The Autonomous Region

Please join The Autonomous Region (aka the Manilatown Jazz Ensemble) as we step into the sounds and stories of San Francisco’s historic Manilatown for an afternoon of live jazz, archival photographs, family memories, and community Talk Story at the International Hotel Manilatown Center.

When Manilatown Swung: The Manila Serenaders launches a new chapter of Club Mandalay: Music, Memory & Manilatown, a gathering where live performance, archival history, and community storytelling come together to bring the many eras of Manilatown to life.

The Manila Serenaders traveled across the United States in the 1930s. Their tours covered 26 states, and for many of their shows, they opened for popular swing and jazz bandleaders like Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway, Lawrence Welk, and Louis Armerrstrong. They also performed at the famous Coconut Ballroom in Salt Lake City, UT.

Throughout the gathering, The Autonomous Region will bring these histories back into sound with live musical interludes inspired by the era.