During the 1930s and 40s, Omaha was a booming regional center of jazz. In an era in which every small town had its own dance hall, countless bands toured incessantly to bring live music to every corner of the nation. In the vast territory of the upper plains from Wyoming to Minnesota those bands were likely to come from Omaha.

We were centrally located, Love said. This was the hub, the booking center for the biggest dance territory in the world ... we played all the dance pavilions and ballrooms in the Midwest. Minnesota had thousands. Nebraska had hundreds ... all the bands were working six or seven nights a week. So therefore, to service these bands, we brought musicians from all over the country to Omaha because the employment was here.

There were some other cities like Kansas City, or Oklahoma City where they had some bands, but Omaha was the hub because we were centrally located. So these hundreds of black musicians came here. From these were some great players. The proof of it is, where did they go, those who were good? Ellington, Basie, every band of any note had several ex-Omahans. They might not have been born in Omaha, but they lived here for several years while they played.

Preston Love

More:

ENCAP / LJAC Partnership

Loves Jazz & Arts Center, in partnership with Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership, (ENCAP ) has successfully completed our 3rd Summer Youth Camp. Each year, LJAC brings expert artists to the Center to work with up to 25 youth participants in varying genres. The goal is to teach young people the value of artistic expression, a viable, marketable skill, and the numerous career paths available to artists. In the process, they learn about their culture, history and contributions of African Americans.

More