The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, located in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that honors

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

musicians in the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Housed in the former

Tulsa Union Depot The Tulsa Union Depot (also known as the Tulsa Union Station) is the former central railway station for Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has since been turned into an office building. The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame is currently headquartered in the former Dep ...

, which it now calls the Jazz Depot, the Hall of Fame is a

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

that hosts regular jazz performances. It is also a museum, displaying photographs, biographical information, artifacts, and memorabilia from musicians such as

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

, Earl Bostic, Don Cherry, Charlie Christian, Tommy Crook, Pat Kelley,

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

and Jimmy Rushing.

Overview

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame holds an annual induction ceremony to recognize the meaningful contributions of individuals and groups in jazz, blues, and gospel music. The Hall of Fame originally inducted its members every June, but the annual induction is now held in November. To date, the Hall of Fame has inducted more than 100 musicians and groups. Music instructor Zelia N. Breaux was the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame also established the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 to honor musicians who enriched Oklahoma's music during their lifetimes. Recipients of this award include Jay McShann, John Hendricks, Lou Donaldson, Dave Brubeck, Marilyn Maye, Ramsey Lewis, Nat King Cole, George Duke, Billy Taylor, Eddie Palmieri, Bob Wills, and Lalo Schifrin. In 1991, guitarist

made a speech about improvised music at the Hall of Fame; this was his last recorded public appearance before a stroke forced him to retire in May 1992. Singer

Joe Lee Wilson Joe Lee Wilson (December 22, 1935 – July 17, 2011) was an American jazz singer from Bristow, Oklahoma, who lived in Europe since 1977. Biography Part African-American and part Creek people, Creek Native American,John Fordham (jazz critic), ...

also made hi
last public performance
at his 2010 induction into the Hall of Fame.

History

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame was established by the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 sta ...

in 1988, with legislation authored by State Senators Maxine Horner and Penny Williams. The Hall of Fame was one of several organizations created in the North Tulsa “renaissance” dedicated to reconstructing the city's historic Greenwood district after the Tulsa Race Riot. The organization was originally housed in the Greenwood Cultural Center, and co-sponsored a yearly celebration of Oklahoman black music tradition called “Juneteenth on Greenwood.” In 2004,

Tulsa County Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...

’s

Vision 2025 Vision 2025 was a series of four propositions to increase Tulsa County's sales tax rate by $0.01 in order to fund capital improvements and provide economic development incentives. Two prior proposals, in 1997 and 2000, were rejected by Tulsa Count ...

project allocated $4 million to purchase and renovate the

for use by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Work on the building was completed and the building officially opened on June 19, 2007. In November, 2020, The Tulsa County Industrial Authority (TCIA) filed a lawsuit to terminate the building lease with the Jazz Hall and to recover $8,474 in past-due taxes and utilities. The suit alleged that the Jazz Hall was so far behind in its utility payments that electricity to the building was turned off on October 19th. In January 2021 the Jazz Hall declared bankruptcy. On June 10, 2021, the bankruptcy court approved a $200,000 sale of the Jazz Hall, along with transfer of the lease of the Depot, to a new non-profit entity, The Jazz Foundation LLC, being a firm established by local businessman James Moore. The bid included a pledge of $1 million for deferred maintenance and other improvements, along with $1 million available for operating expenses and to satisfy future obligations under the lease with TCIA. Stated future Jazz Hall plans call for continued celebration of jazz and gospel artists in Oklahoma, expanding to host music festivals and live TV events, and creating a rooftop restaurant. By July 2022, renovations had begun on the facility, with an expected reopening in early 2023 under branding as simply the Jazz Depot. The Jazz Foundation funded $2 million in renovation updates for the second-floor Grand Entrance Hall, Exhibit Promenade and Performance Hall.

List of inductees

References

External links

Facebook page {{authority control African-American history in Tulsa, Oklahoma Museums in Tulsa, Oklahoma Culture of Tulsa, Oklahoma Music venues in Oklahoma Music museums in Oklahoma Music halls of fame Jazz awards Jazz organizations Halls of fame in Oklahoma State halls of fame in the United States

Overview

History

List of inductees

See also

References

External links