All That Philly Jazz

All That Philly Jazz All That Philly Jazz is a placed-based public history project. We are mapping and contextualizing Philadelphia’s jazz history from bebop to hip-hop.

All That Philly Jazz is a place-based public history project at the intersection of art, public policy and cultural heritage preservation. The points of interest include jazz venues and landmarks, Walk of Fame plaques, and other cultural assets. Most of the physical structures have been erased. Jazz spots fell victim to the 1964 race riot, urban renewal and gentrification. As a result, the history

largely resides in the memories of those who were there. So to preserve the history for current and future generations, All That Philly Jazz is crowdsourced. Community members are invited to share their stories, photos, etc., of the jazz scene back in the day. We are breathing life into legendary clubs like the Showboat, Pep’s, Downbeat, Blue Note, Aqua Lounge, Geno’s Empty Foxhole, Red Rooster, and joints along Ridge Avenue, 52nd Street, aka “The Strip,” and Columbia Avenue, aka the "Golden Strip." All That Philly Jazz is about cultural heritage. We are developing a template for cultural heritage preservation. To get involved, contact us at phillyjazzapp[@]gmail.com.

May Cassandra Wilson rest in paradise. 🙏🏾💐
09/03/2026

May Cassandra Wilson rest in paradise. 🙏🏾💐

With a low and smoky voice, she conjured the blues tradition of her native Mississippi in both her own songs and in covers.

All That Philly Jazz is one of the 700 organizations and Tribal Nations fighting Trump’s efforts to gut Section 106 of t...
08/31/2026

All That Philly Jazz is one of the 700 organizations and Tribal Nations fighting Trump’s efforts to gut Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

I used Section 106 review to block the Philadelphia Housing Authority from demolishing a building associated with Philadelphia’s golden age of jazz. In addition to holding the stories of jazz legends like Billie Holiday and Pearl Bailey, the Ridge on the Rise mural is on the south-facing wall of 2125 Ridge Avenue.

https://phillyjazz.us/2026/08/30/all-that-philly-jazz-national-historic-preservation-act-section-106-cultural-heritage-partners-checker-cafe-philadelphia-housing-authority/

As WRTI’s legendary jazz host Bob Perkins would say, those with “finely tuned ears” should tune in to WKCR’s three-day c...
08/27/2026

As WRTI’s legendary jazz host Bob Perkins would say, those with “finely tuned ears” should tune in to WKCR’s three-day celebration of the birthdays of Lester “Prez” Young and Charlie “Bird” Parker. 🎂🎷🎷🎼

The best-selling jazz album of all time, Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” was released on this day in 1959.Miles Davis perfo...
08/17/2026

The best-selling jazz album of all time, Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” was released on this day in 1959.

Miles Davis performed many times at the Blue Note jazz club, the first stop on my bus tour of jazz in North Philadelphia. The Nite Cap, an afterhours club, was located a few feet from the Blue Note. I believe the Nite Cap’s popular bartender Freddie was the inspiration for “Freddie Freeloader,” a track on “Kind of Blue.”

I want to share the playlist for my upcoming trolley tour of jazz in North Philadelphia. There’s a waitlist so if you ar...
08/09/2026

I want to share the playlist for my upcoming trolley tour of jazz in North Philadelphia. There’s a waitlist so if you are not registered, you can experience an aural history of jazz in North Philly (scan the QR code).

For John Coltrane’s centennial, I’m leading a trolly tour on Sunday, September 27. The tour is free and will likely “sell out” quickly. If you’re interested, DM your name and email address. You’ll receive notice when registration for the tour opens.

President Trump’s bootlickers on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to gut Section 106 of the National ...
08/02/2026

President Trump’s bootlickers on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to gut Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 requires federal agencies to examine whether a federally-funded project will have an “adverse effect” on a property listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2017, I used the Section 106 review process to block the Philadelphia Housing Authority from demolishing 2125 Ridge Avenue, the former location of the Checker Café. The property is one of the few extant buildings from Philadelphia’s golden age of jazz. The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office agreed with me that 2125 Ridge Avenue is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Checker Café is a stop on the upcoming Neighborhood Jawnts Tour Series: Jazz in North Philly. I will lead the trolley tour the weekend of August 14-16, 2026. The tour is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Info: https://phillyjazz.us/2026/08/02/section-106-advisory-council-on-historic-preservation-philadelphia-housing-authority-checker-cafe-neighborhood-jawnts-jazz-in-north-philly/

According to the National Park Service Incident Reports, there were no incidents at the President’s House Site from 2002...
07/28/2026

According to the National Park Service Incident Reports, there were no incidents at the President’s House Site from 2002-2025. Surveillance cameras will be installed to monitor peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights.

Avenging The Ancestors Coalition led the fight to tell the story of the nine Black people enslaved by President George Washington at the President’s House. ATAC will hold a virtual “First Amendment: Know Your Rights” town hall on July 30, 2026.

Background info: https://phillyjazz.us/2026/07/27/carahsoft-technology-corp-verkada-surveillance-cameras-facial-recognition-the-presidents-house-atac-know-your-rights/

George Washington stole the labor and freedom of hundreds of enslaved Black people. Trump’s revisionists think a single ...
07/20/2026

George Washington stole the labor and freedom of hundreds of enslaved Black people. Trump’s revisionists think a single instance of theft is of historical significance. In a sanitized interpretive panel at the President’s House, it’s noted that “Hercules’ son Richmond was caught stealing at Mount Vernon.”

Trump’s propagandists use a racist trope but Washington recognized the theft was an act of resistance. In a letter to his farm manager William Pearce on November 14, 1796, Washington suspected it was for “the purpose perhaps of a journey together.” Hercules self-emancipated from Mount Vernon three months later.

https://phillyjazz.us/2026/07/19/presidents-house-philadelphia-george-orwell-national-park-service-president-trump-hercules-posey/

It is insane that in the name of “restoring truth and sanity to American history,” President Trump has turned the Presid...
07/17/2026

It is insane that in the name of “restoring truth and sanity to American history,” President Trump has turned the President’s House into an armed camp. The site is surrounded by new security cameras, National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers, and United States Park Police and vehicles. Who knew the Park Service has an “urban police force”⁉️

This is what fascism looks like. Visitors on their way to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall will pass the President’s House Site that now evokes Big Brother watching. 👀

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