Central Avenue sounds

About this book

Realizing that the history of Central Avenue resided in the experiences and voices of the people who lived and played there, Steven Isoardi set out to capture the music, the place, and the time, through extensive interviews with nineteen musicians who were part of the Central Avenue scene. Isoardi and seven of those musicians came together as the Central Avenue Sounds Editorial Committee. Together they culled the transcripts from hundreds of hours of recordings to produce Central Avenue Sounds. With individuality and flair, the interviews offer enthralling eyewitness accounts of critical episodes in the history of Los Angeles: life in rural Watts before its incorporation into greater L.A., the rise of Hollywood in local culture, the often neglected role of female musicians, the drug scene, the after-hours clubs and the institutionalized fears of "race mixing" that led the Los Angeles Police Department to crack down on Central in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most of all, however, the voices in Central Avenue Sounds speak of their joy in making music: playing together in their early years, succeeding with the most important bands in the nation, experimenting with new musical styles, and producing innovations of their own.