earle Spencer as a […]
Continue ReadingZARDI’S – 1954
Zardi’s 1954. 1954 provided a cornucopia of modern jazz for Los Angeles jazz fans. In addition to booming business at the city’s leading jazz clubs, jazz impresarios Gene Norman and brothers Norman and Irving Granz staged sell out concerts to meet the growing demand for modern jazz. Gene Norman continued to wear several musical […]
Continue ReadingART PEPPER: THE DISCOVERY SESSIONS
Albert Marx resigned as A&R vice president at Musicraft in the spring of 1948 when that label was undergoing reorganization. He moved to Los Angeles that summer and established Discovery Records, Hollywood, in the fall of 1948. A Hollywood column in the September 4, 1948, issue of Billboard magazine noted that “Marx leaves here September […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ CITY PART THREE GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 22, 1954
When Maynard Sloate and Joe Abrahams leased the space at 5510 Hollywood Boulevard and opened Mambo City they essentially kept everything the way it was when it was known as the Mural Room. The wall murals were left intact, the cocktail tables and dance floor were left intact, and the only change needed was the exterior sign.
For Jazz City they remodeled the front using glass blocks, added a large marquee where guest jazz artists could be announced, and a new neon sign proclaiming Jazz City.