City Soundscapes: San Francisco Bay Area

City Soundscapes: San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area has been home to some of jazz's most influential figures and innovative musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi, Bobby Hutcherson, and Tom Harrell—and the location of live recordings such as "Thelonious Alone in San Francisco" and "Saturday Night: Miles Davis in Person at the Blackhawk, San Francisco." Jazz came to the Bay Area in the 1930s. In the '50s and '60s—the bebop era—jazz flowed through the streets of San Francisco's Fillmore District, the "Harlem of the West." Late night sessions brought in successful touring musicians such as Miles Davis and Ahmad Jamal. In the '70s and into the '80s, the scene died down, but has since experienced a resurgence, due in part to SFJazz's role in founding the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

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