At the beginning of the 20th century, a new voice for the African American community was created; that voice was jazz. Jazz is a musical form that allows the player to express their emotions and tell a story in an aggressive, free, and vibrant manner. The African American community of North Omaha took hold of this new music and helped to create and preserve some of the biggest moments in jazz while rivaling more well known venues in Chicago, Kansas City, and New Orleans. This is the story of those who lived and experienced this major cultural event.

Video: 22 minute video interviewing Preston Love Jr. (son of Preston Love), Mason Prince, trumpeter; Patricia Allen, niece of Paul Allen; Hand Redd, Saxophone who played for Stevie Wonder; Dereck Higgins, son of Red Higgins, a trumpeter who played for Nat Towles' band. Talk about North Omaha’s jazz scene, life as an African American jazz performer (could not stay in hotels), given a pint of whiskey so you could mix your own drinks. Jazz clubs welcomed all people. Mention some of the well-known performers who played in Omaha. At the end, they feature well-known Omaha jazz bands and performers.

This is a photo of Dan Desdunes and his band, who were popular during the early 1900s in Omaha. This photo is significant because the Dan Desdunes Band helped spark local interest in jazz and soon became an Omaha favorite. Desdunes was a powerhouse in the early Omaha music scene. He has been referred to as the father of African American music in Omaha. By 1917, less than a year after the first recordings of jazz, Desdunes had a jazz orchestra in Omaha, the Desdunes Jazz Orchestra. Desdunes moved to Omaha from New Orleans and brought his hometown's vibrant musical heritage with him. (Photograph courtesy of the Great Plains Black History Museum).

This is an old ticket stub from the Dreamland Ballroom. The Dreamland Ballroom was located in North Omaha at 2221 N. 24th St. in the Jewell Building, which was built in 1923. The Dreamland Ballroom was an important part of Omaha's jazz scene for more than 40 years. Many legendary jazz and blues performers played there, including Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Fats Domino. If you look at this ticket, you will see that Fats Domino played at the Dreamland on June 28, 1954. You can see the signature of James Jewell, the owner of the Dreamland Ballroom and the Jewell Building, on the lower right side of the ticket. Without successful ticket sales, the Dreamland would not have lasted as long as it did. (Ticket courtesy of Great Plains Black History Museum).

This is a current photograph of the building east of  24th and Lake streets that housed Allen’s Showcase Lounge. The Showcase was a popular jazz and blues venue in North Omaha. Paul B. Allen Sr. was the proprietor and ran it from approximately 1950 to 1986. Many of the people we interviewed remembered Allen's Showcase Lounge fondly and asserted that many local musicians got their start here, including Omaha legend Buddy Miles. Allen also booked musicians who were already famous on a national level, like Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke and James Brown. (Photo courtesy of Brandon W.)

This photograph from the 1960s shows a well-dressed group smiling and celebrating outside Allen's Showcase, a popular jazz and blues venue. Paul Allen Sr. is pictured fourth from the left. Allen's Showcase was "the hot spot" in a vibrant nightlife along North 24th Street in the middle of the 20th century. The area on 24th Street from Cuming Street to Spencer Street was affectionately known in the community as "The Deuce 4" or "The Deuce". There were numerous music venues and night clubs along North 24th, including McGill's Blue Room, The Offbeat Club, The Carnation Ballroom, Jim Bell's Harlem, M&M Lounge, and of course, Allen's Showcase Lounge and The Dreamland Ballroom. (Photograph courtesy of Patricia Allen).

Jazz is a truly American form of music. Rooted in the African American experience, it was born in the United States. In the early 20th century, the port city of New Orleans saw multiple cultures coming together and sharing their music, resulting in the combination of both African and European musical elements. While containing elements of blues, gospel, ragtime, and brass band music, this new genre, jazz, developed its own unique sound that challenged all of these musical conventions.

Jazz depends largely on improvisation - playing in spontaneous response to fellow band members, rather than relying on a written score. This required a great deal of skill, and allowed individuals to find their own voice through music. For this reason, jazz became an important tool for African American musicians to express themselves and demonstrate their skills within an oppressive society that degraded their people and culture on a daily basis.

Because of its improvisational nature, jazz is also an important way to interpret the emotion and culture of a specific time and place in history. This includes Omaha, Nebraska in the 20th century. In 2017, many people only look at North Omaha superficially, neglecting to delve deeper into its rich history and culture. The area surrounding 24th and Lake was the hub of jazz music from the 1920s to the early 1970s. The vibrant community and promise of talent lured jazz musicians to Omaha from all over the country. Household names like Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and James Brown, played at some of Omaha’s most notorious venues, while other musicians found their fame in Omaha, including Wynonie Harris, Anna Mae Winburn, Buddy Miles and Preston Love.

During this time period, jazz music and North Omaha were one and the same - growing together and thriving with the help of the other. Therefore, when American culture shifted away from jazz music and social movements broke out across the country utilizing other forms of media as a voice, North Omaha and jazz began to see their decline. Riots that left parts of North Omaha in ruins, along with a new generation of music and creative minds, extinguished the flame of jazz in North Omaha. Nevertheless, in 2017, there are numerous projects to build North Omaha back into what it once was, and create an atmosphere similar to when jazz was in its prime.

2017 MIHV Project