Before the start of this class, I had a pretty good idea of general jazz history, being raised listening to the music my whole life. However, I did not expect to learn about the sociological and cultural impacts that jazz music had on America. I very much enjoyed this aspect of the music, because it introduced to me how an art form can shape a country in a very powerful way. I love that I can listen to the music that I grew up with and now have the ability to apply how it makes me feel and thus to relate to historical populations, possessing a better understanding of how it changed the United States. However, growing up I listened to a lot of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, so I from my experience I assumed that women played a much larger role in the making and playing of jazz. This class opened my eyes to the patricentric world that jazz truly is, which was kind of disappointing in my opinion because I always enjoyed the more feminine side of the music. Throughout the class I learned that men’s perpetuation of jazz gave it the reputation of a violent, rambunctious lifestyle involving lots of sex, drugs, and booze. Because of this, combined with the male-centered society at the time, made it difficult for women, especially of African descent, to succeed in the music industry.
One facet of jazz history that I expected was the involvement of the black community in its creation and popularization. Especially since this is a Black Studies class, I knew we would focus mainly on important black artists throughout jazz’s long and colorful history. However, I had never even thought about white jazz artists in the early 1900’s, thinking of jazz as a stereotypically African American music. I was also surprised to learn about the black Creoles in New Orleans and their essential involvement in the initial creation of the music we know today as jazz. I enjoyed learning about how the interactions between races allowed for the creation, development, and propagation of jazz over time. I was especially interested in prominent white bands like the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and the Austin High Gang. I had assumed that jazz music was something bred in the slums of Harlem and the like and confined to that space, as opposed to proliferated throughout the cities and across racial boundaries. I had also been previously mistaken in thinking that black jazz musicians had simply played in nightclubs and released their music without hardship, failing to consider the tribulations they must have gone through trying to publicize their music. This class introduced me to the idea of bandleaders, managers, booking agents, and an entire world of white politics and economy behind the black jazz music I grew up listening to. Overall, this class opened my eyes to a political, cultural, and social world that I never expected to lie beneath the music that I danced to as a small child.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monk and Politics
Thelonious Monk grew up in one of the most turbulent communities of his generation. Transplanted into the San Juan Hill neighborhood at a young age, Monk’s development as an artist and a person were influenced by the violence and the culture that surrounded his peaceful and tolerant family. Regardless of the crime and riots that often punctuated San Juan Hill’s atmosphere, incredible music was bred in the bohemian back alleys, resulting in the city being home to the highest concentration of black jazz musicians in New York. The strong community was forged based on the music that emanated from literally every home, which contributed greatly to Monk’s attitude as it regarded politics versus music. His simplistic view most likely stems from his mother’s attempts to raise him with good, strong values and a very non-political view of right and wrong. She reared a household where music, religion, and kindness were of utmost importance, even in a community where the papers only reported on racism, violence, and politics (Kelley 19).
Throughout his life, Monk was incensed with politics, be they racial or not, as they affected his ability to play and listen to good jazz music, which they often did. When he first started playing at the Five Spot with his quartet, the union took his drummer right in the middle of a set because he wasn’t legally allowed to work, which made Monk incredibly angry. When he was arrested, falsely convicted of possessing narcotics, and stripped of his cabaret card, his inability to play his music sent him into a deep depression. He had a very strong sense of right and wrong and, as Rouse said, “If he thinks he’s right, he sticks by what he thinks,” (Kelley 254). This is a lighthearted way to describe Monk’s very stubborn sense of self, which often resulted in uncharacteristic violence.
His relationship with Nica is one of many parts of his life that epitomizes his lack of patience with racial barriers. Having such a close relationship with a white woman in the 1930’s was not only looked down upon, but also often resulted in arrests and riots. One could assume that, based on his personality, Monk was just oblivious to the politics of his time, except for the fact that Kelley often discusses the artist’s interest in discussing such matters. It is evident, then, that Monk simply put little stock in those affairs, choosing instead to focus on his music. For the sake of music, however, he often participated in rebellion against the system, which resulted in a series of arrests, some involving Nica. At a hotel in Delaware, he was beaten to the ground by multiple policemen simply for looking for something to drink. “’Thelonious was so mad, he wouldn’t move. He took hold of the car door… and couldn’t be budged until one cop started beating on his hands with a billy club, his pianist’s hands,’” (Kelley 254). Completely intolerant of the racism rampant in society, one cannot say that Monk was not involved. As a black man, and a prominent one at that, his association with politicos and whites like Nica often pushed him into the midst of the violent racial wars occurring in America at that time. However, Monk sought to create a world, at least musically, of freedom. In his mind, the creation of music was most important, because in the violent neighborhoods he was raised in, it was the single unifier of very diverse groups of people.
Throughout his life, Monk was incensed with politics, be they racial or not, as they affected his ability to play and listen to good jazz music, which they often did. When he first started playing at the Five Spot with his quartet, the union took his drummer right in the middle of a set because he wasn’t legally allowed to work, which made Monk incredibly angry. When he was arrested, falsely convicted of possessing narcotics, and stripped of his cabaret card, his inability to play his music sent him into a deep depression. He had a very strong sense of right and wrong and, as Rouse said, “If he thinks he’s right, he sticks by what he thinks,” (Kelley 254). This is a lighthearted way to describe Monk’s very stubborn sense of self, which often resulted in uncharacteristic violence.
His relationship with Nica is one of many parts of his life that epitomizes his lack of patience with racial barriers. Having such a close relationship with a white woman in the 1930’s was not only looked down upon, but also often resulted in arrests and riots. One could assume that, based on his personality, Monk was just oblivious to the politics of his time, except for the fact that Kelley often discusses the artist’s interest in discussing such matters. It is evident, then, that Monk simply put little stock in those affairs, choosing instead to focus on his music. For the sake of music, however, he often participated in rebellion against the system, which resulted in a series of arrests, some involving Nica. At a hotel in Delaware, he was beaten to the ground by multiple policemen simply for looking for something to drink. “’Thelonious was so mad, he wouldn’t move. He took hold of the car door… and couldn’t be budged until one cop started beating on his hands with a billy club, his pianist’s hands,’” (Kelley 254). Completely intolerant of the racism rampant in society, one cannot say that Monk was not involved. As a black man, and a prominent one at that, his association with politicos and whites like Nica often pushed him into the midst of the violent racial wars occurring in America at that time. However, Monk sought to create a world, at least musically, of freedom. In his mind, the creation of music was most important, because in the violent neighborhoods he was raised in, it was the single unifier of very diverse groups of people.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Racism and Jazz
Although jazz was born out of a collision between two cultures, the issue of social stratification and racial identity was rarely addressed in early jazz history. However, in pre-war 1930 America, racism began to be recognized as an issue for the first time, especially as it applied to the growing jazz industry. As jazz became incredibly prominent as both an economy and a musical style, the race identities that were deeply engrained in the system became increasingly obvious. In the very beginning, the music that predated jazz was primarily for entertaining small groups of black slaves and allowed them to alleviate the hardships of oppression. Jazz itself developed out of a musical rebellion against the control of the white man. As jazz, and the people who developed it, migrated northwards toward Chicago and New York, the constantly changing musical style branched out from its African roots, absorbing and affecting white middle class culture. By the time it hit New York City, jazz was being played, recorded, and listened to by blacks, whites and Creoles alike. However, since the music spanned so many cultures, it allowed for vehement racism to be bred within the growing jazz world. Encouraged by the increasing incorporation of economics and money into the music, a growing dichotomy began to push black and white artists to separate sides of the industry. Since white-dominated society allowed for white artists to have easier access to bookings and high-end shows, blacks were forced to play for primarily black audiences and therefore weren’t as able to promote their music to the American masses.
The issue of racial dichotomy regarding musical success was widely ignored for many years as jazz began to emerge out of the South. Giola discusses how one of the first jazz recordings was by the Original Dixieland Band, an entirely white ensemble playing entirely black music. The opportunities that existed in the professional musical world, especially as jazz became a nationwide phenomenon, were limited to black artists. Those unwilling to make certain sacrifices that undermined their racial identity, such as hiring white managers or collaborating with mixed race bands, were often stuck in black night clubs performing for their locale only. Those that made it big were like Duke Ellington, who worked with many white men during his career, because he was willing to forgo his racial pride in order to obtain fame and success. Subcultures like the gangs of New York and Chicago encouraged the subjugation of the black artists to the white man’s economic and social power, often resulting in gang leaders having complete control over “plantations” of black musicians trying to succeed (Travis 43).
However, change came with the 1930’s and the rise of technology. Whereas at first musical technology severely limited black bands who didn’t have access to it, cheaper microphones, radios, and recording equipment suddenly allowed bands with less white influence to broadcast their art. Indubitably, with yet another increase in the popularity of jazz (as well as an easier way to publicize it to the masses) gave rise to critics of the art, many of whom were advocates for black musicians and integrated bands. Suddenly, an issue that had been blatantly ignored for several decades was on the front page of brand new jazz magazines. The commodification of jazz meant that the public took a sudden and incredible interest in the music and the lifestyle, and publication of the inner workings and racial conflicts of the industry sold papers. Critics like John Hammond capitalized on the newfound interest of the American middle class in jazz, taking the stance of defending the black musicians and advocating for their rights and talent.
Overall, it was the technology and consumer culture that arose in the 1930’s that contributed to the novel interest in the unfairness of the (long ignored) racial and social dichotomies that made up most of jazz’s history. Without the public and the audience’s investment in the widely broadcasted music and culture of jazz, the blatant racism in the system probably would have continued to go unnoticed.
The issue of racial dichotomy regarding musical success was widely ignored for many years as jazz began to emerge out of the South. Giola discusses how one of the first jazz recordings was by the Original Dixieland Band, an entirely white ensemble playing entirely black music. The opportunities that existed in the professional musical world, especially as jazz became a nationwide phenomenon, were limited to black artists. Those unwilling to make certain sacrifices that undermined their racial identity, such as hiring white managers or collaborating with mixed race bands, were often stuck in black night clubs performing for their locale only. Those that made it big were like Duke Ellington, who worked with many white men during his career, because he was willing to forgo his racial pride in order to obtain fame and success. Subcultures like the gangs of New York and Chicago encouraged the subjugation of the black artists to the white man’s economic and social power, often resulting in gang leaders having complete control over “plantations” of black musicians trying to succeed (Travis 43).
However, change came with the 1930’s and the rise of technology. Whereas at first musical technology severely limited black bands who didn’t have access to it, cheaper microphones, radios, and recording equipment suddenly allowed bands with less white influence to broadcast their art. Indubitably, with yet another increase in the popularity of jazz (as well as an easier way to publicize it to the masses) gave rise to critics of the art, many of whom were advocates for black musicians and integrated bands. Suddenly, an issue that had been blatantly ignored for several decades was on the front page of brand new jazz magazines. The commodification of jazz meant that the public took a sudden and incredible interest in the music and the lifestyle, and publication of the inner workings and racial conflicts of the industry sold papers. Critics like John Hammond capitalized on the newfound interest of the American middle class in jazz, taking the stance of defending the black musicians and advocating for their rights and talent.
Overall, it was the technology and consumer culture that arose in the 1930’s that contributed to the novel interest in the unfairness of the (long ignored) racial and social dichotomies that made up most of jazz’s history. Without the public and the audience’s investment in the widely broadcasted music and culture of jazz, the blatant racism in the system probably would have continued to go unnoticed.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Big Cities and Their Contribution to Jazz
Jazz music's evolution was shifted and influenced by every big city it passed through. Although New Orleans and Chicago, in turn, added their own flavor and culture to the growing hodgepodge that was jazz, it was the racial blending, commodification, and need for entertainment present in diverse New York City that most profoundly affected the revolutionizing of jazz.
The origins of jazz lie deep within the historical blurring of racial lines, eliciting a transformation in the musical style every time it encountered a situation where cultures mixed together. Musically, jazz is known as the amalgamation of native African call-and-response style and classical European waltzes, a combination that laid an irrefutable foundation for blacks and whites to come together over shared taste in music. The proximity of the white upper class to impoverished black musicians in New York parallels that present at the birth of jazz in Congo Square and during slavery. Where Chicago pushed jazz forward, encouraging increasingly wilder interpretations of the style, New York pulled it back towards its essential roots. However, the relationship between the two races in New York was much different than in the Antebellum South, providing yet another opportunity for jazz to transform. Unlike their enslaved, downtrodden ancestors, blacks found prominence and significant importance in the “two Harlems” of New York (Gioia 94). Yet again, a mixture was essential to the rise in popularity of jazz, as the Harlem Renaissance, born out of the drawing together of the “cultural elite” coexisted with the harsh realities of living in an isolated slum. Rent parties arose from a combination of poverty and bursting creativity, and were very important in not only jazz as a whole but partly in the popularization of the piano as part of the musical style. “The instrument represented conflicting possibilities—a pathway for assimilating traditional highbrow culture, a calling card of lowbrow nightlife, a symbol of middle class prosperity, or, quite simply, a means of making a living,” (Gioia 96). Because of this, the piano became essential to the modern 20th century home, and, because of its crowd-pleasing nature, to jazz. Like the brass bands of New Orleans, jazz’s incorporation of the piano offered a middle ground to its audience that would be absolutely essential in the economization of the music.
Chicago, although not as important in the overall history of jazz, laid an important foundation for the hot economic commodity it would become in the city of New York. The bustling, culture-rich city made the wild and crazy music bred in the slums of New Orleans and nurtured in the nightclubs of Chicago into a marketable, widespread musical phenomenon using a combination of dirty money and interracial relations. Artists like Duke Ellington and Fletcher Hendersong found their voices here, often very driven, fame-crazy musicians who were willing to “take the low road” to achieve success (Lecture 10/26/10). Similar to the environment in New Orleans that so gently nurtured jazz music, New York had a historically diverse community that allowed for partnerships not possible in segregated Chicago. For example, Duke Ellington worked with a Jewish agent in order to get ahead in the jazz game, using his connections with willing members of the white community to get the best bookings and venues. New York was where jazz became about entertainment again, falling back into the historical routine of morphing however necessary to please its audiences, be they black or white. Although an incredible form of music, jazz was most importantly a commodity, both in New York and New Orleans, and released some of the most memorable records under the pressure of economics. The fact that the New York culture was able to bring jazz full circle highlights its importance in the history of jazz, a style of music that needed strong cultural mixing, economic importance, and a lot of soul to maintain it.
The origins of jazz lie deep within the historical blurring of racial lines, eliciting a transformation in the musical style every time it encountered a situation where cultures mixed together. Musically, jazz is known as the amalgamation of native African call-and-response style and classical European waltzes, a combination that laid an irrefutable foundation for blacks and whites to come together over shared taste in music. The proximity of the white upper class to impoverished black musicians in New York parallels that present at the birth of jazz in Congo Square and during slavery. Where Chicago pushed jazz forward, encouraging increasingly wilder interpretations of the style, New York pulled it back towards its essential roots. However, the relationship between the two races in New York was much different than in the Antebellum South, providing yet another opportunity for jazz to transform. Unlike their enslaved, downtrodden ancestors, blacks found prominence and significant importance in the “two Harlems” of New York (Gioia 94). Yet again, a mixture was essential to the rise in popularity of jazz, as the Harlem Renaissance, born out of the drawing together of the “cultural elite” coexisted with the harsh realities of living in an isolated slum. Rent parties arose from a combination of poverty and bursting creativity, and were very important in not only jazz as a whole but partly in the popularization of the piano as part of the musical style. “The instrument represented conflicting possibilities—a pathway for assimilating traditional highbrow culture, a calling card of lowbrow nightlife, a symbol of middle class prosperity, or, quite simply, a means of making a living,” (Gioia 96). Because of this, the piano became essential to the modern 20th century home, and, because of its crowd-pleasing nature, to jazz. Like the brass bands of New Orleans, jazz’s incorporation of the piano offered a middle ground to its audience that would be absolutely essential in the economization of the music.
Chicago, although not as important in the overall history of jazz, laid an important foundation for the hot economic commodity it would become in the city of New York. The bustling, culture-rich city made the wild and crazy music bred in the slums of New Orleans and nurtured in the nightclubs of Chicago into a marketable, widespread musical phenomenon using a combination of dirty money and interracial relations. Artists like Duke Ellington and Fletcher Hendersong found their voices here, often very driven, fame-crazy musicians who were willing to “take the low road” to achieve success (Lecture 10/26/10). Similar to the environment in New Orleans that so gently nurtured jazz music, New York had a historically diverse community that allowed for partnerships not possible in segregated Chicago. For example, Duke Ellington worked with a Jewish agent in order to get ahead in the jazz game, using his connections with willing members of the white community to get the best bookings and venues. New York was where jazz became about entertainment again, falling back into the historical routine of morphing however necessary to please its audiences, be they black or white. Although an incredible form of music, jazz was most importantly a commodity, both in New York and New Orleans, and released some of the most memorable records under the pressure of economics. The fact that the New York culture was able to bring jazz full circle highlights its importance in the history of jazz, a style of music that needed strong cultural mixing, economic importance, and a lot of soul to maintain it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
New Orleans and the Emergence of Jazz
The city of New Orleans allowed for the incorporation of true urban life into jazz composition. As America progressed into the 19th century, depression brewed amongst the decay of the once booming Deep South river town. As Giola argues, music and dancing not only maintained the little vitality left in New Orleans, but also provided a necessary distraction from the heft of every day life. “Festivities allowed them to distance themselves from the suffering and pestilence of the here and now,” (Giola 31). As partying became a part of living in the ghettos of New Orleans, grit and grunge intertwined with the heavy beats of the music. It was born out of music played in night clubs and dirty brothels. Impoverished New Orleans needed jazz. Suddenly, the entertainment value so engrained into the performance of the music allowed it to be manipulated. Because of the overwhelming aura of the city, jazz music began to morph into those entertained by it; the music was a part of them, and they were part of the music. The development of jazz was more of a social construct that the brainchild of just one man, although many like Jelly Roll Morton claimed credit for the distinctive style.
Any city is the perfect breeding ground for deeply cultural music like jazz, and because of its definitive melting pot atmosphere, inspiration is everywhere. Giola argues that the unique sound of jazz resulted from combining music from the brothels with choir songs from church, a blend of two completely different spheres of city life. However, the unpredictable amalgamations that precluded blues, ragtime, and jazz are far more deeply rooted in history. Before it was famous for jazz, New Orleans was famous for being a racial mixing bowl, incorporating White, Black, Spanish, French, slave, and master into its midst. The city was about combining polar opposites, housing huge numbers of Creoles and Mulattos and propagating its own unique social stratification, so naturally, a genre of music comprised of European, South African, and American Creole styles, stirred together over the decades, emerged from the mishmash.
Most importantly, I believe that it was the sincere activism against jazz that propagated its emergence so successfully. Songwriters like Buddy Bolden promoted the spread of jazz more than any District night club could have. “Bolden pushed the limits as few of his contemporaries dared, no doubt enhancing the allure of his quasi-forbidden music in the process,” (Giola 36). The fascination with the underground and illegal was already prominent in the ghettoes before jazz emerged and aggravated the delicate hierarchy of the city. The police force getting involved with jazz did little more than further popularize the style amongst the wide variety of people. The fascinating grunge, lawlessness, and diversity New Orleans life contributed to the soul that is still present behind modern day jazz, a music powerful enough to transcend social stigmas, racial barriers, and state lines.
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