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Why it matters: The festival honors Central Avenue's pivotal role in jazz history while bridging communities through music. Sanchez, who was raised in Los Angeles, says the neighborhood's legacy remains vital. "It's very important for the folks to know about Central Avenue jazz and the important role it took in the upbringing of jazz and even Latin jazz,” Sanchez said.

Why now: The 30th anniversary comes as the largely Latino neighborhood continues Central Avenue's musical tradition. Sanchez sees his performance as creating "a bridge between even Latin people and blacks, which is great because that's what Latin jazz is all about."

The backstory: In the 1940s and '50s, Central Avenue was home to the Dunbar Hotel — about the only place in L.A. where Black entertainers could st

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