Experience Baltimore ’ s jazz scene with a visit to The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center ( above ) or Todd Barkan ’ s legendary Keystone Korner jazz club .
A Platinum Record :
Baltimore ’ s Musical History
Baltimore has long boasted an impressive entertainment scene , thanks to large festivals like AFRAM and Artscape that attract thousands of spectators every year and major performance venues like the waterfront Pier Six Pavilion and the newly renovated CFG Bank Arena . And much of Baltimore ’ s musical history is connected to the artists who have called Charm City home , especially the African American singers and performers responsible for bringing so many musical styles to the city .
Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday grew up in Baltimore in the 1920s and returned often during her professional career to play venues like the Royal Theatre along the historic Pennsylvania Avenue , now an official Arts & Entertainment District . Baltimore ’ s mid- 20th century jazz scene was also shaped by greats like Cab Calloway and Eubie Blake , who both called Baltimore home . Check out The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center to learn more about our jazz history , and then head to the legendary Keystone Korner jazz club in Harbor East to see the latest talent . The venue is a
resurrected version of the San Francisco club of the same name — one of the most popular jazz spots in the country .
Rapper Tupac Shakur also spent some of his formative years in Baltimore ; he studied jazz , poetry , acting and ballet at the Baltimore School for the Arts , where he befriended fellow musician and actor Jada Pinkett Smith , a Baltimore native . The Baltimore home in which Tupac lived still stands , and he is the frequent subject of street murals and art installations at area museums , such as a recent hip-hopthemed exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art . The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University has also produced countless award-winning musicians since its founding in 1857 , including Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tori Amos and Academy Award-nominated composer Philip Glass .
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