Jazz on Fifty Second Street Swing Street, New York City was a hub for jazz in the 1930s and 1940s, with many famous jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie performing in clubs along the block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The area was known as Swing Street and attracted large crowds to hear greats like Erroll Garner, Oscar Pettiford, and J.C. Heard play together and musicians like Sonny and Lucky perform the blues.