The origins of the Indianapolis Jazz scene was Indiana Avenue, a cultural “enclave” directly descended from the musical lineage of previously enslaved people who came to Indiana after the Civil War.[1] By the 20th century, the Avenue had built a reputation as a place to “receive an excellent jazz education.” For a number of jazz musicians, walking down the avenue was more useful than the classical education offered by the surrounding universities.[2]
Indiana Avenue’s history as a jazz scene truly began with the church. Originally named the Zion A.M.E. Church and renamed the
The area that became “Indiana Avenue” had a long connection to Black communities in Indiana; even existing as an unnamed black settlement from the time of the Civil War (1861-1865).[5]
So what constituted “Indiana Avenue”?
According to Willi
The prevalence of these entertainment venues increased from the 1890s onwards.[8] By the 1920's, “Barrelhouses, saloons and juke joints continued to open, and a new music genre called the blues invaded the entertainment scene.”[9] One of the spiritual groups that had an impact on the Avenue’s musical environment were the groups that emerged out of the Colored YMCA Quartet, which became the Foster Hill Quartet.[10]
Another place that had a massive influence on the music scene on Indiana Avenue was
Indiana Avenue's Influence on the Community and Entertainment World
This pipeline from the Avenue to the wider entertainment world was influential for many of these stars. Another example is Flo Garvin, who became the “first local African American entertainer to appear on a WFBM music program” after being discovered on Indiana Avenue. Her influence in the musical world also filtered through the political and social worlds; she was one of several Avenue artists fighting for desegregation.[15]In addition to music, Indiana Avenue also had an extensive business district—everything one needed could be bought within an eight-block street range—catering to the entire community in one self-serving street.[16]
In a bizarre twist, integration assisted in the decline of Indiana Ave. There was an element of business decline in the 1960s as a result of increased integration; no longer was the Avenue one of the only spaces that Black Indianapolis citizens were allowed to socialize and be entertained in. The result: a Black mass exodus. “Patrons left the Avenue in droves in search of new social experiences [and], the entertainment industry descended to the abyss of total destruction.”[17] In William's own words, the Avenue is “a ghost of the past” due to “the expansion of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI)”- now IU Indy (IUI).[18] To justify the destruction of the neighborhood and community, the local governance and IUPUI had to create an image of a “vice” filled area–aligning with the views of the city’s white population through the 1910s and 1920s.[19] But this hastily constructed narrative was not true. The Indiana Avenue community was “the essence of Black history in Indianapolis,” which “nurtured the black culture” of the entirety of Indianapolis. Its jazz strip is where “The Ink Spots” and “Wes Montgomery” were discovered and began their careers. The Avenue was affectionately known as “the Avenue, the Midway, Funky Broadway, the Grand 01' Street, and Black Entertainment Boulevard." It was essentially the Beale Street of Indianapolis. Segregated, but culturally distinct and beloved.[20]
Works Cited
[2] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 145.
[3] Paul Mullins, “Indiana Avenue,” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis Digital Library, 39, retrieved from https://indyencyclopedia.org/wp-content/themes/deoi/features/full_versions/Indiana%20Avenue%20-%20Encyclopedia%20of%20Indianapolis%20Digital%20Library.pdf.
[4] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 21.
[5] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 19.
[6] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 193.
[7] Mullins, “Indiana Avenue,” 3.
[8] Mullins, “Indiana Avenue,” 4.
[9] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 33.
[10] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 40.
[11] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 67.
[12] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 67.
[13] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 145.
[14] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 147.
[15] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 76.
[16] Rev. C. Nickerson Bolden, Indiana Avenue: Black Entertainment Boulevard (Bloomington, IN. : AuthorHouse, 2009), 18.
[17] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 152.
[18] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 15.
[19] Williams, Indianapolis Jazz, 194.
Image situations
1 The Indianapolis Recorder. Bean Supper at Bethel AME Church. Photographic print. Indiana Historical Society. Circa 1960?
2 Larry Foster. Jones Tabernacle AME Zion Church Service. Acetate negative. Indiana Historical Society. July 7, 1946.
3 Flo Garvin. Photograph. Courtesy of https://www.indyjazzfoundation.org/blog/celebrating-womens-history-month-highlighting-historical-women-of-indiana-jazz
4 W. H. Bass Photo Company. Crispus Attucks High School. Photographic print. Indiana Historical Society. 1928.
5 The Indianapolis Recorder. Students at Crispus Attucks High School. Photographic print. Indiana Historical Society. Circa 1945.
6 Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar. Crowd members cheer as Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett acknowledges the alumni gathered during a community pep rally on Monday, April 3, 2017, in honor of the Attucks' varsity boys basketball team's recent state championship victory. Photograph. IndyStar. 2017.
7 Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar. Crispus Attucks Tigers' Teyon Scanlan speaks to his fellow students during a school pep rally on Monday, April 3, 2017, in honor of the Attucks' varsity boys basketball team's recent state championship victory. Photograph. IndyStar. 2017.
8 Baist Atlas. Baist Plan No. 5. Digital. IUPUI Library, 1916.
9 City of Indianapolis. A map of the proposed project area set to happen on Indiana Avenue. Digital. WTHR 13. 2023.
10 The Indiana Avenue Cultural District. Digital. Courtesy of https://www.reclaimindianaavenue.org/