Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

It is small, pretty much just two rooms There is an entrance fee of $ 2 so, that wasn’t too bad for what you will see. Some interesting exhibits in-​which I learned some of the history of jazz. The Sun Ra display was pretty cool. Another awesome display that contains Ella Fitzgerald key to the City of Birmingham. It do not take long to get around, but enjoyable all the same. Check it out.

Folks, we seriously need to find some donors for this little gem in Birmingham. This city is so important to our jazz history, one would think Americans would want to fund this space to keep wowing visitors. The space is clean and the artifacts are intriguing, the staff is warm and friendly, and the music wafting in from the young musicians taking classes is intoxicating (boy can they play!). The place deserves a huge grant for some renovation to attract more visitors. Perhaps some guided tour headsets with music to accompany the tour.

The Hall of Fame sits inside an old theatre with a beautiful vintage marquee, which is nice in and of itself. The admission is merely $ 2, so if you have any interest at all you have nothing to lose.
That said, regardless of interest level you won’t necessarily pick up a whole lot of info. The museum consists generally of band roll calls, some old flyers, and occasional instruments. No music plays in the hall, no video, etc. It would have been nice to read the little display on Erskine Hawkins’ «Tuxedo Junction» which apparently has Birmingham references & then listen to it but oh well.
Certainly what drew me there (and likely many others) is the display on Sun Ra. Which is tiny — a couple of posters and a paragraph — but it’s beautiful and unlikely to have even that. He was a 1979 inductee to the Hall. And if you are a Ra fanatic, they have t-​shirts for sale in the lobby, though sizes are limited. (You also may want to visit the Bottletree Café for dinner, which has an amazing Ra mural on the back of their men’s room door (check their Unilocal photos).
It could be more, but I am just happy that it is there.