BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A documentary telling the story of the little-known “heaviest corner on Earth” in Birmingham where some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world performed will be making its wide-release debut later this month.
The film, “Tuxedo Junction: The Almost Lost Story,” will premiere on Alabama Public Television Feb. 19. It explores a section of Ensley at the corner of 20th Street and Ensley Avenue where a number of bars and speakeasy clubs featured a revolving list of big band jazz acts. One local musician who was instrumental in the scene was John T. “Fess Whatley,” who taught music at Birmingham Industrial High School for many years and influenced generations of musicians.
The documentary is directed by Katie Rogers, featuring music from Erskine Hawkins, a famed jazz trumpet player who led his own band throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, Hawkins wrote a song in 1939 named after “Tuxedo Junction” that was widely played across the country…