Where It All Began
🎷 Origins of Jazz & Blues

Jazz & blues born from African American traditions, influenced by gospel, work songs, and ragtime, grew popular during the Great Migration.

  • Timeline milestones: 1890s, 1910s, 1920s
  • Key symbols: Trumpet, Saxophone, Cotton fields, Riverboats
  • 1890s: Birth of jazz in New Orleans
  • 1910s: Blues become widely popular
  • 1920s: Jazz revolutionizes music in America
Jazz Comes to Cream City
🎵 Milwaukee’s Golden Era

1940s–1970s: North Side was Milwaukee’s jazz hub, with over 40 clubs in Bronzeville hosting major acts and thriving local talent.

  • Key Venues: The Metropole, Moon Glow, Garfield’s 502
  • Major performers: B.B. King, Dinah Washington, local heroes
  • 1940s: Rise of the North Side as a jazz epicenter
  • 1950s: Bronzeville's thriving jazz scene
  • 1970s: The Jazz Gallery becomes a cultural hotspot
Milwaukee Keeps the Music Alive
🎶 The Modern Scene

Modern-day Milwaukee celebrates its jazz roots through festivals, free events, and local legends blending jazz with soul, hip-hop, and indie.

  • Festivals: Jazz in the Park, Bay View Jazz Fest
  • Key venues: Jazz Estate, Caroline’s, The Sugar Maple
  • 2000s–Present: Local artists like Klassik push jazz into new genre territory
  • Year-round: Free events like Jazz in the Park