52nd Street, properly West 52nd Street, is a cross street in Manhattan in the Broadway district known as Swing Street, "the street of jazz", "the street that never sleeps" or, simply, "the street". The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... A view of Broadway in 1909 Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City, and is the oldest north-south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement. ... Swing Street or just The Street was 52nd Street in New York City between 5th and 7th Avenues from the mid 1930s until the late 1940s. ...

The blocks of 52nd Street between 5th and 7th avenues were renowned in the mid 20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life. The street was convenient to musicians playing on Broadway and the "legitimate" nightclubs and was also the site of a CBS studio. Musicians who played for others in the early evening played for themselves on 52nd Street. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans. ... CBS (formerly an acronym for Columbia Broadcasting System, the former legal name of the network) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ...

In its heyday from 1930 through 1960 52nd Street clubs hosted such jazz legends as Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk and many more. Although musicians from all schools performed there, 52nd Street was central in the development of bebop. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Charlie Parker Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Billie Holiday photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949 For the Canadian broadcaster, see Billie Holiday (broadcaster). ... Davis 1959 album Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album ever. ... Dizzy Gillespie in 1955 John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Arthur Tatum, Jr. ... Thelonious Monk, as featured on the cover of his 1956 album, Brilliant Corners (1958 reissue cover shown) Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ... Bebop or bop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ...

Virtually every great jazz player and singer of the era performed at clubs such as Small's Paradise, the Downbeat, the Three Deuces, the Royal Roost, Bop City, and Birdland. Noted jazz disc jockey Symphony Sid frequently did live broadcasts from the street, making it famous across the country. Downbeat can have several meanings: // In Music Theory In music performance and music theory, the downbeat is also the first beat of a measure in music. ... In jazz, Birdland may refer to: A famous jazz club in New York City, originally located on 52nd Street, now at at 315 W. 44th St. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Sidney Tarnopol (December 14, 1909-September 14, 1984) was a long-time jazz disk jockey in the United States. ... individually-donated time and energy direct government payments or operation indirect government payments, such as radio and television licenses grants from foundations or business entities selling advertising or sponsorship public subscription or membership fees charged to all owners of TV sets or radios, regardless of whether they intend to receive...

By the late 1950s the jazz scene began moving elsewhere around the city and urban renewal took hold of the street. By the 1960s most of the legendary clubs were razed or fell into disrepair. The last club there closed its doors in 1968. Today, the street is full of banks, shops, and department stores and shows little trace of its jazz history. The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... Blight often stands side-by-side with new structures during urban renewal efforts. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...