Hollywood Jazz: Capitol Records Mural
“Hollywood Jazz — 1945-1972” is a mural by artist Richard Wyatt Jr. on the south wall outside of the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood. The original 26 x 88 ft acrylic on concrete mural was completed in 1991. It was commissioned at the request of the Los Angeles Jazz Society, and paid for by the Los Angeles Endowment for the Arts.
The mural depicts legendary jazz musicians Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Tito Puente, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Shelly Manne, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. The mural took nine months to paint and was only was only intended to be there for five years. “But the mural became an L.A. landmark of sorts.”
The mural had deteriorated over the decades. Capitol Records funded the mural's 15-month restoration, which began in November 2011. However, rather than repainting it, the mural was re-created from photos and fired onto 2,288 hand-glazed ceramic tiles for longer life.
I took the photos here of the restored mural the evening of December 23, 2023. As you can see, the mural still looks great, and is well lit at night.
Richard Wyatt Jr. was born in born in Lynwood, California and raised in Compton and the Crenshaw District in Los Angeles. He is best known for his public art in and around the city of Los Angeles, including his 1996 mural as part of the “City of Dreams/River of History” artwork at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.
