Blog #5

Albeit a popular genre of music, much of what is known about jazz to the general public is the sound jazz but not how that distinctive sound evolved over the years. Prior to coming into this class I knew very little about jazz and its rich history. Much of my perception of jazz came from the elevator music stereotype that has seemingly become an unfortunate description associated with it.  

Prior to this course, when I thought about jazz I thought exclusively about African Americans. I ignored all other cultures and automatically associated black with jazz. To me, jazz was a musical art form that was bread out of the South and somehow caught on and became a popular genre. Although I was correct in its geographical origin, I was mistaken in its cultural origin. Yes, jazz was primarily a black creation but it is necessary to recognize the cultural gumbo that was existing in New Orleans. (Gioia) There was the creole influence, the Mexican influence with the unique instrumentation they brought, and the influence of African culture that was brought directly from West Africa. After its success in New Orleans and Storyville, jazz had a natural migration towards the North where it would thrive and flourish.

Unfortunately in today’s society, we do not have the same groundbreaking art forms emerging that have as large of an effect that jazz had on culture throughout the 1900s. Much of my perception of jazz was that it was a performance based genre to showcase a particular skill at a particular instrument. What this class taught me is that the performance aspect of jazz, although a defining feature of jazz, was not what jazz was at its deepest roots. Jazz was an expressive art form that captured much of the racial tensions that existed during the 1900s. This was evident when jazz finally made it onto the radio as many black musicians found it difficult to obtain airtime due to the monopoly controlled by the white men. Also, there was seemingly a constant battle over ownership as Miles Davis points out during the rise of the bebop movement during the 1940s. According to Miles, he hated “how white people always [tried] to take credit for something after they [discovered] it.” (Davis,55) This constant struggle between races only solidified the black’s movement toward equality. Jazz served as a constant form of expression at the racial injustices during that day.

Taking history of jazz this quarter has taught that there is much more to the history than the music itself. Jazz was a cultural phenomenon that crossed racial boundaries and in turn shaped much of the cultural aspects of the 1900s in America.  

Commented on Michelle Kaplan

Blog #4

For four year old Thelonious Monk, moving to New York was an exciting experience. What Monk at the time did not know is that his families “rich cultural, intellectual, and political legacy” coupled with the new environment he was moving too would “shape his music and his worldviews in both profound and subtle ways.” (Kelley, 2)

Monks family moved to the neighborhood of San Juan Hill around 1922, a community plagued by racial violence. San Juan Hill had a large youth population which had to endure much of this daily violence, becoming one of the “busiest crime areas in New York City.” (Kelley, 18) “I did all that fighting with ofays [whites] when I was a kid. We had to fight to make it so we could walk the streets” recounts Monk. (Kelley, 18) Even among all this violence and prior to the Harlem Renaissance, “San Juan Hill boasted the largest concentration of black musicians in the city.” (Kelley, 19)

Being an epicenter for black musicians, this created a community within the San Juan Hill neighborhood as nearly “every household had an instrument” creating a common thread between all the residents. (Kelley, 20) Monk’s first musical instrument was a piano given to his family, a gift he didn’t want to let go to waste. Monk began his musical career by taking formal piano lessons but it was clear early on his love of music resided in jazz, learning from the jazz musicians in his neighborhood. It was this tight knit community that taught Monk to play the piano, ranging from Alberta Simmons to the church on West 61^st Street. However, “the most important influence on Monk’s early development as a musician and as a young man” was the Columbus Hill Community Center. (Kelley, 28) The community center fostered a safe environment for the black youth community as “incidents of fighting or serious misbehavior were few and far between.” (Kelley, 29) By creating a safe environment, Monk was able to create his first band with two other kids from the Community Center with the “trio’s most important gigs [being] the Friday night dances at the Community Center.” (Kelley, 37) All of these early on experiences helped mold Monk into the musician that he became.

This is what is meant by the phrase “jazz is New York.” The San Juan Hill community was heavily diversified culturally and racially. However, jazz and music in general was able to escape these preset barriers and unite the community on a common passion. Additionally, the jazz that was created was a product of the environment it came out of and also in return the musicians had a lasting impact on the environment, creating a mutually supportive relationship.

The history of the San Juan Hill community can be connected to more recent events to the neighborhood of Leimert Park. Both communities were plagued by racial violence but music and other art forms became a common ground for people to come together. However, the process to the development of a sense of community was almost reversed in Leimert Park. In Leimert Park, the jazz wasn’t a product of the environment but rather an existing element that brought people together, such as at 5^th Street Dicks Coffee House.

In this case though, it is wrong to say that really one is the product of another or vice versa. From its beginning, jazz musicians have always been a product of their environment. Jazz musicians are molded by their environment, and their music in turn has a larger effect on the community, ultimately creating a constant growth and rebirth for each.

Commented On: Jacob Weverka  

Blog 3

Jazz has its roots deeply rooted in African American culture that perpetuated throughout New Orleans in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As with any art form, an evolution of jazz occurred as it gained popularity and spread out of the condensed neighborhoods of Storyville and into the big cities in the North. With this progression of jazz music, jazz began to take on many different forms ranging from blues, ragtime, to the prominent swing era of the 1930s. One aspect of jazz that never changed though was its deep correlation to racial tensions. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the topic of race was explicitly discussed.

Prior to the 1920s, jazz was primarily performed in nightclubs and speakeasies. However, a technological invention was created during the ‘20s that would change the face of the music industry, the radio. Although the radio was important in the spread of the sound of jazz into American homes, the “change was hardly a positive one for most jazz players.” (Gioia, 127) No longer was there a need for many musicians as “a single bad could now entertain countless listeners through the magic of radio.” (Gioia, 127) With an economic downfall for many musicians perpetuated by not only the radio but the depression, big bands no longer were a luxury but became the norm. This push toward large bands was a major aspect of swing music.

With the radio came a soaring popularity for jazz music, primarily swing, which “characterized the popular culture of the 1930’s.” One aspect that made the radio unique was that the “airways were not strictly segregated.” (Shomer) If was not possible to distinguish between a black and white musician. Yet, many radio programmers used racial stereotypes of the day to market jazz to a wider audience, “labeling jazz as jungle music to suggest a kind of mysterious, erotic aspect.” (Shomer) Additionally, many of the radio stations were controlled by white men so many African American musicians suffered. Even black station owners office faced much adversity “to establish and maintain stations in a less than welcoming white nation.” (Shomer)

            Segregation was not a place for jazz music however as many of the best jazz musicians were black. This was evident in the efforts of the proclaimed king of swing, Benny Goodman. Goodman saw music outside of racial divide and appreciated a musician for the music they were able to produce. This led him to add members to his band such as Charlie Christian and Fletcher Henderson. The move to integrate an interracial band was a big step for Goodman. This move was met with mixed opinions at the time as some were quoted “the Negro has exceptional musical ability but unfortunately for him, there are social overtones involved which, although he is not to blame, still work against him.” Although music was supposed to contain no racial barriers, the underlying prejudice in American culture perpetuated the divide. Only did the integration of black and white bands and there increased popularity did the racial divide begin to subside, even if it was minimal.

Commented on Ethan

Blog Post #2: The Roaring 20's and Jazz in Chicago

"One of the supreme ironies of the history of New Orleans jazz is that so much of it took place in Chicago." (Gioia, 43) Within the early years of the 1900's the Great Migration occurred which nearly "a half-million African Americans left the South for more tolerant communities in the North." (Gioia, 43) Musicians were not the only ones to partake in this migration as there were a great amount of opportunities that the North offered over the South in the forms of work, social life, and "personal freedom." (Gioia, 43) However, Chicago was not the only destination for many jazz musicians as other major cities such as New York was also a viable option with its own unique opportunities. When comparing the two though, a shift is seen towards Chicago during this time, making it the more prominent hot spot for jazz in the 1920's.

With the migration from the South came an influx of the jazz culture into the Windy City. Chicago was an environment that allowed great diversity to flourish. The economic opportunities for jazz musicians were prevalent in Chicago during the 1920's. This inspired "musicians of all styles, all races, all instruments to come to Chicago not because of allegiance to a certain idiom of jazz, but rather to tap the opportunities to perform and earn." (Gioia, 72) I believe this economic draw is what greatly contributed to the Chicago jazz that formed. The opportunities provided allowed for many styles to converge into one region and soon a mixture of the styles was inevitable which created a unique sound for jazz. With such an influx into Chicago, "the conventions of New Orleans jazz began to change in this new setting." (Gioia, 73)

When listening close to the jazz performed in Chicago, one can notice the "subtle gradations of difference [as] a certain restless energy begins to reverberate in the music." (Gioia, 71) The Chicago style of jazz began to seem more aggressive and more abrupt. Also, it was noticeable that "various nonjazz musical traditions" were influencing the jazz in the region. "Popular songs and thirty-two-bar forms were increasingly used by Chicago jazz musicians" (Gioia, 73) not normally seen in traditional New Orleans jazz. Subtle changes such as this led to the evolution of jazz and eventually created the new sound in Chicago.

When analyzing the jazz spread into Chicago it is important to recognize some of the most influential musicians such as Joe Oliver, Pete Johnson, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman and many others. However, the most influential was Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was great at adapting to many situations which is a staple in jazz as improvisation is a key element. Additionally, Louis Armstrong was one of the first to become recognized for his ability as a soloist. Armstrong is seen "as the dominant jazz instrumentalist of his generation, perhaps of all time" (Gioia, 57) which was solidified with his sessions of Hot Fives and Hot Sevens.

Commented On: Jacob Weverka

BL ST 14 Blog #1

The true beginning and father of jazz is hard to pinpoint to an exact date and figure but what is clear is that New Orleans was and is the undisputed birthplace of jazz. There are many factors that contribute to this fact but there are a few that stand out the most. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by the French and wasn't a part of the United States until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Due to its origin, New Orleans was a place characterized by much more cultural diversity than anywhere else in the United States. New Orleans was a culture diversified by the French, Spanish, European, Creole, Islanders, West Africans, slaves and also free people of color which "made Louisiana into perhaps the most seething ethnic melting pot that the nineteenth-century world could produce." (Gioia, 7) With an already existing love of music and dance perpetuating throughout the region, the added diversity created through the mixed culture led ultimately to the creation of jazz in the region.

Prior to the emergence of jazz in the region, there was a place know as the Congo Square where dance and music took place by the slaves in the region. The Congo Square dances lasted up until around 1885, around the time jazz bands started emerging in New Orleans. (Gioia, 4) What occurred in the Congo Square can be attributed to the African culture that was present in New Orleans and this culture in turn affected "jazz performers' self-image [and gave them] sense of what it meant to be an African American musician." (Gioia, 5)

By the time jazz began emerging and became a noticeable musical form, American music was being influenced by African culture and vice versa. This ultimately led to an inter-mixture of the cultures known as syncretism or "the blending together of cultural elements that previously existed separately." (Gioia, 5) Addtionaly, this blending was in large part due to the "comparatively less rigid atmosphere [which] helped shape attitudes and behavior patterns in New Orleans." (Gioia, 6) The interconnection that formed among the cultures allowed for many artists to borrow from other musical styles and then create their own expression based on how they wished to present their art.

When speaking of jazz in New Orleans, it is important to recognize the influence of Mexican musicians on the new found art form. In 1884, many Mexicans came to the New Orleans for the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition. Many of the musicians who came over ended up staying long term and undoubtedly contributed to the already wide range of diverse culture in New Orleans. Many famous jazz musicians were trained classically by Mexicano instrumentalists and additionally many new woodwind instruments were introduced into the region. (Johnson, 226) The combination of new teachings and new instruments allowed the creative side of jazz musicians to create a wide range of unique sounds unique to them and their own personal life.

It was this interconnection among the many cultures that was fundamental to the development of jazz in New Orleans. Without this collaboration, I believe many famous jazz musicians would have lacked proper training and lacked an idea of the versatility of so many styles.

Commented on Sam Carlin.

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