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15 Months Later: How A Historic Los Angeles Performance Space Survived Covid

By Chuck Koton
August 5, 2021
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On March 1, 2020 The World Stage in Leimert Park, the cultural heart of the Black community in Los Angeles, hosted a fundraising concert to help Eliane Henri complete her documentary on the late, great horn master,

Roy Hargrove

trumpet
1969 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Hargrove. The performance featured veterans tenor saxophonist

Ralph Moore

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Moore and

Willie Jones

drums
b.1929

" data-original-title="" title="">Willie Jones on drums, rising stars, pianist

Gerald Clayton

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Clayton and

Mike Gurrola

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Gurrola on bass and included a short video of the still in-progress film. Little did anyone in the venue realize that in 2 short weeks live performances, and so much else, would be shut down all over the world.

Like many other performance spaces, The World Stage and its Executive Director,

Dwight Trible

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Dwight Trible, scrambled to find a way to survive the shutdown. The most important task facing Trible was to find the funding necessary to pay the monthly bills in order to keep this historic, non-profit performance space, founded by jazz master

Billy Higgins

drums
1936 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Higgins and world-renowned poet

Kamau Daaood

poet / spoken word

" data-original-title="" title="">Kamau Daaood over 30 years ago, alive. The Guess Company stepped up with a grant that enabled Trible to not only pay the rent but to purchase recording equipment that would allow concerts to be live-streamed to home audiences around the world.

The Friday night, video streamed concert series, which began on August 8, 2020, was organized around the two connected themes of "Fight Racism" and "Get Out the Voted." Hosted by the Jazz Cat, LeRoy Downs, a tireless and ubiquitous supporter of jazz in Southern California, the evening featured World Stage co-founder Kamau Daaood, who recited one of his dramatic poetic tributes to the Leimert Park community and master saxophonist

Azar Lawrence

saxophone
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Azar Lawrence, whose band tore through an inspiring set of "fire music."

Since that opening night The World Stage has hosted Grammy Award winning pianists,

Billy Childs

piano
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Childs and

John Beasley

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">John Beasley; veteran masters of the saxophone

Justo Almario

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Justo Almario,

Dale Fielder

saxophone, baritone
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Dale Fielder and

Charles Owens

saxophone, tenor
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Owens; and vocalists

Carmen Lundy

vocals
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Carmen Lundy, who rocked a "Vote" face mask and

Tierney Sutton

vocals
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Tierney Sutton.

The video streaming concert series, which is archived, has been broadcast free on The World Stage Facebook page and YouTube channel with viewers asked to support this historic performance space with donations. Thanks to the efforts of Executive Director Dwight Trible and The World Stage staff, more than 50 performances have been presented safely and successfully, giving the musicians desperately needed gigs and audiences the sorely needed music that makes life worth living. View Slideshow

Christopher Garcia

Ben Williams

Dale Fielder

Marvin "Smitty" Smith

Devin Daniels

Clayton Cameron

Alex Cline

Joshua White

Billy Childs

John Beasley

Jacques Lesure

Brandon Coleman

Ryan Porter

Derf Reklaw

Pablo Calogero

Justo Almario

Vinny Golia

Jazz DJ LeRoy Downs

Azar Lawrence

Kamau Daaood Poet, Founder of The World Stage

Dwight Trible vocalist and Executive Director of The World...

Carmen Lundy

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