Los Angeles's Black Pride

To be sure, many of the arts and political venues in the neighborhood work at blending contemporary voices and styles into their presentations. Gallery Plus on Degnan Boulevard offers pieces by aspiring young artists. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a well-known L.A. radio commentator, hosts a regular Saturday morning round-table discussion on current social and political issues at Lucy Florence Coffeehouse on West 43rd Street. KAOS, a multimedia complex on Leimert Boulevard, stages a hip-hop open mike every Thursday night. And at the World Stage Performance Gallery, the nightly shows include a good share of young neo-soul artists. But there's also an air of nostagia about the place.

While exploring the neighborhood I felt an urge to take something back home. That's pretty easy to do. A shopper could easily overhaul a wardrobe or fill a gift list here. Ahneva Ahneva, whose namesake store is on Degnan Boulevard, custom-designs fashions -- anything from evening gowns to beachwear -- for men, women and children. For those who want to sew their own quilts or other garments, Africa by the Yard, down the block, is the place to go, with fabrics and fashions from Ghana, Sierra Leone and other African countries lining the shelves.

Sika Master Jeweler, a few doors away, features a dazzling array of rings, necklaces and other ornamentals, with the best pieces made of amber, shells and silver. Nearby, Zambezi Bazaar has a carefully chosen selection of black-themed greeting cards, dolls, candles, earrings and housewares.

Lucy Florence, the coffeehouse, is a multipurpose gathering spot with the feel of a salon. There's a gallery featuring the works of several young Los Angeles painters, a stage where plays and spoken-word presentations are produced, and a cafe selling java and homemade pies. Richard Harris, a co-owner with his twin brother, Ron, said, "We're trying to offer a venue for every aspect of the black experience, including spoken and visual arts. And we have created a space where everyone has a place."

Back on the street, night was settling in and the village was becoming a cacophony of music. The sonorous voice of Ann Mack, a local vocalist, wafted out onto the street from Augustine's, a fine-dining spot on Degnan Boulevard. A bongo drum player staged an impromptu gig in the park. A jazz trio played sets at Fifth Street Dick's, a popular cafe and music spot.

But a friend and I passed up these scenes for blues at Babe's & Ricky's Inn. Inside, neon signs blinked, a small crowd sipped Coronas at the bar and Cab Calloway tunes played on the jukebox. Laura Mae Gross, the eightysomething proprieter, gave us the short version of the place's history. It opened in 1964 on Central Avenue, then the center of L.A's jazz scene, and hosted many jazz and blues greats -- Count Basie, B.B. King, Duke Ellington. It moved to Leimert Park in '97.

The night's two acts, soloist Mickey Champion and Bill Clark and the Mighty Balls of Fire, easily met my high expectations. With its Delta blues tunes, the quartet took the whole place to a roadside blues joint somewhere deep in Mississippi. But the star of the night was Champion, a crooner in her seventies with a deep voice and the style of jazz giant Dinah Washington. As much entertainer as singer, she moved from booth to booth, serenading each table with chatter and song.

The next day, I returned to Leimert Park to attend a free open-air jazz concert organized by the World Stage in a parking lot. All afternoon, trios, quartets and larger bands filed one after the other onto a makeshift stage, blaring saxophones, keyboards, clarinets and vocals. As the afternoon wore on, the crowd swelled into the hundreds. Even as the concert wound down, most of the fans stayed on, calling for encores, clinging to the moment.

Gary Lee will be online to discuss this story Monday at 2 p.m. during the Travel section's regular weekly chat onhttp://www.washingtonpost.com.