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The 2010 West Oak Lane Jazz Festival: How Jazz Helped Change a Community
Esperanza Spalding
bassb.1984
David Sanborn
saxophone1945 - 2024
Al Jarreau
vocals1940 - 2017
Preservation Hall's Second Line—Philly Style!
Two stages on either end of Ogontz Avenue presented continuous music, as listeners with camp chairs moved back and forth between stages to hear their favorite groups perform. On their way, they'd pass the food vendors, art dealers and community service tents that give this event its festive feel. The smaller Philadelphia Tribune stage hosted twenty-three mostly local acts that this year included the high spirited jazz vocals of Barbara Walker, the wall of sound of Honey Mountain Mob, and the Blues Messenger. One treat at the Tribune stage was a young group headlined by eighteen year-old saxophone prodigy Dahi Devine, with Jason Matthews on piano, Alex Claffy on bass, Mike Burton on trumpet. One great surprise in this group was ten year-old drummer Nazir Ebo. The baby-faced Ebo, who has not even reached the five-foot mark yet, was astounding on the drums. His inspiration was his 18 year old brother 
Justin Faulkner
drums
Branford Marsalis
saxophone
b.1960
The headliners at the larger Shop-Rite stage drew thousands for their late afternoon and evening concerts. Friday featured the soulful sounds of Breakwater, and then moved to the New Orleans rhythms of 
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1977
Odean Pope
saxophone
b.1938
New Orleans own 
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
band / ensemble / orchestra
The evening ended with a very special performance by jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding. This new jazz darling certainly deserves the moniker as she wooed the audience with her beautiful voice, her skillful playing, and her gift for weaving her show into a story. At 25, she is a true emerging talent who will no doubt have a long career and a loyal following if the crowd at this festival is any indication.
Sunday featured the Freedom Jazz Orchestra led by the festivals co-producer bassist 
Warren Oree
bass
Joey DeFrancesco
organ, Hammond B3
1971 - 2022
Ray Charles
piano and vocals
1930 - 2004
David "Fathead" Newman
saxophone, tenor
1933 - 2009
The crowd swelled as the final evening concert approached when the 
George Duke
piano
1946 - 2013
But the real story here may be how the festival has helped change the neighborhood. OARC was founded fifteen years ago by Representative Evans with the mission to stimulate business and economic development, cleaning and greening the area, working with the education system, and bringing arts and culture to the area. The mission seems to be working in this neighborhood of now attractive, well-kept row homes. OARC boast changes in the last five years including increased property values, a decrease in abandoned homes from 300 units to 70 units, new and innovative businesses, and new streetscapes making the area attractive for business and residents alike.
In 2004, in an effort to showcase the changes and make the area a destination neighborhood, OARC CEO Jack Kitchen contacted music production company Lifeline Music Coalition and co- producers Oree and Graziella D'Amelio to discuss hosting a large jazz and arts festival. "They said it couldn't be done." according to Oree. "They said that we could not hire this many local musicians and get support from the community. The headliners are shocked when they get on the stage and see so many people in front of them. They expect to see a small community audience, and instead they see thousands. To have something of this magnitude supported by the community is really something."
And it is really something. The West Oak Lane Jazz Festival benefits jazz lovers as well as the community that host it. The sense of pride of the local residents who volunteer for the event, as well as those who host annual parties for families and friends on their front lawns, is quite evident as one walks along Ogontz Avenue. The neighborhood now feels safe, clean, and alive with activity. The West Oak Lane residents, along with OARC and Representative Evans, have done a commendable job of working together to change this neighborhood and bring about a sense of community. And to host a jazz festival to show off their work is a stroke of genius—an effort that has now re-branded the area as a cleaner, safer, and business friendly area to live and work. This is a successful renewal project that hopefully can be replicated in many neighborhoods in major cities. And hopefully those who follow this model will include a signature jazz event that can prove to be as successful as the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival.
Photo Credit
Howard Pitkow
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