Blog #5 The unconventional classroom

Before studying jazz in depth in this class, I definitely was under the impression that jazz was a talent that needed to be fostered outside of the traditional classroom.  Jazz as an art form requires one to do more than to simply play the right notes with the right timing.  Rather, playing jazz requires one to put his or her soul into the music, therefore taking the audience on a journey with them.  This is not necessarily a skill that can be refined in a classroom.  This skill comes only from the experience of playing for a room full of people, from playing music until you have made them all hang on your every note, and from being in the audience and being taken on another musicians journey with them.  This was definitely the case for Miles Davis when he moved to New York City to attend Juilliard. 

Right when Davis arrived in New York he began to look for the legends, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker (52).  He knew that the places he was going to gain the most knowledge were the places where these talented musicians were playing.  Additionally, Davis was unhappy trying to learn jazz in the academic setting of Juilliard (52).  While he complained that it was too “white” for him, I think that this can be expanded to mean that he was trying to learn jazz from people who had never truly played jazz.  Davis claimed that he learned more in one session at Minton’s than he would learn in two years at Juilliard (59).  Miles eventually dropped out of school and decided to spend all his time in jazz clubs playing and jamming with other jazz musicians.  I would argue that this is still a classroom in a sense, just not the traditional classroom that one generally thinks of. 

According to Bill Evans, jazz is a creative process rather than a musical style.  If we consider this to be true, than how could one learn about jazz without immersing oneself into the culture of it?  If jazz is a process, than one must become a part of this process in order to truly learn about it.  Miles Davis’ presentation of how he chose to learn to play jazz music and to be a jazz musician reaffirmed my conception that jazz is an art form that one must nurture outside of the conventional classroom and rather in a more “real-world” setting. 

Commented on Hawkins' blog

Blog #4 Communty and the Artist

The community in which one grows up can have a definite impact on an individual’s artistic expression. Conversely, individuals can have major impact on and shape the atmosphere of the community that they reside in.  Thelonious Monk is a prime example of someone who was shaped by the community in which his formative growth years took place.  On the other hand, Leimert Park is a community that was developed and shaped by the community members. 

When Thelonious Monk was a young boy he moved to San Juan Hill with his mother and sisters.  San Juan Hill was a bustling and crowded part of the city that made Thelonious tough and hard against the realities of racial tension (Kelley, 18).  San Juan Hill was extremely violent, and there were frequent riots that were only worsened by the presence of the police (Kelley, 18).  Maybe contributing to this constant tension and conflict was the fact that San Juan Hill was extremely diverse, with black people from the south, people from the British West Indies, from Cuba, South America and all over Europe.  There was an immense amount of cultural diversity that went into molding Thelonious Monk during his time on the Hill (Kelley, 18).  Despite all the conflict, San Juan Hill had a rich music scene, as the musical styles from all the cultures represented blended and coalesced (Kelley, 19).  One of Monk’s peers in from the neighborhood described San Juan Hill as a village where everyone knew each other, and recalled that everyone had an instrument (Kelley, 20).  In addition to this culturally lush community that Monk grew up in, his mother, Barbara, was very encouraging to his creative development.  She took her children to Central Park to see classical music performed, and encouraged that they sang in her home (Kelley, 22).  Monk’s musical freedom and experimental style are no doubt a product of the community that he was raised in. 

Leimert Park was a primarily white neighborhood that went through a major, and at points rough, transition to a stimulating and creative primarily black community.  When real estate discrimination laws were outlawed, black families began to move into Leimert Park, which led to riots and destruction in the city.  Then an amazing thing happened!  Galleries such as Brockman’s Gallery and creative spaces like 5^th Street Dick’s Coffeehouse started to move into the area.  These spaces created a social scene: a community.  Organizations such as World Stage have been developed in Leimert Park to continue to encourage people to express themselves in a healthy and creative way. 

While both Kelley’s biography of Thelonious Monk and the film Leimert Park show a connection between art and community, I think that this connection is slightly different in each case.  Thelonious Monk, and the musical genus that he became, is a product of the community that he grew up in.  Leimert Park is a creation of the artists and people that make up the community.  This being said, this distinction is really a continuum.  People are constantly both contributing to and being influenced by the communities in which they reside. 

Commented on Delia's post. 

Blog #3 The debate of race heightened during the Swing Era

Although race and the origin of jazz music has been a heated subject throughout the study of the history of jazz, in the swing era during the 1930s there were several factors that increased tensions between black and white musicians, and led to greater controversy and conversation over race.  While many people mostly attribute the increased tensions to the economic pressures of the Great Depression, there are many more aspects to consider.  First, politics were beginning to align with jazz in a way that had previously not occurred, which naturally increased media coverage of music.  Second, commercialization of jazz also increased coverage, and many journalists began to ask the question: are African American musicians better at jazz than white musicians?  Third, integration of bands in this time polarized the economic opportunities for black musicians. 

            During the swing era, several demographics in America began to align themselves with jazz music in a way that had not occurred previously.  White American youth began to connect to jazz music (Stowe, 54).  Additionally, the communist party in America became associated with swing and other black styles of music (Stowe, 64-65).   Naturally, as swing music became associated with off beat or rebellious groups, media coverage of jazz increased.

            Still more media coverage of jazz occurred as swing became a popular and commercial form of music.  This popularization can largely be attributed to radio broadcasts of swing, creating celebrities in the jazz world (Gioia, 154).  Swing musicians were branching out of the music industry and into television appearances and other celebrity activities (Stowe, 106.)  These two sources of increased media attention created a large demand for journalists and magazines, which in turn led to more and more questions about jazz being asked (Stowe, 74).  As mentioned above, one question that was commonly asked was whether black or white musicians were more talented at playing swing music.  According to white jazz critic John Hammond, black musicians were superior to white musicians (Stowe, 60).  This was the generally accepted notion among jazz critics (Stowe, 78-79), although other critics were outraged that such a question was even asked (Stowe, 78).  The magazine Down Beat even went so far as to say that there were no color lines in music (however, they also discouraged the idea of integrated big swing bands) (Stowe, 75-76).  Regardless of what the critics claimed, as swing became more and more popular, the disparity between the opportunities for black and white musicians only increased (Stowe, 122). 

            It may seem counterintuitive, but even the integration of black musicians into white bands did not necessarily decrease this gap.  It can be argued that within swing, the depression-era segregation lines were permeated more than anywhere else (Stowe, 73).  In the early 1940s, there were several integrated swing bands, for example that led by Benny Goodman (Stowe, 78).  One issue that occurred as a result of integration is that black musicians in black bands left these bands to join higher paying integrated bands which had access to larger and nicer venues, causing increased turnover and high stress for the black bands (Stowe, 129).  Additionally, this integration decreased the demand for the "exoticness" of all black bands, which only made it more difficult for these bands to book gigs.  Black bands often had a much harder time touring because they did not have access to basic facilities, such as bathrooms and hotels (Stowe, 126).  There were some critics who posited the idea that black bands should stick to “blues” and “hot stuff” and leave other styles to white musicians (Stowe, 125).  While clearly integration of black musicians into white bands was an important step in the history of jazz music, it was not necessarily a smooth or easy transition for the black musicians at the time. 

            Clearly, there are many factors that led to an increase in the amount of conversation surrounding race in the history of jazz music during the swing era of the 1930s.  Increased media coverage was partially a result of political attachment to swing music, and partially to the general commercialization of swing.  Integration of black and white musicians was a hot topic of debate, and did not always lend itself to favor the black musicians in the way you might assume.  As claimed by Stowe (123), relationships revolving around the influence of race are always more complex than we assume.

Commented on Colleen McGee

Blog #2 Chicago: the hub of contemporary jazz

Chicago was a very important breeding ground for innovations in jazz during the 1920s.  Chicago was even referred to as as “the hub of contemporary and forward looking jazz”  (The Chicagoans, 153).  Many of the great jazz musicians who began their musical careers in New Orleans had moved to Chicago by the 1920s, including Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and Earl Hines (Gioia, 71), and they were not alone.  In the early 1920s, there was a great migration of African Americans from the south towards the north.  This movement can partially be attributed to the closing of the District and racism in New Orleans and partially to the draw of increased economic opportunity in the north.  This economic opportunity was not just available to musicians, but also to laborers as jobs in factories and other industries opened up to African Americans.  These jobs therefore created a new audience for jazz music: an African America middle class with a disposable income.  However, Chicago was also home to a wealthy white middle class, yet another new audience for jazz musicians.  There was segregation in the concert and dance halls in this time, and therefore a separation of the black and white audiences.  As the demand for jazz music increased and changed in demographic, the style of jazz morphed as well. 

Chicago jazz is distinct from other styles of jazz, including New Orleans and New York styles, in several ways.  First, Chicago jazz can be defined as a soloist backed by a small ensemble (The Chicagoans, 162; Gioia, 53).  This shift from the ensemble focused New Orleans style may be a reaction to the demands of the audiences of jazz music, but regardless of the cause, the movement of jazz musicians to Chicago shows a definite and new emphasis on soloists.  Second, Chicago style jazz also shows an increase in the attention on improvisation (Gioia, 71).  The up and coming soloists in Chicago and this era of jazz all share an ability to improvise above the ensemble and rhythm sections. 

Some of these Chicago style jazz musicians include King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Bix Beiderbecke and the members of the Austin High School, Gang. This era for jazz presents an interesting twist as both white and black jazz musicians were creating and altering the trajectory that jazz music took.  For some individuals, the effect that they had on jazz music is obvious.  For example, King Oliver and his band, Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band were an important transition between New Orleans jazz and Chicago jazz, slightly more traditional and old school than what would come later, but moving in the direction of solos and improv.  Armstrong made an impact on the importance of the soloist, as well as major strides in the technicality of improvisation (Gioia, 57). Earl Hines, a pianist, innovated the use of the piano by incorporating Armstrong-like trumpet style into his playing (Gioia, 61).  

Figures like Beiderbecke and the Austin High boys, all white jazz musicians, are more controversial.  Beiderbecke dropped out of school to pursue a career in jazz, and was a self-taught and talented musician who is known for “beautiful” and “hot” solos (Gioia, 70).  The Austin High School Gang, mainly native Chicagoans are possibly the most debated group in terms of their contributions to Chicago jazz.  While their sound is different than that of Beiderbecke and Armstrong, it is unclear if this is the result of choices they made, or rather the result of poor execution and lack of talent (The Chicagoans, 161).  In my opinion, Armstrong and his Hot Five and Hot Seven (Gioia, 57) are the best representatives of Chicago jazz.  There is the clear dynamic of a soloist and an ensemble and Armstrong is arguably the greatest improviser of his time, therefore representing the two key aspects of Chicago jazz.  

Commented on Noah's post 

Blog #1 New Orleans: the perfect combination

Jazz was born in New Orleans because of the combination of class tensions and oppression, cultural diversity, and a growing cosmopolitan scene leading to increased economic opportunities for musicians.  After the Civil War and the freeing of African American men and women, many of the formerly enslaved flocked to New Orleans, one of the larger and more tolerant cities in the South.  Along with this migration of people from rural areas to the city came a migration of rural tradition, including work songs, a precursor jazz, from rural areas to the city.  Particularly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, New Orleans became a major commerce center, as it is the southernmost tip of the newly acquired land (Gioia, 27), which led to a massive migration to New Orleans of people from all over the country, from all walks of life. Additionally, there was a remaining French population living New Orleans, adding to the cultural diversity of the city.  Within this diversity, formerly enslaved African American men and women were at the bottom of the social ladder, even lower than the black French people or the Creole population (Gioia, 32). 

There was a lot of social tension, particularly between these Creole and the African Americans: the Creole felt a general feeling of superiority over the African Americans.  Many African Americans used music, especially the blues, to express their feelings about the oppression that they were experiencing.   The blues, another important precursor to jazz, acted as an epistemology about the disparity between what one was told and what he or she actually experienced.  Several blues divas, for example Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, were crucial in popularizing classical blues (Gioia, 16-17).  In a more general scope, this meant popularization crossed a racial boundary, allowing white audiences to enjoy black performers.  This was also an important step for black musicians because it opened up the possibility of making a significant amount of money through performing in concert halls and large venues.

However, there was another scene in New Orleans which was entirely different from these high-class concert halls, but equally, if not more influential in the creation of jazz.  This scene took place in a place known as “the district,” or Storyville.  Many black jazz musicians made their living playing music in dance halls or bordellos in this neighborhood (Gioia, 29).  This is sometimes considered the birthplace of jazz music (Gioia, 29), and was definitely a place where a blend of cultures came together.  Yet another very important influence on New Orleans jazz comes from the Baptist churches in the area.  Jazz musicians were known to attend church, not in order to learn about God, but rather to gain inspiration for their music (Gioia, 30). 

One more cultural group has a potentially under-investigated influence on jazz music.  The Eighth Mexican Regiment Band attended the Cotton Exposition in New Orleans in 1884, and many members either did not leave after the exposition or quickly returned to the United States after some time back in Mexico.  While the extent to which these Mexican musicians actually altered the path of jazz music is unclear, several aspects are: First, the Mexican people brought woodwind instruments, such as the clarinet into jazz (Johnson, 229).  Second, many Mexican musicians, while not necessarily jazz musicians, did have very strong classic technical ability, and many acted as teachers for later stars jazz stars. 

All of these factors combined make New Orleans a very conducive environment to creating new styles and experimenting with new sounds and rhythms. The oppression that African American men and women felt allowed for the creation of the blues, which, as it became more popular, morphed into jazz.  The coming together of several different cultures in a large city culminated in creative expression and exploration from the African American men and women, all within the framework of their African ancestry.

Commented on Vivek Pate