Blog 5: It's Bigger than just Music

            Miles Davis emerged as a leading jazz musician in New York in the 1950s and 60s.  His predecessors Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie became Davis’s main “influences and teachers” and contributed to his development into one of the premier black musicians of the 20^th century.  At this time, racism was alive and present in American culture and in Miles Davis’s life.  Like many black musicians of the time, music was their outlet from racism.  Many of these musicians realized the unfair disadvantages that being black presented them with in the music industry.  Davis’s wife recalls him saying, “if I had been a white Miles Davis I would have been much further ahead” (Stewart lecture).  These social and economic disadvantages influenced the development of the jazz art form, which saw massive stylistic changes in clubs such as Minton’s, aka the “black capital of the world” (Davis 53).  The importance of this music to black society in Harlem as well as black society in the United States as a whole was something that this class has taught me.  

            Coming into this class, my assumptions of jazz were that it was simply a source of musical entertainment.  I had listened to Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and a few other artists we discussed in lecture, but I never considered the context of the music they played.  I did not understand the complexity of the art and the importance it held in the progression of African American culture in mid 1900s society.  No longer do I think of a jazz tune as just music on a sheet of paper.  Instead, this class has taught me to think critically about the social context of the artists and analyze how music is often times used as a vehicle for musicians to address their social surroundings. 

            Musicians like Miles Davis, who were recognized and listened to by a wide audience, had the ability to cast a wider net of influence then a normal person in society.  Miles Davis recognized this power and did not take it lightly.  He states in his autobiography, “knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery,” and with his knowledge Miles was able to create a dialogue between himself and his listeners (Davis 61).  Davis, who was unpopular among many white critics, despised the idea of having to rely on the good reviews and acceptance of white males.  In reference to performing as an entertainer, Davis wrote, “I wasn’t going to do it just so that some non-playing, racist, white, mother-fucker could write some nice things about me” (Davis 83).  Miles displayed his negative disposition towards the relationship between black and whites that was getting tense in the wake of the civil rights movement.

            Overall, this class has taught me that jazz is merely a creative process for turning poison into medicine.  Though black society was plagued by oppression, musicians like Miles Davis, continued to empower the black community by providing an outlet from the common struggles of the their lives as well as by providing a platform for social issues to be addressed.  Jazz is much more than music on a sheet of paper.           

Blog 4: Harmony in the Community

            Both Robin Kelley’s biography on Thelonious Monk and the film, Leimert Park show the relationship that exists between art and the community that surrounds it.  San Juan Hill and Leimert Park shared similar characteristics such as the violence that corrupted the streets, as well as the tight community that was created among the residents.  The dialogue between the community and the artists of the area shaped their music as we see reflected in Leimert Park as well as in Monk’s music as they respond to the social issues that haunted both of these areas.  In both San Juan Hill and Leimert Park, we see jazz serving as an outlet to the community trying to escape violence and reestablish a healthy cultural identity. 

            San Juan Hill “earned the dubious distinction of being one of the ‘busiest crime areas in New York City.’”  While much of the focus of the white community was on the violence that wrecked havoc in the area, residents utilized the “rich musical culture” as an outlet (Kelley 19).  Monk’s outlet came when his family received a piano as a gift when they moved to a new apartment complex.  Throughout Thelonious’s entire childhood, his community of friends congregated to his house to play music.  “The Monk’s apartment was a popular hangout for many of the young neighborhood musicians” (Kelley 32).  This is similar to how 5^th Street Dick’s served as a place for artists to express themselves in a safe place in Leimert Park.  In this sense, the saying “Jazz is New York” is reflected by the influence San Juan Hill and Leimert Park had on Monk as well as other local artists.

            Throughout the short documentary, Richard Fulton, the owner of 5^th Street Dick’s discusses the importance of having harmony amongst a community.  When violence was disrupting Leimert Park and San Juan Hill, the residents found harmony among their music.  Though Thelonious was a “big guy,” the daily violence that existed in San Juan Hill “haunted him for many years to come” (Kelley 18).  His piano, as well as the Children Center served as a sanctuary of harmony amiss the continued violence. 

            San Juan Hill presented Thelonious with many opportunities that had a major influence on his career as a pianist.  The piano the Monk’s received, inspired Thelonious’s passion and began his musical career, and San Juan Hill’s community, populated with a “surprising number of musicians,” provided Thelonious with resources to develop his art.  These included his first piano instructor, Simon Wolf who was “highly regarded among the parents who hired him,” and instilled classical training from “works by Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and Mozart” (Kelley 26).  Thelonious’s next mentor was a local jazz musician Alberta Simmons, who “was able to make a living playing ragtime and stride piano in the tiny speakeasies.”  The local church also proved important in Thelonious’s musical development as he became “steeped in the sacred music of the black Baptist tradition” (Kelley 27).  Thelonious’s local friend group developed in the Columbus Hill Community Center, and in 1933 Thelonious and two other kids formed their first band.  The trio competed in local “Amateur and Audition Nights,” and “Thelonious won so many times, for five or six weeks the Apollo became a steady source of income” (Kelley 36).  These beginning jazz influences not only jumpstarted Thelonious’s abilities but were the beginning to a long and legendary career.

            Though San Juan Hill and Leimert Park are in areas that were traditionally plagued with violence, both communities found harmony through the power of jazz.  The art provided an outlet for the creative minds such as Thelonious Monk to prosper.  Jazz music formed a community in the same way that the community allowed for the development of the genius within Thelonious’s.     

             

           

Blacks take a Swing at racism

            The 1930’s were a pivotal era for African-American’s in terms of their ability to speak out against the racial injustice of the time.  Jazz popularity was growing due to new radio technologies, and the new ‘swing style’ was sweeping across the United States.  However, as white musicians such as Benny Goodman began to take market share away from the black musicians due to their political advantages, racial tensions intensified.  In addition to these rivalries, Jazz, as an art form, was battling for respectability among the white society of the 1930s.  As Jazz began to gain respect, a platform was created for musicians and critics to use as a vehicle to voice their opinions.

            Jazz was able to penetrate white society in ways traditional movements could not. It opposed the rituals of Jim Crow segregation, which usually meant black musicians could not be in the front line of delivering the music to “respectable” white audiences.  Many musicians used this opportunity daringly to send a message.  These messages included Billy Holiday’s “1939 recording of ‘Strange Fruit,’ a disturbing song about a lynching, added to her notoriety and imparted a piquant political quality to her public image” (Gioia 168).  Recordings like these became increasingly public and were catalysts for other musicians inspiring them to call for change.  Critics like John Hammond cautioned against such blunt outcries yet encouraged more support from powerful figures such as Duke Ellington. Hammond’s push for Ellington to voice an opinion on the racial conflicts further angered the black community, due to Ellington’s passiveness and reluctance during the period of activism.

            Following the surge of Swing in New York, white critics began to write about jazz comparing who was better; the white musicians or the black.  As ‘Swing’ took over New York, a racial rivalry ensued over who was the “King of Swing.”  While Black searched for legitimacy to their music, first-class black Hotels in Harlem took center stage.  Minton’s for example, was a place where “the cream of the crop of Harlem’s black society” conglomerated (Troupe 53).  The famous “Battle of the Bands,” featuring the most prominent white swing musician Benny “King of Swing” Goodman vs. Chick Webb, the famous black drummer stirred up the Jazz (Swing) community, as 4000 attendants poured into the black ball room.  Following the show, Goodman stated, “Chick Webb cut me to ribbons” (Stewart Lecture).  The battle of the bands made the racial conflict more explicit.  It was evident that the black musicians were just as skilled, and most often, more skilled than their white competitors, yet they couldn’t play at Carnegie Hall because of their race.

            The Swing Era brought racial issues involved with Jazz to the forefront of American culture in the 1930s.  Musician’s, who were more talented, were discriminated against, leading to heightened tensions.  With the legitimacy of jazz as an art form now established through Benny Goodman’s performance at Carnegie Hall, black musicians had a serious public platform to express their frustrations on.  Because of the increased popularity of Swing, and the dissimilation of the music across the entire country, critics also had a new subject to write about.  This platform, combined with a growing rivalry between black and white musicians served as key aspects to racial activism of the 1930s.

Jazz vs White Supremacy

            In the 1920’s New York played a more important role in the development of Jazz music than any other city including Chicago and New Orleans.  New York was a center of American culture in the 1920s and was essential to the transition of jazz into the modern light.  New York was a popular destination for many blacks as the Great Migration continued to disseminate black culture around the nation.  Economically, New York was a prospering city that presented opportunities for talented musicians that were unmatched anywhere else in the world.  Though the black community was alive and well in Harlem and other parts of New York, racial barriers still existed and created continued tension that was carried into the nightclubs and dance halls of the 1920s and 30s.  These racial barriers however, contributed to a new and developing relationship between the musician and the patron that were essential in the progression of the jazz community.

            Though Chicago served as a place of rebirth for many blacks escaping the South, and was home to a large jazz scene, many musicians continued on to New York because it provided more opportunity for the advancing black musician of the 1920s. The art of jazz music was a fundamental part of the New York and helped shape the social dynamic of the community.  Jazz and New York shared a symbiotic relationship and influenced one another profoundly.  The “heterogeneous and multicultural community engendered a modern art,” similarly to how the multicultural influences in New Orleans helped produce the first jazz music (Lecture 2/3/15).  In the 1920’s and 30’s the Great Migration brought an influx of blacks from New Orleans to Chicago, and then onward to New York. “The New Orleans notion of jazz had been implanted” as the migrating musicians began to settle (Henderson 101). 

            Because of New York’s presence in the entertainment world, many new opportunities were available to those who could establish a popular reputation. The audiences on Broadway fueled the development of jazz, as musicians began to prosper economically and socially.  A new job as “Big Band” CEO/manager emerged in New York during the 1920s, highlighted by Fletcher Henderson, a black entrepreneur in the music industry.  These new band formations, which featured 20-30 people, were extremely popular and well received.  As the style of jazz began to shift, New York provided a platform for ‘performative’ jazz to take-off.  Jazz orchestras, which often played behind a group of white dancers, became mainstreamed in New York, and the music industry, which was largely occupied by black musicians, prospered.

            Though blacks had many more opportunities to coincide with white society while performing and living in New York, there was still the notion of blacks as workers serving the white patrons.  The racial structures of the clubs and music halls where shows were performed created tension when once again, black musicians and entrepreneurs like Henderson were limited by the racial circumstances.  Jazz, however, played a very interesting roll in the racial dynamic of New York.  Jazz music built a community of musicians and listeners that welcomed anyone.  Black musicians welcomed people with open arms, even though they weren’t welcome in many other communities.  The art created a community, and helped break down the racial barrier that many people had between black and white.

            Due to the economic advantages, the most talented musicians from around the world were pulled to New York’s prestigious ‘Broadway,’ including Louis Armstrong, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington.  Louis Armstrong is arguably the most influential of the group, and was brought to New York by Fletcher Henderson in 1924.  Armstrong, who was no longer the second trumpet to King Oliver and was able to perfect his own style and sound.  Armstrong’s unique skills changed the sound of Jazz in New York.  He brought the aspect of “swing,” to the music as his trumpet drove the direction of each track.  Many black jazz listeners in New York wanted to be reminded of their Southern roots which Armstrong and other musicians were able to provide with the ragtime flare that often accompanied their music.  These cultural roots, combined with the New York influences created a jazz that was unique to anywhere else in the world.  Big players like Armstrong and Waller were two of the most influential in coining this sound.  In addition to these musicians, many groups emerged such as The Hot Chocolates.  This group best personified New York jazz due to their ability to use the stage beyond their instruments.  New York jazz was more than just the music.  It enveloped song, dance, tapping, etc… which came together to provide a visual narrative of blacks experiences. 

            The Great Migration of blacks from New Orleans and Chicago onward to New York was essential to the progression of jazz music.  Harlem provided a new home for blacks who wanted more opportunity both socially and economically.  The economic opportunities of Broadway, New York extended the outlook for these musicians to escape from the racial boundaries of 1920’s society.  Finally, the power of music began to show its effects as jazz patrons began to show signs of respect to the black musicians, hinting at the possible shift in cultural stigmatism that persisted.  These social, economic and racial influences, all changed jazz as it developed in New York.  Famous musicians became celebrities and communities were formed by the unifying powers of the art of jazz.  Observers of jazz can notice its unique ability to challenge the white superiority, while it purposed as a vehicle for these musicians to test the remaining racial resistance that loomed over the United States in the mid 1900s.

Blog Post #1: New Orleans Emergence of Jazz

The New Orleans economy exploded in the 1800s following the Louisiana Purchase, as trade routes along the Mississippi River poured into New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.  New Orleans, being the largest trade mecca in the United States at this time, was comprised of many different ethnic backgrounds, and became a melting pot of culture.  Often cited as the “cosmopolitan center of the South,” New Orleans featured a sophisticated, urban and stylish mecca of French, African-American, Creole, and Mexican people, which was unique to anywhere else in the world (Gioia 27).  Because New Orleans was more liberal than the rest of the South, many ex-slaves congregated here as a place of refuge and rebirth. This notion of a rebirth was a common theme reflected in the voices of Jazz musicians such as R.L. Burnside, or Lead Belly.  Jazz emerged as a way for these musicians to express their struggles and as a way to help get them through another day of slave labor, hence “work songs.”  New Orleans was an impoverished area in the late 1800s following the railroad boom.  Gioia states that “by the time of the birth of jazz, New Orleans was already a city in decline” (28).  These living conditions highlighted by the looming slave struggle as well as cosmopolitan influences shaped the beginning of Jazz music.  In the early 1900s New Orleans was split by Canal Street with the wealthier, often white people living uptown, and the creoles and blacks living downtown.   This divide created the Red Light District , also known as StoryVille, where many famous Jazz musicians got their start.  “Historians of New Orleans jazz have preferred to focus on the city’s moral dangers, linking the rise of hot music to sin and licentiousness” (29).  Some of the musicians that emerged from New Orleans’ Red Light District include the likes of Buddy Bolten, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong.  Three prominent jazz figures who, without question, were influenced by the nature of their surroundings.  I think the main reason jazz emerged from the United States is due to the history of the living conditions and the emergence of the area as a cosmopolitan region.  The roots of jazz music were a reflection of the struggles and hardship that the slaves experienced while living in the South.  Following the civil war, African-Americans were still at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and jazz, for many was the only means for making it out of the cyclical pattern of poverty.  A crop of talent beginning with R.L. Burnside, and highlighted by Louis Armstrong’s presence as the “first soloist” pushed jazz to the forefront of American culture (Gioia 53).   Jazz from New Orleans was different than anything else due to the influences of multiple different cultures.  New Orleans was unique to all other cities because it was comprised of a mixture of French, African-American, Mexican, and Creole people.  These different cultures each added to the jazz music of New Orleans in its own way.  Musicians such as King Oliver spent years refining their sound.  “This obsession with sound gets to the heart of the New Orleans revolution in music, and to the essence of Oliver’s contribution to it.  Instead of aspiring to classical purity of tone, emulation an otherworldly perfection, the early jazz players strived to make their instruments sound like human voices” (Gioia 48).  It was the attention to detail and the unique ethnic flair that separates New Orleans from anywhere else at that time.

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