This movie is scheduled for release in spring 2018

Baltimore was once a city with a much larger population. It thrived in the early part of the last century, boasting an abundance of charm, work and productivity. Life there was accompanied with a rich culture that was laid out within a diverse landscape. This was a place that was the perfect blend of America's north and south. This was a place that would give rise to many of America's greatest jazz legends. It would prove to be a fertile landscape for America's black culture to thrive and it would lead to the development of great arts and entertainment.

Baltimore City

Baltimore was geographically located conveniently in the center of New York, Atlantic City and Washington D.C. It was also not too far from Chicago and New Orleans. With a central location in the country, it was a common stopping point for many well-known touring musicians. It was home to a variety of night clubs and destinations that included the the famous Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Ave, a definitive stop on the Chitlin Circuit. Baltimore hosted legends such as Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Lionel Hampton. All the while, simultaneously having a strong local music and entertainment scene that included Eubie Blake, Chick Webb and Cab Calloway. Even the famous Lady Day spent most of her youth and teenage years growing up in Baltimore. It was a city that was an essential part of American jazz History.

Chick Webb and his Band

Pennsylvania Avenue suffered major losses after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As Baltimore's population began shrinking and jobs began to leave, as like many other American cities, crime began to rise and great music venues began to fade away. There weren't that many clubs left that you could go to see jazz in Baltimore.

Pennsylvania Avenue suffered major losses after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

This film is not only a documentary that explores the history of American jazz in Baltimore. It also seeks to explore the current state of Baltimore's Jazz scene. The film challenges the idea that "Baltimore's jazz scene died along with the Royal Theatre and Pennsylvania Ave." Instead, the film demonstrates that the city is still producing amazing culture and jazz with musicians like Gary Bartz, Cyrus Chestnut, Dontae Winslow, Lafayette Gilchrist and Warren Wolf Jr. And it is doing this while preserving it's jazz history with musicians and educators like John Lamkin II, Charles Funn and Whit Williams.

The Saxophone Colossi at the Creative Alliance

John Dierker live at the Windup Space