Von Eschen's Monograph On The Jazz Tours During The Cold War

The Jazz Age was a period of radical behavior and care free living. This new music structure started the crazy decade that would change American life. “In the US during the 1920s, jazz was far more than a new musical style or genre”. A Focus on culture, fashion, and mostly freedom became huge. “The Jazz Age became a touchstone for a wide range of social and cultural issues.”1 Also the freedom during the period allowed for many different ethnicities, including African Americans, to gain freedom within society. This new music

     During the 1920’s which is also known as the “Roaring Twenties”, Chicago became the focal point for Jazz after clubs around New Orleans were closed. Record deals were being made there and soon Jazz was being acknowledged for the brilliant music it played. Famous musicians who received acclaim for their work in Chicago were Earl Hines, Johnny Dodds, Louis Armstrong, and King Oliver. In New York City, it

Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro Life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul—the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. Yet the Philadelphia clubwoman… turns up her nose at jazz and all its manifestations—likewise almost anything else distinctly racial…She wants the artist to flatter her, to make the white world believe that all Negroes are as smug as near white in smug as she wants to be. But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist …to change through the hidden force of his art that old whispering “I want to be white,” hidden in the aspirations of his people, to “Why should I want to be white? I am Negro—and beautiful.”

Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul-the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. Yet the Philadelphia club woman , turns up her nose at jazz and all its manifetations-likewise almost anything else distinctly racial... She wants the artist to flatter her, to make the white world believe that all Negroes are as smug and as near white in soul as she wants to be. But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist, to change through the force of his art that old whispering "I want to be white, hidden in the aspirations of his people, to "Why should I want to he white? I am Negro-and beautiful"

“JAZZ” is a documentary by Ken Burns released 2001 that focuses on the creation and development of jazz, America’s “greatest cultural achievement.” The first episodes entitled, “Gumbo, Beginnings to 1917” and “The Gift (1917-1924), explain the early growth of jazz as it originates in New Orleans and its expands to Chicago and New York during the Jazz Age. In assessing the first two episodes of Ken Burns' 2001 documentary, "JAZZ," this essay will explore the history of jazz, the music's racial implications, and it's impact on society. In doing so, attention will also be given to the structure of the documentary, and the effectiveness of documentary film in retelling the past.

expanding, sharing it’s enthusiasm throughout the world. The evolution of jazz aroused the curiosity of the nation. As Blacks received their freedom, they were able to

In Penny M. Von Eschen’s book Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War, Von Eschen writes about the positive effect that the jazz tours had on the international opinion of America during the Cold War. Due to the Soviet Union relaying the message in their communist propaganda that America was ridiculously racist, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the State Department funded multiple trips across the globe where jazz musicians, both white and African-American, would perform their music and inevitably help end the war. The musicians and the government often clashed though, mainly because they were both using the tours for their own personal aspirations, which were completely opposite of each other

With his article David M. Caletta, “Those White Guys Are Working for Me” (2007) analyzes the United States governments usage of selected and distinct American culture in foreign countries to influence political and economic relations at the height of the Cold War and the spread of communism starting in the 1950s. By focusing on Jazz with interracial bands overseas, as one of the many sponsored cultural programs, Caletta highlights the contrasting difference in racial relations with what represented U.S.prestige versus the divide and absence of civil rights politics that was realistically occurring on American soil. He intends to show how individuals such as Dizzy Gillespie became ‘Jazz Ambassadors,' would use their notoriety to promote a positive

Charles Mingus was one of the most influential and groundbreaking jazz musicians and composers of the 1950s and 1960s. The virtuoso bassist gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s working with such jazz greats as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and many others. His compositions pushed harmonic barriers, combining Western-European classical styles with African-American roots music. While examining his career is valuable from musical standpoint, his career also provides a powerful view of the attitudes of African-American jazz musicians (and Black America as a whole) towards the racial inequalities in America during that time. In addition to being a successful musician, Mingus was a very outspoken social commentator.

During World War II, jazz music became a powerful tool utilized by both sides of the conflict. With the popularity of jazz and swing at its peak in America, German political figures were quick to recognize its impact on the country’s youth and did anything they could to rid their nation of what they saw as an impure and “subhuman” art form. Jazz and swing went on to become a powerful motivator for people on either side of the conflict. It also served to unite a diverse group of people in opposition to the Nazi regime.

Louis Armstrong once said “If you ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” Armstrong was conveying the message that jazz is whatever the performer makes of it, for there are no rules or restrictions on what the performer can do. Louis Armstrong was a famous jazz trumpeter from New Orleans who influenced the era of jazz tremendously throughout the years with his unique style, which included bringing in improvisation to pieces. The quote stated earlier can be applied to life, showing that in order to influence others or make a change, they have to experience it and make the experience their own. For instance, if somebody wants to be a teacher, it would be better for them to experience teaching first hand rather than just learning the effective teaching methods. “Satchmo”, one of Armstrong’s nicknames, had a loose idea of what jazz was, he made it his own and everybody loved the approach that he took. Louis Armstrong was an important figure in 1920’s American History as he tremendously influenced the jazz era by forming it into what it is today.

African Americans were responsible for bringing jazz music to Europe. Due to the fact that the people in Paris were far more excepting of colored people, many African American singer and dancers made their way to Paris to start their careers and a make a name for themselves. There are few cities in the world that are more associated with jazz than Paris (Pelzer). Most of the time, African American’s in Paris were just looked at by Parisians as entertainers (Stovall). These African American were objects of Parisian curiosity and fantasy, and the audiences were very much intrigued by the exoticism that went into so many performances. These foreign entertainers became the backbones of the Paris Jazz Age (Pelzer).

As mentioned earlier, current research on the political connotation of jazz in Yugoslavia, through a chapter or two has proclaimed jazz to be a successful American Cold War propaganda. However, as some other scholars suggest, there exists a difference between the terms cultural diplomacy, cultural propaganda and cultural exchange. Kevin Mulcahy (1999), for instance, states that there exist differences in methods, goals and contents of cultural propaganda and cultural exchange (1999:8). Following these distinctions this thesis argues that jazz diplomacy in Yugoslavia started as a means of propaganda but, as the political situation changed, turned into a means of cultural exchange. In order for me to show this I will analyze each tour separately

Additionally, Jazz was simply seen as “aesthetically inferior to German culture.” In terms of aesthetics, jazz was defined in Nazi Germany as music which contained: distorted rhythms, atonal melodic lines, and “stopped horns” (muted horns). In the words of Wilhelm Frick, the Minister of the Interior of Germany in 1930, jazz is a “product which glorif[ies] the Negro - jazz and percussion music, Negro dancing, singing and drama - are an affront to the German cultural sensibilities.” Through continual marring of jazz’s image, the genre of music was banned in the Nazi state in March of 1938. This censorship took jazz off of all radio broadcast and out of concert halls and night clubs.

However, the tremendous effect Jazz had on the civil war is sometimes overlooked. One of the central ways Jazz had a positive impact on society was through racial integration (Josephson 2008: 45). Artists like Louis Armstrong, as mentioned in the paragraph above, started to work with “white artists” that enjoyed the feel of jazz as much as he did. Benny Goodman was also the first white male to hire a black member into his ensemble in 1935 (Lipsitz 2011: 69). This step was only achieved because of the sentiments of unity that jazz helped convey. These steps helped push racial integration further, something that was previously illegal in some states. In 1958 Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong went on a tour across the United States spreading messages of equality. Louis Armstrong after a concert said, “ I was surprised to see both black and white people enjoying my music standing together” (Clark 55). The effect spread beyond racial integration. Martin Luther King in a speech said: “Jazz speaks for life” (Josephson 2008: 56). This was a change not only for the blacks but the whites as well. As a result, and although the Jim Crow Laws were still in effect, whites did not mind in letting the blacks use their utilities. As a lot of other jazz artists came up from New Orleans, it was made sure by the community that their descent into jazz would be smoother than what they had previously experienced. Jazz was a catalyst of change and its effect on the Civil Rights movement was a step ahead for the American