The sculpture at the corner of E. Long Street and St. Clair Avenue in front of the King-Lincoln Gateway Building was created by local sculpture Omar Shaheed in 2008. Titled “Jazz Duets”, the sculpture pays homage to the rich jazz history of East Long Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue. The sculpture took Shaheed nine months to carve out of one solid 25,000 pound block of limestone. One of only a few African-American artists who sculpt in limestone in the U.S., Shaheed has works throughout Columbus, including the King Arts Complex and Grant Medical Center.
As you stand next to Shaheed’s sculpture, take a minute to look around East Long Street and imagine what the district would have been like it its heyday as a breeding ground for world-class jazz talent. World-renowned saxophonist and Columbus Jazz Legend Gene Walker got his start in the Near East Side in the late 1950’s and performed with artists such as The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and Neil Diamond, just to name a few.
If you select the audio tour you can listen to Gene jamming on the saxophone in “Jam for Jitney” -- a song performed in tribute to the late local musician Jitney Watkins and based on Horace Silver’s “Song for Our Fathers” at the end of the recording.
Columbus, OH, USA
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Franklin County
Please note: The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) does not own or manage any public art. For the purposes of this database many pieces were entered by the Arts Council while we continue to search for the appropriate owner/manager of the work and other information to complete the entry. The Arts Council has tried to gather all available information about the works in this database, however, we acknowledge there may be missing or inaccurate information. If you can help us correct any inaccuracies, or provide more complete information, we would be grateful. Please use “Something missing? Please send us a note” above.
Taking images of public art works and sharing your experiences is one of the most fun reasons to engage with public art. As a community, we care deeply about the artists who have contributed the artworks we enjoy every day. Please be sure to credit artists when you share your photos. If you have an interest in using public artwork present in this database for commercial purposes, please contact Jami Goldstein at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Taking your own images of public artwork does not release you from the responsibility of artist credit and/or compensation.
This site is produced and managed by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and supported by the Ohio Arts Council and public art collections across the state. Contributors to the databases to date include collections held by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, City of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin Arts Council, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Department, City of Kettering, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Licking County Foundation, Ohio Arts Council’s Percent for Art program, Short North Arts District and the City of Sandusky. The database was funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Research and development support is provided by Designing Local, OSA Technology Partners and Columbus artist Stephanie Rond. The Columbus Makes Art campaign is a citywide, collaborative marketing effort designed to highlight the incredible talent of central Ohio artists. The Greater Columbus Arts Council is supported by the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council.
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