Looking back at historic Central Avenue, L.A.’s jazz oasis

From the 1920s to the 1950s, jazz clubs along Central Avenue in Los Angeles featured some of the world’s best musicians.

A photo hanging on a wall at the Dunbar Hotel shows jazz singer Billie Holiday performing at the hotel in the 1940s.

A photo hanging on a wall at the former Dunbar Hotel shows Billie Holiday performing there in the 1940s. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

July 18, 2020 4 AM PT

Charlie Parker, left, shown performing with Miles Davis at an unspecified location, also was among the greats to appear on Central Avenue. (Courtesy of Theatre Projects)

The Dunbar Hotel in 2013. (Los Angeles Times)

Gerald Wilson leads his orchestra at the Central Avenue Jazz Festival in 2009. (Los Angeles Times)

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Looking back at historic Central Avenue, L.A.’s jazz oasis

From the 1920s to the 1950s, jazz clubs along Central Avenue in Los Angeles featured some of the world’s best musicians.

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