Seattle’s Central District has always been renowned for it’s distinct flavor and culture. At no time was the bustling Seattle neighborhood livelier than during the hay day of the pre-war jazz Northwest. Ray Charles came here to begin his career. Music aficionado and Seattle son, Quincy Jones, cut his musical teeth on a jazz age that was as raucous and it was colorful.

During this era, Seattle was divided by an invisible but very real racial line. Musicians of color could not play music downtown so a string of clubs sprang up along Jackson and Yesler. Students on this program are able to absorb of a time gone by from musicians and singers that put Seattle on the musical map. They’ll hear how corruption reigned in central Seattle and how local proprietors learned to thrive in a racially divided city.