Articles

West End Jazz



By William Burg
Photos courtesy of Keith Burns

 

In the 1940s, Sacramento’s West End was filled with the sounds of jazz. Based around M Street (renamed Capitol Avenue by 1940), the neighborhood was radically changed by the start of World War II, the forced relocation of Sacramento’s thousands of Japanese Americans to internment camps, and a migration of African Americans to Sacramento. Many of these migrants came from the Southern states for jobs in Sacramento’s railroad shops and canneries, or at nearby airfields and Army bases. Some purchased businesses from the departing Japanese, opening a variety of businesses, but the best known were the jazz clubs. These clubs became so popular they crossed racial barriers and made Sacramento a stop on the touring circuit for the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century.
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Five Questions With STEVE HANSEN

Interview conducted by William Burg and Tim Foster Photos by Scott Duncan

Steve Hansen was the first candidate to announce that he was running for retiring City Councilman Rob Fong’s seat for District Four, which includes the central city. Hansen is deeply familiar with the district – he not only lives in Alkali Flat, he also served on the Sacramento Redistricting Citizens Advisory Committee Read more »

How We Roll

By Tony King Photos by Scott Duncan

“Every Day Is Your Chance To Make This City A Little Better.”

So proclaims a small white sign hanging above the shuttered Sewing Machine Center on J and 10th streets. It’s not clear who exactly hung this sign up, but it’s a sure bet they had someone like Sacramento-area bicycle advocate Rick Houston in mind when they did. Houston, after all, is the man behind Sac’s Tweed Rides, and now he has convinced the owner of the world’s largest handmade bicycle showcase to bring his annual event to Sacramento. Read more »

A Guide to Local Pub Quizzes

By Dennis Yudt photos by Scott Duncan

The pub quiz – like the grilled cheese sandwich or a bicycle – is one of those simple yet perfect ideas: answering a wide variety of trivia questions with a group of friends over a pint or two in friendly competition with other teams for a prize of more beer. Kinda brilliant, isn’t it? Read more »

Sacramento Beer Week Highlights

The third annual Sacramento Beer Week gives you the opportunity to try hundreds of beers from your backyard and from around the world from February 24 to March 4.  This year is marked by several additions to the family of Sacramento breweries and a number of larger events catering to thirsty beer fans from Sacramento and beyond. Read more »

Ruhstaller Redux

By  Ed Carroll  photos by Scott Duncan

“There’s something about Sacramento” can have any number of connotations – some good, some not so good. Whether it’s pining for that old Delta breeze, drinking on the porch, enduring the pain of another stolen bike, ridiculously hot summer days or other such pleasantries, no one can say our breezy little burg lacks charm. Being a native it is always a nice surprise to meet a transplant who appreciates, and even embraces the subtle allure of our fair city.  Ruhstaller founder J.E. Paino definitely falls into that category. Read more »

Pub Grub

Story and photos by Sarah Singleton

While Midtown and the greater Sacramento area has no shortage of pubs and watering holes in general, it’s always a plus to be able to sit down and enjoy a bite to eat while getting your drink on. Read more »

February Art Picks: Christoper Taggart Interview

Last month in this space I ran a preview of Time Fugitives, the new show at CCAS by artist Christopher Taggart, one of the brightest lights of the northern California art scene. Taggart’s art is process heavy, but there’s more than a simple ‘how long did that take?’ factor at work – the finished pieces are striking, savvy and sometimes, very funny. Taggart works in many mediums, but one constant thread is his fascination with perception. Whether he’s making a massive sewn-paper sculpture of a football, a ‘drawing’ (consisting of hundreds/thousands of smaller drawings) on aluminum sheet, or self portraits assembled from portraits of other people who share his name, Taggart is playing with both visual perceptions (often in the form of pixelization) and perception based on assumption.

Taggart will speak about his work on February 11 and he agreed to answer a few questions for MM here. Read more »

Art Picks- January 2012

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Lights Out: Sacramento’s Lost Movie Houses

By Matías Antonio Bombal  Images courtesy of the Center For Sacramento History

There was a time when Sacramento movie going was held to a high standard.  Where you went to the movies was as important, or even more important than what you went to see.   This was an era where showmanship was a high art. Read more »