JAZZ Museum Birmingham, ALABAMA

After arriving in Childersburg, Alabama, and settling in for a week, we decided to go in to the 4th Avenue District of Birmingham to visit the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame housed in part of the Carver Theatre on both the first floor and the second floor. When getting our tickets, we were offered a guided tour. We hesitated since it was just the two of us going through. However, that would have been a great mistake! Our guide, Frank "Doc" Adams , was fantastic. He not only entertained us with many stories of the Jazz "Greats", but also played his clarinet for us showing us many styles of music!

Prior to 1900 a "black business district" did not exist in Birmingham. During reconstruction in the southern cities, black businesses developed along side those of the whites. Thus the 4th Avenue District in Birmingham, which covered at least a 12 block square area. This area created a small world in which black enterprise was accepted during this time of segregation and discrimination. These black businesses and their successors continued to do well up to and throughout the 60's.

This district was not only "alive" during "daylight business" hours, but live entertainment at night was "the place to be". The theatres not only provided movies, but live stage shows with singers, dancers and vaudeville shows. "Doc" Adams pointed out the building across the street which was the "Colored Masonic Temple" as you can see on the stone above the windows . Much music and entertainment was provided in this building also.

When "Doc" Adams shared his beginning in music, he related a story of Fess Whatley requesting that his parents buy him a saxophone so that he could be in the Industrial School's Orchestra. He liked playing his clarinet and did not want to begin with saxophone. So he told his mother, in a very negative rendition, of Fess Whatley's request. However, she saw through his story and he was told that he would be in the Orchestra and they would buy him a saxophone. He was fortunate in that his parents provided a good living for the family. She was a teacher and his father owned and operated a printing business that published the first black newspaper in circulation in that area at the time.

Fess Whatley was a very tough task master and required the best from all of his students. He required that they all learn to read music. However, he had one student who always played by ear, which Professor Whatley did not realize until close to graduation. He demanded that he learn to read one piece of music in three days before graduation and he succeeded in paying it for the professor. However, unknown to the professor, he had ducked out to the restroom and heard the piece played and "again" played by ear! "Doc's" stories were humorous, no doubt.

"Doc" had played with "many" noteable orchestras in his lifetime including Duke Ellington's and Sun Ra's.

He continued with his antidotes as he made the rounds of other displays including those of the Clarke family, Louis Armstrong , Erskine Hawkins who penned Tuxedo Junction, Duke Ellington, Haywood , and a full display of Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald's display included her extremely thick glasses and a ball gown among other things. The museum received many of her gowns and memorabilia. "Doc" Adams told a little of her life including the fact that she had diabetes and over a period of years nearly lost her eyesight and also had her legs amputated.

As I said, all of his memories and stories were very interesting and we were glad that he was our guide!!