Seattle Black Arts and Culture Event: Jackson Street Jazz Walk

In honor of Seattle’s Central District’s African American music legacy, the 2023 10th Annual Jackson Street Jazz Walk will take place in Seattle on September 8th, 9th & 10th.

The jazz walk will present the jazz, blues, Latin, and soul music of 22 Seattle bands on 10 community stages. 

At a time when most Central District African American residents are displaced from the once primarily black community and their musical legacy forgotten, the Jackson Street Jazz Walk draws audiences together to celebrate, commemorate and build upon the rich musical history of the area. Remembering the past, it honors the music of its icons such as Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles, and Quincy Jones, while giving a diverse and inclusive array of Seattle musical artists the opportunity to perform in this MUSIC, COMMUNITY, & LEGACY event.

Presented as a Music For A Cause event, benefiting the Carolyn Downs Medical Clinic, the jazz walk begins with the Sept. 8th, 6-9:00 PM Red Dress Jazz Gala at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, featuring the legendary Nathan Breedlove Quartet, a performance by chart-topping singer/songwriter Eugenie Jones, and a “History Worth Preserving” presentation by Stephanie Johnson Toliver, President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. A Blues Bash After Party immediately follows, 9-11:00 PM, at the Wonder Ethiopian Restaurant Sports Bar, featuring Washington Blues Society’s Best Guitarist of the Year winner, Raphel Tranquilino. 

On Sept. 9th, 3:00 – 9:30 PM, the Jackson Street Jazz Walk will present in multiple restaurants and public spaces along historic Jackson Street, including Cheeky Café, Shewa-Ber Bar & Restaurant, Wonder Ethiopian Restaurant & Sports Bar, Pratt Fine Arts Plaza, Jackson Apartments, the Central Area Senior Center’s Green Dolphin Room, and the newly opened Jackson Street Pizza Lounge. 

Pratt Fine Arts Center will present its Annual Open House hands-on arts event on the same day, hosting four jazz walk bands in their outdoor plaza area, including The Joe Brazil Legacy Band, Comfort Food, Todo Es, and the Jovino Santos Neto Quarteto.

On Sept. 10th, the Jazz Walk reaches beyond Jackson to present a unique performance – Seattle SINGS! – at Queen Anne’s Fountainhead Gallery. Backed by the Shawn Schlogel Trio, an array of Seattle vocalists, including Ben Black, Kim Maguire, Joan Penney, and Nancy Erickson Lamont, will perform

While historically, African American music artists performed in the Central District because they were not allowed to perform in mainstream, white-owned clubs, today’s jazz walk is committed to building new legacies through a presentation of a diverse and inclusive array of today’s top musical artists. 

This year’s line-up, includes:

 
Admission to most events is by donation. Headlining performances at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Fountainhead Gallery are ticketed concerts. Tickets, and additional schedule information are available online at https://www.jacksonstreetjazz.org/

The Jackson Street Jazz Walk Event Sponsors include Vulcan Real Estate, Pratt Fine Arts Center, KNKX Radio, Earshot Jazz, Uncle Ike’s, BrightIDEAS Marketing, G3 & Associates, Inc.,  LANGSTON Seattle, City of Seattle Arts & Culture, Shunpike, Jackson Street Pizza Lounge, and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.

Additional resources:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JacksonStreetJazzWalk

Website: http://www.jacksonstreetjazz.org/

Donations: https://www.poweredbyshunpike.org/c/PBS/a/JacksonStreetJazzWalk