At this time the infamous covenant line along Washington Boulevard demarcated the areas where African Americans were allowed to live.
The Dunbar Hotel featured a nightclub called the Club Alabam, where the jazz greats would play after hours.
All around the hotel there were numerous other clubs featuring jazz and blues, which were the launching point for the careers of many well-known musicians.
The festival takes place on several blocks of Central Avenue, south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which includes the Dunbar Hotel.
A strong component of the festival's format has been to spotlight young Los Angeles musicians, such as Kamasi Washington,[1] and Kalil Wilson,[1] as well as talent from the neighborhood's high school bands and choirs.