Post 5: Jazz Through the Ages—It All Comes Together

Pick one thing/issue in the Miles Davis Autobiography and use it to answer a broader question:

What were your assumptions about jazz and its history coming into the 
course? How have those assumptions been changed, revised or reinforced by what you have learned in this course?

The story of segregation has been told time and time again in the history of jazz. The precursors to jazz, such as blues and gospel music, were styles that formed as a resilience against the shutting down of indigenous African culture by White slave owners. Music such as work songs were formed and were acceptable as they were thought to increase the productivity of slaves—indeed, they were a way for slaves to maintain the culture of their African descent. These forms of music later evolved into jazz and its many branching styles, such as swing and bebop. One could say that segregation birthed jazz, as it came about as a rebellion by African Americans against having their culture snatched from them.

The autobiography of Miles Davis, published in 1990, addresses the issue of racism still present in American society—more than 350 years after the beginning of slavery in the country. Davis demonstrates a negative opinion of many of the white people  he encounters in his recollections. Despite what one may believe about earning a spot in a school as prestigious as Juilliard, Davis’s experience at the music school was not quite so amazing. He describes a music history class during which the professor—a white woman—said that “the reason black people played the blues was because they were poor and had to pick cotton.” Davis made an objection to the statement, stating that his “father was rich” and “never [picked] no cotton” (Davis, 59).  The ignorance demonstrated by the teacher  shows that, despite the popularity of jazz as a form of music during this era, the contribution of black people to the making of the style was still undermined by white people, even in a progressive city such as New York. At another point in the autobiography, Miles speaks about the owner of Three Deuces, a club on “The Street”. He speaks to him and the man calls Charlie Parker—an idol of Davis—”a fucked-up motherfucker” and proceeds to call Miles “‘son’, a name [Davis] never liked, especially from some white motherfucker who [he] didn't know” (Davis, 56). Within the first two chapters and merely two interactions with white folk, the reader can see Davis’s clear disdain to members of the white community. The segregation at the time can be blatantly seen through these interactions and how the white people (both the owner of the club and the music history professor) speak of black people. Miles Davis’s autobiography shows how even as late as 300 years after the start of slavery, racism was still a prominent factor in dividing the music community.

When I entered this class, I had a glorified view of jazz: I saw it to be a sophisticated music form that developed in areas of prestige. However, one of the major themes I learned in this class is that much of jazz formed in backrooms and slums—in places such as Harlem’s rent parties and Chicago’s lower-class black neighborhoods. I was not aware that segregation played such as large role in the history of jazz. I thought that the music form had come about as a shared cultural interest among the population of the United States. In this class, I have learned that jazz came about as a music form based on indigenous African culture and later assimilated into American culture. The segregation that blacks faced in the United States had a significant impact on jazz’s history. This class has given me a more thorough understanding of jazz and the major themes in its founding and development. Thank you for an amazing quarter, Professor Stewart!

Commented on Bryan Kronenberg's blog.

Post 4: Art and Community—The Power of Jazz

Arguably, both Robin Kelley's biography of Thelonious Monk and the film, Leimert Park, are about the relationship of art and community. What is the relationship of  Monk's genius to the San Juan Hill community where he grew up, according to Kelley?  How did it shape Monk's music? Is this what some mean by "Jazz is New York, man!?" Or something else?  Is the relationship of jazz to the community in Leimert Park the same or different from the relationship Kelley outlines? What do you think is the relationship between art and the communities in which jazz musicians grow up and/or perform?

The conversation between art and community is a critical aspect in the formation of jazz. The African tradition of blurring the line between performer and audience is prominent in jazz as well. The history of jazz in African American urban environments shows that the form comes about amidst a plethora of violence and crime. Rather than areas receding and resigning themselves to such negativity, they reinvent themselves through art and jazz and come together as a stronger and more resilient community; the neighborhoods of San Juan Hill, where Thelonious Monk grew up, and Leimert Park, in Los Angeles, are great examples of this characteristic.

When Barbara Monk moved her family from North Carolina to New York, namely the neighborhood of San Juan Hill, young Thelonious was thrown into a world of jazz creation and a strongly musical community. In fact, “before the Harlem Renaissance pushed the black musical center of gravity up above 125th Street...San Juan Hill boasted the largest concentration of black musicians in the city” (Kelley, 31). Indeed, many creative minds that brought new perspectives to jazz did come from New York musicians—whether from San Juan Hill or Harlem—such as Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson and Thelonious Monk. Thelonious’s early influence lay in Caribbean music—”through the radio and the sounds of the Victrola pouring out of of his neighbors’ apartments…[he] absorbed Caribbean music” (Kelley, 26). A “local jazz musician...named Alberta Simmons” had “the greatest impact on Thelonious’s early development” (Kelley, 24). She was a piano teacher that made a living playing ragtime and stride piano and she taught Monk many of the techniques he later went on to use with his left hand as a stride pianist. Thelonious became a skilled pianist with creative talent that one may call “genius”. Whether he had an innate talent or no talent at all, it is clear that the community he was a part of played a huge role in shaping his interest in music and, furthermore, his career as a jazz musician. Monk, along with many other prominent jazz artists in the Big Apple at the time, prove the statement: “What is Jazz? New York, man!”.

The community of Leimert Park was another that was faced with criminal activity, and still came together as a community at the end of the day. The Watts Los Angeles Riots in 1965 affected the neighboring area of Leimert Park and imposed a tragedy on the neighborhood. Nonetheless, the community came together through a shared desire of facilitating artists and developing their own unique culture. Indeed, 5th Street Dick’s, a coffee shop in Leimert Park, is a great example of this. When the owner, Richard Fulton, decided to set up tables on the sidewalk outside his shop, the neighborhood came together, leaving behind their alcohol and cigarettes, to partake in activities such as chess and appreciation of the jazz playing in the shop. Leimert Park took the tragedy they faced as motivation to turn the area into one with a resilient culture and a strong sense of community.

The communication between art and community—an overlying theme throughout the history of jazz—is seen in both the communities of San Juan Hill and Leimert Park. Both of these communities, despite facing economic hardship and prominent criminal activity, found a way to come together through jazz. Thelonious Monk and many other jazz musicians in New York, along with Leimert Park community members such as Richard Fulton, demonstrate the power of jazz and art in bringing together a community despite negativity.

Commented on Morgan Brubaker’s blog.

Post 3: Smooth Swing and Racial Friction

Given that race has always been a discourse in the history of jazz, why did race become explicitly written and talked about in the 1930’s in the “Swing Era?”

Race did indeed become a prominent issue during the 1930s, or the “Swing Era”. Due to recent technological advances such as the radio, a single Black jazz artist’s music could be heard across the nation with ease. However, the means of distribution of music via recording companies and booking agencies came into the control of white citizens. This cause a power struggle between the agent putting music out there and the artist themselves. Furthermore, the Great Depression brought about a period of unemployment that was unseen by the country before. As a result, many white citizens sought jazz out as a career and created a more competitive environment for Black jazz artists.

As stated by Professor Stewart in lecture, the emergence of a national market for music that could now easily be distributed by means of radio allowed for white agents to take control. They owned “the recording companies, booking agencies, festivals, nightclubs, and magazines”. Although the Black performers were arguably doing the most work in making the music and providing their creative talent for sale, the white-controlled agencies took control of the distribution and, hence, the profits that the performers’ music brought in.

White jazz artists during the time entered the market due to the potential for “going big” and therefore surviving the Great Depression (a career means survival, of course). Although the market was open to any and all with the proper musical talent, white people did indeed receive greater social benefits by means of their race. Artists like Benny Goodman (of European descent) generally “encountered easier working conditions” and “were not forced to suffer the indignities of racism that even the finest black jazz musicians faced on a regular basis” (Gioia, 231).  

A lot of tension arose during the 1930s as swing came about. The Great Depression made many white musicians seek work in the primarily-Black field of jazz. Indeed, amazing talent came from this. David Goodman, Benny Goodman’s father, sent him and his brothers into the field of music hoping that it would give them an opportunity to make a stable living (Gioia, 225). Later on, Benny came to be known as an incredible soloist on the clarinet and an impeccable bandleader. Such talent could only have been brought about in an era when an influx of young artists showed their potential. However, the segregation that Black people still faced at this time along with the added stress of fresh competition and a sense of control by white agencies was a noir aspect of this period. For this reason, the issue of race is a prominent one when discussing the “Swing Era”.

Commented on Pritika Nandakumar's blog.

Post 2: The Germination of Jazz in the Windy City

Which city was more important to jazz in the 1920s--Chicago or New York? What role did the particular social, economic, and racial conditions of that city play in creating the cultural conditions for jazz to triumph in that city?  Was there a Chicago or New York style of jazz (depending on which of the two cities you choose)? If so, what was it, who played it, and what distinguished it from other styles?  Whose (band or individual) art best represents the culture and community of the city you choose?  Why?  Please provide references.

Chicago was a city of interest to many African American jazz musicians after the decline of Storyville. The Great Migration brought. influx of millions of Blacks from the rural South to the urban and bustling cities of the North. This included artists such as Joe Oliver and, following him, Louis Armstrong. In 1914, the “largest exodus began” of African Americans to the North due to the South “lagging behind the rest of the country in its move toward industrialization” (The City, 95). The move was mainly into large cities; the availability of higher paying jobs made the North a land of promise to Blacks. Jazz musicians, such as Oliver and Armstrong, found more promising pay in Chicago than they had in New Orleans.

A Black culture came to form in the midst of Caucasian population. Compared to their fellow European immigrant neighbors in laboring parts of the city, African Americans were more willing to “[participate] in mainstream cultural life” (Cohen, 147). This brought their culture to the foreground, unlike Europeans whose culture for the most part melded into that of white middle class society.

Of course, one of the most important musicians to bring jazz influence to Chicago was Louis Armstrong. At the time, he may have been “neglected by the general public, but [was] amply recognized by the musical community” (Gioia, 94). His move to Chicago and his opportunity to perform in the Lincoln Gardens with fellow jazz cornetist Joe Oliver served as more of a sponsorship to his career than did working in the red light district of Storyville. The city was a place that offered Armstrong with higher pay and a chance to spread his music to a more industrially advanced area.

Armstrong also met his wife, Lil Hardin, in King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, whose “aspirations for his career...were responsible for his break with Oliver and his decision to join Fletcher Henderson” (Gioia, 101). She was also responsible for his return to Chicago in 1925 to start his recordings of the Hot Fives and Sevens. Indeed, it was the Windy City that brought these two renowned musicians together and furthermore bring Armstrong’s influence to jazz in the United States. It is fair to say, with the offer of a true living that Chicago made with money available to musicians, the careers of jazz musicians such as Armstrong germinated in this city.

It seems that Chicago and New York jazz were similar in many aspects, such as by creating a nightlife for both black and white citizens. However, Chicago jazz seemed to put less of an emphasis on big band music. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band had 9 members, whereas Fletcher Henderson’s contained 69. The smaller bands consequentially contained fewer players on each instrument, so there was more of an emphasis on the communication between individuals and their sounds. The way smaller jazz bands, such as King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, performed in the Lincoln Gardens differed from how New York jazz was performed. King Oliver’s Jazz Band best demonstrates the communication between the art and the community of Chicago. The influential figures in the band, such as Armstrong, Lil Hardin, and Oliver, found the true beginnings of their careers as jazz musicians in the Windy City.

Commented on Steven Bennett’s blog

Post 1: New Orleans—A City of Culture

Why did jazz emerge in New Orleans instead of other American cities early in the 20th century? What were some of the sources of New Orleans jazz as mentioned by Gioia? How would you weight the contribution of Mexican immigrants to New Orleans jazz? After considering the evidence that Gioia presents, what do you believe was the most important factor that explains why jazz emerged in New Orleans? What was distinctive about the jazz New Orleans created?

New Orleans, when brought into the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase, saw great economic prosperity as a result of the lifting of trade restrictions. In short, this caused a migration to this area through a desire by many for the wealth available there. The movement of people into New Orleans “made Louisiana into perhaps the most seething ethnic melting pot that the nineteenth-century world could produce” (Gioia, 16). This collection of cultures created a great potential for syncretism that could not be found anywhere else in the United States for jazz.

The jazz that New Orleans bred spawned from multiple sources. One source was the other African-American musical forms that preceded jazz, such as work songs, spirituals, and minstrel songs. The syncretism between African and American musical forms (as well as culture) brought about a unique musical form that we now call jazz. Also, the red-light district of Storyville was accounted as the “birthplace of jazz music” (Gioia, 55). Also known as “The District”, it allowed black musicians to make their music careers into livings; jazz was the form of music played in brothels and performers could make a good amount of money off of tips. For this reason, Storyville encouraged the growth of jazz in New Orleans.

Latin tradition was infused into New Orleans culture even before the birth of Jelly Roll Morton (noted as one of the founding fathers of the musical form). The Mexican government sent a large “Mexican cavalry band” to play at the “1884-1885 World’s Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans” (Gioia, 15). The immigrants were trained in the techniques of classical music—training that was not so easily acquired in the United States unless you were an elite member of society. Many of the Mexicans that were sent to perform at the exposition stayed in the United States longer than they were required to. By doing this, they brought their culture and musical traditions into the amalgam of those already present in New Orleans and situated themselves “well before the arrival of jazz on the scene” (Gioia, 15). They brought classical training for black people unable to acquire it through other means. For this reason, Mexican immigrants had a great influence on the formation of jazz in New Orleans.

According to the evidence presented by Gioia, there were many factors that caused the formation of jazz in New Orleans. However, the one factor that all others seem to tie back to is the characteristic of New Orleans as an ethnic “melting pot” during this time period. This mix of cultures created a potential for syncretism between many forms of music that may not have been possible in any other area of the United States.

New Orleans, being a city of unique geographic location and culture in the United States, created a form of jazz unique to itself. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the city developed a population of Caribbean and Mexican immigrants. This addition of cultures into the already brewing melting pot created a unique blend of traditions (and furthermore, musical forms) in New Orleans. Also, due to the influx of trade and goods into the area, along with the fact that the city was more culturally accepting than other areas of the South, caused many ideas and traditions to be shared and, hence, influencing the jazz that New Orleans produced.

Commented on Will Holland’s blog.

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