Starting back in the 1950s, the Alley was a sprawling weekly party in Bronzeville where people of all ages came together to hang out, exchange ideas, spin jazz records, and perform. Flanked by murals and photographs, the jazz happenings lasted for nearly 30 years until the host was forced to close them down. Its spirit persists today, however: iterations of the Alley—including Back Alley Jazz, held in July 2018—have moved into new spaces on the south side.
PRELUDE
Marcus Sterling Alleyne: It grew into the Universal Alley Jazz Jam, and it moved from a few different places. I can’t remember all the locations it was at. But ultimately it ended up at the current location, that’s at the Black United Fund and, you know, we get together every summer, every Saturday, from July to August. I met a lot of musicians and became friends with them. We encourage one another. You know, I think that was basically the essence of the original Jazz in the Alley, was to bring people together. And I think that any movement that begins with that energy, that attempts to unify a community—it’s only natural that it just grows into something. You know, it’s like a star gathering planets ultimately grows into a solar system.
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