by
Donna Gloff
Internet Public
Library -
Exhibit Hall -
Swinging -
Graystone - About
The Graystone International Jazz Museum entered its 20s in 1994. Unlike
most twenty-odd-year-olds, however, the GIJM is as concerned with the past as it is
with the future. It's dedicated to the preciousness - and great cultural value
- of education, renewal and, ultimately, of memory. And in Detroit, when it
comes to jazz, there is a great deal to remember.
|
||
 Graystone exterior |
In the first half of this century jazz flourished here. There were dozens
of nightclubs and dance halls in Paradise Valley, the famed black entertainment
district, that today lies buried beneath the Chrysler expressway. Every night,
all night - and quite often well into the next morning - Detroit musicians and
out-of-town jazz stars played and jammed together. Many ballrooms dotted the
city; but, of all of them, the most beautiful and elegant stood on the corner of
Woodward and Canfield - the Graystone Ballroom.
|
Elegant inside
|
|
Under bandleader and entrepreneur Jean Goldkette's leadership, the
Graystone became one of the best-known ballrooms in the country. In the 1920s,
'30s and '40s the likes of the Duke Ellington and Jimmie Lunceford orchestras
"battled" Detroit bands such as McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Goldkette's own
group, to the delight of dancers and listeners who nightly packed the exciting,
romantic place.
|
||
 Nearing the end |
But, as the saying goes, "Those were different times." The Graystone
eventually was closed down and began a long, sad, slow decline. When the
terribly neglected building was finally demolished in 1980, the dastardly act
could have erased the fine old memories within its walls forever.
|
|
|
But, before the dusts of destruction had even settled, a retired Detroit
bus driver named James Jenkins and a hardy group of fellow rememberers began
searching the rubble for artifacts. It was something Jenkins simply had to do
to keep his heart from breaking: Since 1974 this man had worked very hard at his
dream of someday reopening the Graystone and restoring it to its full glory. So
he refused to see the demolition as losing the war - to him it was only one lost
battle.
|
||
|
Part of his vision included a museum on one of the huge old building's
upper floors that would memorialize the genius and soul of the people who
created and loved jazz. In particular, he hoped to pay tribute to Duke
Ellington. The few pieces Jenkins and his cohorts were able to rescue have
become part of the Graystone International Jazz Museum's permanent collection.
|
||
|
For 20 years, Mr.Jenkins devoted himself to building the GIJM. He
enthralled all who listened to his stories about jazz. His intense personal
devotion to and vision for the Graystone were so great that he often first
inspired, and then even upset, those who shared his passion. With single-minded
determination, he somehow always kept the Museum growing.
|
||
|
Mr. Jenkins died in his sleep in May 1994 after a weekend of overseeing
gallery tours and a concert at the Graystone.
|
||
|
The Museum has an important job to do. Jazz is one of the world's
cultural assets - a true and uniquely American art form. Worldwide,jazz is
viewed as a quintessentially American music - with its origin in the common
person and its performance a celebration of both the individual and the
community.
|
||
|
Jazz has also had a profound political impact. The jazz spirit, largely
the creation of African Americans, has woven its way into this country's
struggle against racial oppression and for civil rights. And jazz was also a
morale booster and a welcome taste of home for millions of GI's during World War
II. Today the music is extremely popular and highly respected throughout Eastern
and Western Europe, Japan and all of the Americas.
|
||
|
This is what makes the Graystone so precious: It is one of the very few
institutions of the world that is devoted to the study of jazz. The Graystone
presents, explains, and interprets the history and evolution of this music. It
maintains artifacts and memorabilia; it provides opportunities for performance,
education and research. It is a resource for Detroit - and the world.
|
||
|
Come visit, support the Museum, become actively involved. It is located
in the Book Building, 1249 Washington Blvd., south of Grand Circus Park. Tours are available; call
313/963-3813.
Donna Gloff is the former executive director of the Graystone Museum. |
Internet Public
Library -
Exhibit Hall -
Swinging -
Graystone - About