All That Philly Jazz
Where Technology Meets Public Art and Civic Engagement

All That Philly Jazz is a digital history project that is telling the story of Philadelphia’s jazz heritage from bebop to hip-hop. We are mapping cultural assets, including venues, landmarks, Walk of Fame plaques and murals. The points of interest will be contextualized with data from multiple sources.

Much of Philadelphia’s jazz legacy has been erased. Few physical structures remain. Historic places and jazz spots fell victim to race riots, urban renewal and gentrification. As a result, the history largely resides in the memories of those who were there. So to preserve the legacy for future generations, All That Philly Jazz is crowdsourced. Community members are invited to share their story of the jazz scene back in the day.



​​Many jazz spots are now vacant lots. Through mobile technology and low-cost public art, we will transform those vacant spaces into vibrant places. For instance, a vacant lot can be transformed with  site-specific archival images. QR codes embedded in the fence screens would direct visitors to a YouTube playlist of musicians who performed at that particular spot. They can also hear music by jazz artists who played there on their mobile device.

 

We will breathe life into legendary spots like Union Local 274 (Clef Club), the Showboat, Pep’s, Downbeat, Blue Note, Watts' Zanzibar, Café Holiday, Aqua Lounge, Red Rooster, and joints along 52nd Street, aka “The Strip,” and "The Golden Mile" on Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue).
 

All That Philly Jazz will serve as a national model for cultural heritage preservation and repurposing vacant land for community use.

 

A Code for Philly project, All That Philly Jazz stems from Music Hack Day, a music-related hackathon held at Drexel University.

All That Philly Jazz is a founding member of the Development Without Displacement Coalition. 

ABOUT ALL THAT PHILLY JAZZ