Eighty-five years ago, in 1923, Jimmy Jewell opened up his
building on twenty fourth and Grant. Fellow African Americans
from other parts of the Omaha Nebraska gravitated to the
formerly Jewish neighborhood, bought homes, started business,
and began Omaha's Black community around North twenty
fourth street.
In that same year Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington moved his
band from Washington D.C. to New York City and eventually
Harlem. Duke said they played the right music for the right
people at the right time as they went on to enlighten the
world with African American Culture. Later on he hired bass
player Alvin "Junior" Raglin from Omaha and who started
playing as a youth on twenty fourth street.
Another musician in Dukes band was clarinet player Barney
Bigard, from New Orleans. Ellington composed "Creole Love
Call", " New Orleans Suite" and other songs about New Orleans
and It's people saying Bigard's playing added New Orleans
"flavor" to his music. Duke Ellington, constantly concerned
with elevating the Black condition was aware of New Orleans
importance and would be sad to see what has happened to it and
how it is today.
Duke collaborated with New Orleans native Mahalia Jackson to
perform "Come Sunday" as part of his "Black Brown and Beige
Suite" at Carnegie Hall in New York. Ms. Jackson, a legend in
Gospel Music, turned down endless offers to sing secular music
but she performed with Duke. They were good friends, Duke
said she cooked the best greens he'd ever tasted. Duke
Ellington and Mahalia were aware that Jazz was more than the
connection to drugs, brothels and negative people. It's pure
expression of African American hopes and concerns could be
taken to concert halls and churches because of the humanity
of those who lived the joy and sorrow that created it.
would like to thank those African Americans who took their
dreams to north twenty fourth in 1923, some came true, some
have yet to. May the music of their struggle continue to be
an inspiration for the world and America's calling card.