Jazz and the White Critic

Another important theme in Gilroy’s work was music and its associations with the African diaspora. Gilroy mentioned in the book “Black Americans were sustained and healed and nurtured by the translation of their experience into art above all in the music” (Gilroy 78). In the case of jazz and other forms of African music, Gilroy believed it created a sense

Duke Ellington was a musical and political genius; he was “America’s only original musical mind.” He was not only a performer, but a composer. He learned the craft of composing by observing others instead of disciplined study. One important factor of Ellington’s music was its relation to black heritage and African American history. His symphony “Black, Brown, and Beige” displayed the African American struggle in America. Not only did Ellington use his music to portray the struggle, voice, and triumph of black Americans, he used his professionalism, originality, persuasiveness, and political performances.

In this respect, the blues functions as a means of moving through suffering. Just as musicians in the band play the blues, the blues makes instruments out of the musicians. Levee, a brash trumpeter, wants to move on from traditional blues music and into more energizing Jazz, an increasingly popular genre. Levee wants to neglect the past, and the blues function as a reawakening to the dark reality of African American history. Being fully cognizant of one’s ancestral origins and how understanding how it may help in the present is ultimately not important to Levee – “I know he ain’t talking about me. You don’t see me running around with no bone in my nose.” (Wilson, 32) Larry Neal, the author of “The Black Arts Movement” published in Drama Review, elaborates on this connection between the Blues and history: “History, like the blues, demands that we witness the painful events of our prior lives; and that

He acknowledges his readers’ understanding and literacy of Jazz culture by passively referencing names of Jazz “titans”—specifically, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Duke Ellington. To further earn his audience’s trust, he uses relevant information and his position to gain credibility. As a writer and producer for CNN Enterprise, he has a credible position since it can be gathered that such a prestigious organization would not be hiring anyone who is less than qualified. He also implements multiple pertinent sources to further his credibility in this article (i.e. Nicholas Payton’s “Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore” and Scott DeVeaux’s “Jazz”). He has authority as a writer and knowledge as he uses many credible sources from significant people to convey how and why Jazz lost significance as a musical genre.

In Ken Burns’ documentary Jazz and Lewis Erenberg’s book Swingin the Dream: Big Band Jazz and The Rebirth of American Culture, there is a dialogue occurring in regards to the race politics of the time. Ken Burns through his archival footage would portray in some respects, a sanitized perspective on the racial tensions that occurred at the time. In some cases, Ken Burns would seem to suggest that whatever racial issues were simply waved away by both musicians and audiences alike and that swing was a genre that transcended race and color. Though Lewis Erenberg would diverge from Burns by portraying a more radical and holistic approach to the prominence of racial politics in the genre. Whether it be through stating the prominence of jazz magazines, the support of left-leaning groups, and the integration of jazz bands, there is a compelling case made by Erenberg that such politics were prevalent and confronted by musicians and critics alike at that time.

David L. Lewis presents an entertaining and thought-provoking examination of a growing cultural and social movement in his book, When Harlem was in Vogue. Although his title isn’t very extensive, Lewis cleverly uncovers a variety of topics related to this period in American history. Each topic is tied to starring character, ranging from Langston Hughes to Countee Cullen and Claude McKay. Lewis’s aim is to awaken readers to the influence of Harlem, Manhattan on the nation’s literature, music, and acting. He analyzes the roles of black frontrunners in the arts as well as the roles of white counterparts. Using vast amount of primary literature, author Lewis is able to expand on the idea of racial advancement through the arts, the major characters and motivations behind it, and its role in American culture. This task may seem daunting, but the author excels in engaging readers into a vivid account of the lives of black artists in early twentieth century.

Music is and has been an inconceivably paramount piece of black culture, when concentrating on any kind of black music it is all that much an investigation into the back mind. Music has been a piece of the black cultural scene going over to slavery. Despite the fact that Jazz music is cherished and performed by individuals of each national background, in America, the groundbreaker, pioneer and innovator in every venture forward of Jazz has been the Negro. Unequivocally in light of the fact that the black culture talks so effectively in Jazz, it has gotten to be adored and respected everywhere. Between the two, there is no division of consecrated, secular, music, vocals, or instruments.

Hip hop has, since its creation, been a form of music that has been very prominent in the African American community. However in the two essays, one written by Baruti Kopano, the second by Carlos Morrison and Ronald Jackson II, they make the argument that white community is appropriating hip hop and African American culture through certain actions.

“Unfortunately, the history of black music has been a continuous one of whites’ lucrative expropriation of black cultural forms” (Kelley). “Black music has become a part of a structure of stealing” (Kelley) on the part of a white-dominated music industry. This structure began primarily during the jazz era of the 1920’s. Black jazz artists were exploited for their talent, without being given the full credit or compensation for their work that they deserved. Furthermore, their music and style was copied and credited to white artists, and the few black artists who were able to succeed in the industry were submitted to a form of musical segregation via race records.

Many frustrated Blacks used jazz as a way to channel their distaste of racism and post-war conditions. Because of this initial social disgust of jazz, many black artists were not allowed to play in the same “proper” venues that their

I will do this by outlining the role of race in American society during the 1920’s, the migration of many African Americans to the North, the creation of “Race Records” and the way in which Blues music was marketed to African Americans. Then, I will analyse the role of race in the creation and development of Jazz, the attitude towards African Americans in US society as reflected in Jazz music, the tensions between black people, white people and Creoles in New Orleans and the impact this had on the creation of Jazz, and finally discuss the role of race in Vaudeville.

How has the development of jazz been a vital key for the African American community in America? What prominent black musicians developed the jazz genre while maintaining aspects of equality and progression? Jazz in itself has been an over-all outlet for the feelings in which black people face relating towards discrimination and racism. It was a way of voicing the terrible representation in which blacks were given by white people in America, as well as a way of taking such intense feelings and translating them towards a safe outlet that would be heard. Equality, not completely, was beginning to form between different cultures and races because people began to see that black musicians could play the same, if not better, than white musicians.

Jazz has had a significant effect on American culture. It has played a significant role in defining America’s cultural capacity’s and has been the catalyst of issues that have dealt with race, politics and sex over the past hundred years. It has also served as a podium of national identity and expression to the country to such an extent that it has become widely known as America’s Classical Music. In this essay, one will present the impact that jazz as had on American culture, taking into consideration the issues and ideologies that contributed to its cultural significance. The origins of jazz are widely attributed to African Americans, it though however became associated and integrated with the white-middle class and took on a new idiom that encapsulated and infiltrated American culture.

It was nearly impossible to have two people with different colored skin to stand in the same room. In an article titled “Jazz” by Gunther Schuller, jazz started to become very popular and it was “a time of tremendous upheaval for black musicians” (Schuller). It was very common for the white people to dress up and attend a performance done by an African American in nightclubs or bars. The audience were entertained by the jazz band and often times would be eager for the next time they have the opportunity to listen. Music brought two completely different cultures together in one place, but also permits the enjoyment of each other’s company. In an article entitled, “Jazz, Poetry, Rap: Cause and Effect of the Black Arts Movement” by Boyuan Gao, it was mentioned that jazz and hip hop connects in a way that became “the basis and reason of the musical likeness” (Gao). Jazz itself allowed the African Americans to express themselves in a way that doesn’t include too much criticism from the “superior” people. Music was an opportunity taken by many African Americans to help create a movement to have their voices heard. Society accepted the movements to eliminate major discrimination during the early 1900s. Music in today’s society is derived from the many different styles of jazz. Even in hip hop songs or rap songs, instruments used in jazz bands before, are being used in today’s music. Over the past century, jazz

Blacks had a huge influence on the development of genres such as “Hip Hop”, and “Rock and Roll”, which today are not just listened in America but worldwide. Jazz and popular dances were an irresistible expression of black pride (Moore, 55). White musicians tried to imitate black musicians but could not capture their ambiguous spirit. However, although Jazz was the most popular genre during the decade, many Americans did not approve it, partly because of its origins. Many white Americans were appalled to see their children dancing to music that was believed to have emerged from “the Negro brothels of the south.”