judith calson
By Scott Rappaport
An intrepid art professor uncovers the lost history of San Francisco’s Fillmore jazz era
Jazz Detective By Scott Rappaport
M
ost people know San Francisco’s “This is the first time that later, the shop was empty,
this history has seen the light with no sign of either Red or
Fillmore District because of its of day,” observes Watts, who the photographs. Although
historic auditorium, immortalized spent more than a decade he feared that the collec-
collecting and painstakingly tion was lost for good, Watts
by legendary rock promoter Bill Graham in restoring more than 200 continued to inquire about
the late 1960s. But long before the neigh- photos for the book. “Any the photos. Finally in 1996,
physical trace of that commu- while doing additional
borhood attracted bands like the Grateful nity is long gone.” research for the city’s redevel-
Dead and Jefferson Airplane, the Fillmore The spark for the book opment agency, Watts asked
was ignited in 1990 when a barber working across the
was home to a booming jazz scene— Watts was working on a street from Red’s if he had
a community so laden with clubs and photography project in the any idea where the price-
Fillmore District—located less photos might be. “I was
virtuoso players in the 1940s and ’50s, it between the city’s Haight thrilled by his response,” says
became known as the Harlem of the West. District and Pacific Heights. Watts. “He told me they were
As he explored the neighbor- in his back room.”
With more than two- book Harlem of the West: The hood, Watts came upon It turned out that Red
dozen venues located within San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era, Red Powell’s Shine Parlour, had suffered a fatal stroke
one square mile, it was not coauthored by UC Santa Cruz across the street from the just a few weeks after Watts
unusual to spot jazz greats associate professor of art Lewis Fillmore Auditorium. had visited. The landlord
like Billie Holiday, John Watts, unearths the commu- “I wandered into Red’s had closed up the store
Coltrane, or Dexter Gordon nity’s glorious past. Filled with shoeshine shop, and on the and took everything off the
hanging out or taking the rare archival photographs of walls were all these great walls. But as he was prepar-
stage to jam with local musi- such jazz legends as Dizzy photos of people like Martin ing to dump it all in the
cians after returning from Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, trash, the barber—Reggie
their gigs “for whites only” Johnny Mathis, and Charlie Duke Ellington, and Ray Pettus—had rescued all of
in downtown Bay Area clubs. Parker—plus accounts from Charles,” recalls Watts. the photos and memorabilia
The San Francisco neighborhood residents and “I asked Red if I could pho- from certain oblivion. Pettus
Redevelopment Agency tore musicians who were there at tograph his wall. But he was kindly allowed Watts access
down the neighborhood in the its peak—the book celebrates a having none of it—he basical- to the archive.
mid-1960s—ostensibly to im- nearly forgotten chapter in jazz ly threw me out of his shop.” “There were a lot of snap-
Associate professor of art Lewis Watts at an exhibit prove it—and the community and African American history When Watts returned shots and 8-by-10 glossy
of his vintage jazz images in San Francisco literally vanished. But a new on the West Coast. to Red’s only a few months photos pinned on walls,” says
10 UC Santa Cruz Review / Fall 2006 11
Jazz Detective continued met when she was conduct-
ing research for a PBS docu-
Images from Watts. “Some were framed
and mounted, but a lot more
mentary on the history of
the Fillmore District. Pepin
Harlem of were stuffed in Safeway bags
and in boxes. Shoeshine par-
had been employed by Bill
Graham Presents as man-
the West lors, barbershops, and beauty ager and historian of the
parlors have traditionally Fillmore Auditorium in the
been the historical archives mid-1980s. Since both Watts
of the African American and Pepin were making plans
community.” to create a book about the
Watts arduously took Fillmore community, they
on the process of digitally decided to collaborate on Advertisement for
restoring the images, many Harlem of the West. Louis Armstrong at
of which were damaged “Elizabeth primarily han- the New Orleans
and faded with marks and dled interviews and text, and Swing Club, 1950s
waterstains, or had corners I handled obtaining, restor-
Eartha Kitt with neighborhood children, 1950s ripped off. “The idea was ing, and curating the pho-
to bring back the detail tos,” says Watts, who joined
and represent the intent of the UC Santa Cruz faculty
Charles Sullivan (left), one of the most active promoters of African
the photographs,” explains in 2001, halfway through the
American music west of the Mississippi. In the middle is Lionel
Watts. “That was my 10-year project. Hampton wearing Wesley Johnson Sr.’s cowboy hat.
responsibility to the original The book was published
photographers.” in January by Chronicle
Watts used the photo col- Books and celebrated with
lection for his agency report an exhibition, reception, and
on the Fillmore neighborhood concert in February at the
and also curated an exhibi- San Francisco Performing
tion of them that was dis- Arts Library & Museum.
played outside the City Hall Performing at the event was
R&B singer Ruth Brown at the Booker T. Washington Office of then–San Francisco the Fillmore Jazz Preservation
Cocktail Lounge, circa 1950s mayor Willie Brown, and Big Band, a 20-piece orches- Billie Holiday, her beloved Chihuahua, and
Dexter Gordon jamming at Bop City, 1950s later in the Arts Commission tra featuring many top Bay Wesley Johnson Sr. at the Club Flamingo,
in the early 1950s Patrons of the Texas Playhouse, early 1950s
Gallery across the street. This Area jazz musicians under
generated even more photos the direction of UC Santa
and memorabilia. Cruz director of jazz studies
“When I first found Karlton Hester.
Red’s photos, there were no Harlem of the West captures
labels, no identification,” says a joyful and momentous
Watts. “But as we exhibited era in the country’s African
them in the community, American musical history.
we built the history. People It serves as a reflection of a
began sharing their stories, magical place at a remarkable
and we ended up discovering time. And, as Watts optimis-
Duke Ellington other photographers or their tically notes: “Knowledge of
(front row, center) families, as well as their the past can hopefully lead to
and friends in the photographs. a renaissance in the future.”
Manor Plaza Hotel,
By 1998, Watts had
circa 1950s John Handy, Pony Poindexter, John Coltrane, and Frank Fisher at Jimbo’s Bop City, 1950s
joined forces with coauthor Harlem of the West is available from
Elizabeth Pepin, whom he Bay Tree Bookstore; see page 29.
12 UC Santa Cruz Review / Fall 2006 UC Santa Cruz Review / Fall 2006 13