Erroll Garner, George Benson, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Ray Brown, Kenny Clarke, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Eckstine, Billy Strayhorn, Ahmad Jamal, Joe Negri, Johnny Costa and Mary Lou Williams all had one thing in common—Pittsburgh, Pa. They all grew up there along with other jazz greats. How did Pittsburgh come to be such a flourishing jazz center? And what caused jazz's decline in the city—twice? [Photo above of the original Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh's Hill District]
Here's We Knew What We Had; The Greatest Story Never Told—an excellent documentary from producer Marty Ashby and producer-director Jeff Sewald, with assistance from Todd Barkan of Baltimore's Keystone Korner, and others—about the rise and double fall of the jazz scene in Pittsburgh, Pa....
