Blog #5

Coming into this Black Studies History of Jazz course, I have had very little to almost no knowledge about jazz music. Pretty much all I had known about jazz or its upbringing is from knowing of such historical events like the “Harlem Renaissance,” where that was a period of time where black people were beginning to break down racial barriers by creating jobs and bringing cities together with a common love for the music. I had just assumed that most jazz music is not very relevant in todays time and age hence why I lacked any knowledge about jazz music. I had assumed that because of other music styles like Hard Rock and Funk, that jazz music simply disappeared. I was unaware of the struggles and hardships jazz had to over come throughout history too keep the music alive and relevant, but now I am aware of the many reasons that makes jazz music so greatly loved by people and I respect, through the challenges it overcame. Jazz music is alive as an art form. 

Times were changing and jazz’s popularity and fame was slowly decreasing. Jazz music had done a fine job adapting to the changes and movements in time from African art, blues, swing, bebop and finally becoming street jazz. Because I had assumed jazz was no longer relevant, throughout the course I had sympathized with the changing developments of music in general that allowed jazz to fall into the struggles of keeping their popularity and fan base. In the autobiography of Miles Davis, Miles faces the issue that, “A lot of people started saying that jazz was dead, and blaming the way-out ‘free thing’ that people like Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, and Cecil Taylor were playing and the fact that it didn't have no melodic line, wasn't lyrical, and you couldn't hum to it.” (Miles, 271) In that time, Rock and Roll and Funk music was becoming the new popular genres. Most jazz clubs were then closing and a lot of musicians moved to Europe. People were still coming to his concerts, but he believed that the reason why was because he was still a celebrity. The publics attitude over jazz that Miles was experiencing was shifting indifferently. 

Even though a lot of people felt this way, including myself, taking this course allowed me to realize that indifference of jazz music is was makes the music into an art form. Miles was well aware of the fact that jazz was becoming no longer relevant in the music scene but he stayed optimistic and faced the challenge with logic that demonstrates a true passion for creating new music while adapting to the changes of the world. Miles believes that, “Because to be and stay a great musician you've got to always be open to whats new, what happening at the moment. You have to be able to absorb it if you're going to continue to grow and communicate your music. And creativity and genius in any kind of artistic expression don't know nothing about age; either you got it or you don’t, and being old is not going to help you get it.” (Miles, 273) Miles displays a great example of how jazz artist adapted to the struggles of changing music preferences and audiences. What I have learned is that jazz itself has formed as an expression of art because of the creative processes musicians were able to adapt to. Now that my knowledge had grown I respect the way jazz is as an art form and enjoy listening to it knowing that it isn't just isn't music that is no longer irrelevant. 

Jazz within a Community

Delaney Riley 

BLST 14 

In Robin Kelly’s biography on Thelonious Monk and the film, Leimert Park, describe the important influences jazz not only has on a community, but also the influences a community has for jazz. Similarly, in Kelly’s biography, Monk grew up in San Juan Hill, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York. Although Monk was very young at the time of his arrival into San Juan Hill, the community shaped the way Monk visualized his musical genius. 

San Juan Hill, at the time was a community covered with violence and is described by Gioia as being one of the, “Busiest crime areas in New York City.” (19) Blacks still endured segregation and racism throughout New York while housing conditions were very poor and unhealthy. Monk joined the community of San Juan Hill with his mother, Barbara, and two siblings, Marion and Thomas, where they would go to school and get by on their own. Despite all the violence and harsh living conditions that San Juan Hill acquired, the different types of people that lived there brought diversity to the various kinds of culture that poured out of the community. Monk had a strong connection with his community and became a young boy of culture. Kelly defines, “With the music, cuisine, dialects, and manners of the Caribbean and the American South everywhere in the West60s, virtually every kid became a kind of cultural hybrid.” (23) Monk took music lessons at a young age and would constantly hear different styles of music coming from everywhere in his tightly packed community, therefore further fueling his passion for jazz and the art form. Although Monk was an odd individual where people may have not liked the dissonance of his musical styles, the influences from the community shaped Monk into the different kind of musical genius that defined the new personality and coolness of jazz music. 

The community that Monk was raised in is a community where it would take credit for the type of art and music that would come out of it. What some mean by “Jazz is New York, man?!” is that through the culture that grew out of communities creates a sense of pride amongst its inhabitants and believe that the movements were inspired mostly by them and their culture. Kelly claims, “San Juan Hill boasted the largest concentration of black musicians in the city. During Mary White Ovington’s six-month residence at one the the Phipps Houses in 1908, she discovered that music was a major sours of income fro African-Americans… she recalled hearing music constantly in the hallways and streets. Every household had an instrument.” (19-20) The communities in New York came together with music and it makes sense to conclude that most of that jazz music performed is to be credited by the locals or New York. 

The relationship of the community Kelly outlines is very similar to the relationship within a community that is described in the film of Leimert Park because they both describe the struggles and achievements that a community overcomes for the sake of how art and music can shape the community and how a community can also shape art and music. Both communities share a common love for art and music and believe that it brings the entire community closer together with their shared interests, efforts, and achievements. When jazz artist grow up and perform, the relationship between the art and the communities can play a very important factor on their talent abilities due to influences, and where and how they were raised to adapt to a certain type of art form. 

Blog #3

Delaney Riley 

Blog #3 

2/12/2015 

In the history of jazz music, race has always had an impact on its certain successes. Jazz changes and from the period of 1926 to 1940, the era of swing music emerges. With the effects of the Great Depression that plummeted Americans economy, there are many factors as to why swing music had become something to hold onto for those who were affected and race became explicitly written and talked about more during this time. 

Due to the Great Depression, the nations market and music industry suffered affecting the way jazz was played and tensions and competition rose. The sounds of jazz, and with the influence from the economy, caused competition between white bands and black bands that were both struggling to successfully make it through the Depression. Segregation at that time was regional to the point were there were places with mainly white audiences preferred to listen to white musicians. The issue of race during the emergence of the swing era was commonly exposed because black bands felt that more opportunities were given for white bands to play for white audiences. Gioia claims that white musicians, “Unlike the black bandleaders, they were more readily accepted by mainstream America. They typically encountered easier working conditions, stayed at better accommodations when on the road, received higher pay, and had more secure careers. They were not forced to suffer the indignities of racism that even the finest black jazz musicians faced on a regular basis.” (Gioia, 133) 

Tensions grew higher as black musicians believed that white musicians were clashing with styles that were innovated by black musicians. While it is believed that the white musician only accepts jazz into mainstream culture, black musicians are more innovators of the art that jazz emulates. This leads to the issue that questions what the audience think that jazz music is in retrospect to art. Tensions with white musicians and black musicians were rising between the artist and the means of jazz distribution to the markets that were controlled by white agents. The issue of race plays into this scene because the black musician considers the swing era as a period of battling for respect. Overall, the competition of which band is better depends on the reactions of the audience and black musicians are constantly battling for respect over their new style of swing music that they innovate as a form of art. 

One jazz musician, known as the King of Jazz, Benny Goodman helped intertwine bother races in bands and alleviated tensions over the racial barriers that overall affected jazz play. Gioia states that, “As a soloist he defined the essence of the jazz clarinet as no other perfumer before or since; as a bandleader, her established standards of technical perfection that were the envy of his peers, while his influence in gaining widespread popularity for swing music.” (Gioia 129) Before Benny, Jazz was considered middle class music where people liked it, but it didn't have the high status where is would be considered as art. Although this angered the black artists, Benny was able to use, “his preeminence to break through the many barriers—of racial pre justice, of class distinctions , of snobbery and close-mindedness.” (Gioia 129) Benny connected the two races together to where people were surprised to find that black musicians were a part of his band. He helped conquer the assumptions that because Benny is a white bandleader, his entire band was going to be white and forced the audience to deal with their relationship in segregation. 

The topic of race was brought up explicitly because of the advancements of the swing era made by black and white musicians. 

Blog #2

Blog Post #2  

Chicago, in comparison to New York, I believe was the most important city to jazz during the 1920s. Chicago during the twenties turned into a city where black entertainment thrived. Depending on the social, economic, and racial conditions, Chicago jazz made a name for itself in history. 

Socially, the 1920s in Chicago was a place where black people sought out for dreams. Black people migrated to Chicago all with a shared dream that they were going to make something for themselves and had the idea of sacrificing your body so that their future descendants will become middle class. With this in mind, many people who saw an opportunity for them to become famous jazz artists, thought that the buzzing city of Chicago can give them a chance. Chicago at that time was a lively town with the contributions of gangsters, the mob, speakeasies, and the prohibition. Socially, the mob and gangster played a large role in creating a different jazz culture because gangsters were the ones really in charge of jazz players who they wanted to play for them and their clubs. Nightclubs and town areas became sanctuaries to jazz players and people of the city who enjoyed the jazz music that was brought up from the South. 

Economically, the city of Chicago helped the growing jazz culture to thrive with the rush of migrants that were drawn to the city because of the more opportunities jazz players were given to play in clubs that were also given larger amounts of money to perform for clubs. Many famous jazz players that came from all over the country i hopes to experience this kind of economic prosperity. According to Gioia, he writes, “But these players remained in Chicago not due to any loyalty to their native soil, but because of the vibrant local jazz scene and the financial security it represented.” Not only a new representation of jazz that flourished from Chicago and brought in the rush of jazz players, but it also became large enough in the city to give much more opportunities to jazz players who could earn a larger sum of money compared to performing in places like New Orleans. 

There were some racial conditions that played into the successes from jazz in Chicago. Jazz did create a conflict because artist would sign very strict and binding contracts that disallowed them from playing for other club manager or boss. These binding contracts had black musicians feeling like they were being slaves once again, but slaves to music. This would lead to a criminalistic scene amongst jazz players and may be a downside to the the culture of Chicago. 

Since jazz migrated up North from original cities like New Orleans, Chicago did create its own style of jazz. Gioia mentions that the music in Chicago, “Was still a paean to the New Orleans sound, but it also pointed forward to the later Swing Era preferences for tighter arrangements, greater expressive range and variety, and a more pronounced separation of solo and ensemble textures.” I think that the social and economic components in Chicago did help create a wider range of styles that jazz was being played into. Jazz of course was brought into the Chicago through the many influence that New Orleans had to offer. In these years, jazz in Chicago turned into something that appealed to a public image and the aspect that differentiated it from other styles the most was the improvisation. 

I think the the boys from the Austin Hill Gang can best describe the styles of jazz that Chicago as a city emulated. The Austin Hill Gang was a group of high schoolers that would listen to recorded music and simply just tried to play the way that the big shots in the jazz game would play, later composing a working band. This was the style of improvisation where jazz players can just listen to sounds of other jazz sounds and be influenced to play their own versions of it. The style of jazz in Chicago may never be understood as the advances in the different styles continued to grow throughout the jazz movement. For these boys of the Austin Hill Gang, they saw Chicago as a jazz sanctuary where any style of jazz can be accepted or formed into different appealing sounds. 

Blog Post #1- Jazz in New Orleans

There are many reasons why jazz emerged more in New Orleans rather than any other American cities in the 20th century. Some of the reasons that contribute to jazz emerging in New Orleans are that there was a large migration of African Americans to that area due to the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase caused New Orleans to become one of the largest trading routes that went all the way through the Mississippi river and down through the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans now attracted people with their amount of trade and goods. African Americans and other migrants saw this blooming town as economic opportunities to create jobs and wealth for themselves. New Orleans was also very cosmopolitan and was at ease with all the diverse and urban cultures. 

Gioia would agree that New Orleans became a center for jazz because of the economic growth and geographical position  of the town. Gioia mentions that New Orleans position was a gateway of the major inland water system where trading hubs grew and where steam boat became the major source of transportation. On the other hand, I think that in the 20th century, Mexican immigrants contributed to New Orleans jazz culturally. Mexican immigrants saw New Orleans as a place of opportunity for themselves also and brought in their culture that influenced jazz play tremendously. 

After considering the evidence that Gioia presents, I believe that the most important factor that explain why jazz emerged in New Orleans because it attracted all the cultures that appealed to a diverse amount of people. For example, African Americans at that time were unable to find opportunities for themselves or were never allowed to express themselves in their own way. New Orleans emerges as a place where the people could express their freedom through creativity through genres such as jazz music. I think that due to the newfound business of aliveness of the town, jazz became the center to where all cultures can express themselves through music. 

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