Image courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
Explore the vibrant history of jazz in Queens with a new interactive digital map. Flushing Town Hall on Thursday released the Digital Queens Jazz Trail Map, putting 125 jazz legends who once called Queens home on the map. The digital map is the first phase of a larger database that will include more figures, locations, and details, allowing users to contribute comments and additional content to be approved by Flushing Town Hall.
While the birthplace of jazz can be traced to New Orleans, Queens is where dozens of jazz artists lived throughout the decades. More than 100 jazz legends have resided in the borough, including Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Charlie Mingus, John Coltrane, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Heath, Roy Eldridge, and more.
In addition to the addresses of many famous jazz musicians, the map also includes significant locations such as the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Black American Heritage Foundation’s Music History Archive.
The interactive map is a digital adaptation of the original Queens Jazz Trail Map, first issued by Flushing Town Hall in 1998 and directed by Marc H. Miller, with design by Cindy Ho and illustrations by Tony Millionaire.
Reissued in 2023, the updated version was printed by Mendez Instant Pricing and produced with contributions from jazz historian Ben Young, graphic designer Kevon Nichols, and Flushing Town Hall’s jazz producer Clyde Bullard. The map is now back on sale in the town hall’s gift shop.
“First printed in 1998, the original Queens Jazz Trail map had become the stuff of lore—possessed by few, coveted by many,” Ellen Kodadek, executive & artistic director at Flushing Town Hall, said.
“We are thrilled to be selling it again in our Gift Shop and especially excited for its new digital release, which makes it widely available to be used and enjoyed by all for many years to come.”
The new digital map is designed by Urban Archive, with funding from the Queens Economic Development Corporation/Queens Tourism Council.
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