DOCSLIB.ORG

Swissjazzorama Ja Zzl Etter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Swissjazzorama Ja Zzl Etter N r 11 September 2004 ► ►► swissjazzorama ja zzl etter Das Schweizer Jazzmuseum Liebe Leserinnen, liebe Leser Welches ist denn der echte Jazz? Derjenige von Armstrong und Bechet - oder derjenige von Parker und Gillespie? Vor mehr als fünfzig Jahren erhitzten solche Fragen die Gemüter vieler Fans, und der Hot Club de France mit seinem EDITORIAL heute schon fast legendären Präsiden­ ten Hugues Panassié glaubte, zur Vertei­ digung des Echten die Definition des Jazz neu formulieren zu müssen. Nun, die Jazzgeschichte zeigt Panas­ sié klar als den Jazz-Promoter, der sich mit einzigartigem Elan für die Anerken­ nung des Jazz als Kunstform eingesetzt hat. Und zwar als Europäer. Bei einer solchen Leistung, die wir anhand der informativen Dokumentation von Chris­ tian Senn auf Seite 3 würdigen, ist man geneigt, über die damaligen Meinungs­ verschiedenheiten hinwegzusehen. Dass wir heute weit davon entfernt sind, unsere Definition des Jazz eng zu fassen, zeigt schon ein kurzer Gang durch unser Archiv. Natürlich lässt sich der Jazz unter mancherlei Gesichts­ punkten, z.B. alt-neu, schwarz-weiss usw. klassieren (siehe auch den mit einer einfachen Gleichung überschriebenen Artikel von Albert Stolz auf Seite 7). Doch Toleranz gehört auf alle Fälle zu unseren Grundsätzen. Das dürfte auch einer der Gründe Drei ganz Grosse in Ascona geehrt sein, weshalb derTages-Anzeiger in einer Vorstellung der attraktivsten Orte der Region Zürich am 22. Juli 2004 Uster als InAscona kann man herrliche Ferientage Rahmen eines internationalen Festivals Hochburg des Jazz bezeichnet hat. geniessen. Das weiss jedes Kind. Unter präsentiert hat. Auch w ir stellten die drei Jazzfans spricht sich aber auch mehr und grossen Musiker ins Zentrum. Ebenso Herzlich mehr herum, dass dort im Sommer wollen w ir mit zwei Artikeln in die­ während zehn Tagen Jazz vom Feinsten sem Jazzletter (Seiten 2 und 7) den drei geboten wird. «Tributes to Fats Waller, in Ascona Geehrten unsere Referenz Coleman Hawkins and Count Basie» erweisen. Als A utor des Beitrages über hiess das Leitmotiv des 20. JazzAscona Fats Waller konnten wir Mike Goetz, Festivals, das mit grossem Erfolg vom 25. den hervorragenden Stride-Pianisten der Dos SwissJazzOrama CREDIT Juni bis 4. Juli 2004 durchgeführt wurde. Schweizer Jazzszene, gewinnen. Das freut wird unterstützt durch SUISSE Auf Seite 4 berichten wir, wie sich das uns besonders. SwissJazzOrama zum ersten Mal im STADT USTER KANTON ZÜRICH Inhalt: I Drei ganz Grosse in Ascona geehrt 2 Fats Waller 3 Hugues Panassié 4 SwissJazzOrama in Ascona 5 Jazzclub Chur / Young Lions'Swiss Jazz Festival 2004 6 N otre page en français 7 Bean + Count + Fats 8 In Memoriam jeden Zweifel erhabene Intonation - wo­ Fats Waller - Gigant zwischen mit er sich von einigen Jazz-Sängern, die den Stühlen und Stilen sich Fats’ Singerei meilenweit überlegen fühlen, deutlich unterscheidet... - Die Bandmusiker, die W aller um sich versam­ FatsW aller-das ist Fats Waller, der Pianist, der Komponist, der Bandleader, melte, konnten ihrem Leader - nach all­ der Sänger, der Organist, der populäre Unterhalter und Spassvogel, der gemeiner Überzeugung der Jazzkritik, mit gargantuöse Esser und Trinker, und vieles mehr. Fats Waller, das ist auch der der ich hier für einmal einig gehe - fast Widersprüchliche. Gegensätzlich, zwischen Kunst und Kommerz, zwischen alle nicht das Wasser reichen, auch wenn Fis und Fass, zwischen schwarzen und weissen Tasten, zwischen Dur und auf den unzähligen Einspielungen gele­ Moll, zwischen Jazz und Klassik. Auf einen kurzen Nenner gebracht: Fats gentlich ein paar fähigere Sidemen wie W a lle r-d e r überragende Musiker; oder mit den Worten seines Lehrers und etwa Herman Autrey oder Bill Coleman Vorbildes James P. Johnson: «Es gibt kleine Leute, die Musik im Leib haben, zu hören sind. - O ft kritisiert wurde aber an Fats war alles Musik, und ihr wisst, wie gross er war.» W aller zudem für seine Bandaufnahmen von sogenannt «billigen» Titeln. Einige Fats Waller, eigentlich Thomas Wright «The Lion» - manchmal als etwas verein­ dieser Kompositionen sind tatsächlich Waller, wurde als Sohn eines Pastors und fachend wahrgenommen wird. «Ein Pia­ eher dürftig, aber in der wallerschen In­ einer Organistin am 21.5.1904 in New nist soll so spielen, dass es voll und reich terpretation erwachen diese wenigstens York geboren, er verstarb an Bord eines klingt, und er soll auch alle 88 Tasten des für drei Minuten zum Leben. Zuges in Kansas City am 15.12.1943. In Klaviers benutzen», sagte Fats selber. ...w o m it ich mich zum Schluss noch den knapp vier Jahrzehnten zwischen Und deshalb ist es auch nicht verwun­ dem Komponisten Waller zuwende: Wal­ diesen Eckdaten schuf Fats ein Werk, das derlich, dass Fats Waller der orchestrale ler war m it einem riesigen melodischen seinesgleichen sucht und seinem Schöp­ Pianist des Jazz ist, m it einer starken Einfallsreichtum gesegnet und ein sagen­ fer einen Platz unter den grossen Jazzpia­ linken Hand, die ausserhalb der Musik haft produktiver Komponist und «schnel­ nisten, Jazzkomponisten, Jazzorganisten wohl einen Waffenschein benötigen ler Schaffer». Er schuf - meist zusammen und Jazzsängern gesichert hat. Legionen würde... Unübertroffen ist Fats Waller mit dem Texter Andy Razaf - über 400 von Pianisten beziehen sich musikalisch in Sachen «Drive» und lässiger Locker­ Titel (die genaue Zahl w ird sich wohl nie auf ihn oder haben ihn in den höchsten heit, die er bis zu den horrendesten feststellen lassen), von denen er vermut­ Tönen gelobt - allen voran die Stride- Tempi beibehalten konnte. Und unter lich einige in einer knappen Viertelstunde pianisten vom Beginn weg bis zu den Musikern ruft sein konstantes, «relaxtes» aus dem Armel schüttelte. So ist es auch heutigen Vertretern des Stils, aber auch Tempo immer wieder Bewunderung nicht verwunderlich, dass Fats gelegent­ Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Art hervor. Am besten kommen Wallers lich Songs gegen ein paar Hamburger, ein Tatum, Jaki Byard und viele andere mehr. pianistische Fähigkeiten auf seinen relativ paar Gläser Schnapps oder auch 50 Für mich am wichtigsten ist - trotz wenigen Soloaufnahmen zur Geltung, Dollar verkaufte - und noch heute glau­ seiner anderen Fähigkeiten - der Pianist etwa in «Georgia on my mind» oder in ben viele Musiker, dass einige erfolgreiche Fats Waller. Sein brillantes, unbändig «Handful of keys». Kompositionen, die ursprünglich von swingendes Stride-Piano ist der Inbegriff Auch als Organist steht der «orchest­ W aller stammen, unter falscher Urheber­ dieses Stils, auch wenn es im Vergleich zu rale Fats» im Vordergrund. Waller, der schaft ein kleines Vermögen eingespielt den persönlichen Stilen der anderen schon als Jugendlicher in Kinos, Cabarets haben. W ie dem auch sei: Fats kompo­ beiden der Grossen Drei - James P. und und Theatern Orgel gespielt hatte, ist bis nierte einige der schönsten Piano-Klassi­ heute der einzige einigermas- ker wie etwa «Viper's Drag», «Alligator sen wichtige Kirchenorganist Crawl», «W ild Cat Blues» (der in der des Jazz geblieben. Er selber stark vereinfachten Fassung von Monty sagte, dass er der Orgel mehr Sunshine/Chris Barber zum Jazz-Hit Farben entlocken könne als wurde) oder «Handful of Keys». Und von dem Piano. Meisterhaft und Waller stammen auch einige der zeitlose­ ein Muss für alle Nicht-Orgel- sten Titel des Jazzrepertoires, die von Fans:«Messin' around with the Musikern über alle Stile hinweg immer Blues» von 1927. wieder gespielt werden: «Black and Etwas weniger unumstrit­ blue», «Ain’t misbehavin’», «Keepin’ out ten ist Wallers Bedeutung als of mischief now», «Squeeze me» und Bandleader und Sänger. M it sei­ «Honeysuckle Rose». nem Sextett feierte er ab Mitte Fats Waller bleibt bis heute ein unbän­ der Dreissigerjahre grosse Er­ dig swingender Botschafter der guten folge und konnte in diesem Laune, der aber neben seiner populären Rahmen auch sein komödian­ Seite immerauch ein ernsthafter Musiker tisches Talent, das sich speziell war. Und es wird wohl auch diese zu in seinen Vocals ausdrückte, seiner Zeit weniger gewürdigte, seriöse ausleben. Waller wollte m it sei­ Seite sein, an die man sich auch in 50 nem Singen keine Ansprüche oder 100 Jahren noch erinnern wird. erheben. Doch zeigt sich auch Mike Goetz hier der Könner, etwa durch seine jazzig lockere Phrasie­ rung oder seine immer über © 2004 Mike Goetz Hugues Panassié - Ein Leben für den Jazz Die 418 Seiten starke Broschüre über den grossen Jazzförderer Hugues Panassié,Gründer des berühmten «Hot Club de France», ist keineswegs eine elegant gestaltete Drucksache. Mit all ihren Zeugnissen über Panassiés Leben und Wirken ist sie aber für alle, die sich ernsthaft für die Jazzge­ schichte interessieren, von ausserordentlich hohem Wert. Hätte sich das SwissJazzOrama nicht am Jazz Ascona Festival präsentiert, was sich in jeder Beziehung gelohnt hat, könnten wir nun die wertvolle Trou­ vaille nicht in unserem Archiv einreihen. Christian Senn, der Autor des Wer­ kes, besuchte unseren Stand am 3. Juli 2004 im Collegio Papio und übergab uns ein Exemplar mit einer persönlichen Widmung. Etwa zehn Jahre sind es her, seit er durch das sorgfältige Zusammenstellen all des Materials zum Thema «Panassié» den Unvergleichlichen ehrte. Dass uns Christian Senn sein zweitletztes Exemplar geschenkt hat, wissen wir sehr zu schätzen. ersten Musikunterricht nahm. Schon mit zwei Stücken («Seefeld-Stomp» und 16 Jahren schloss er m it vielen französi­ «Angie's Blues»), die Hugues Panassié schen Jazzmusikern Bekanntschaft. Mit als Klarinettist mit Musikern aus Zürich 17 Jahren lernte er den amerikanischen (darunter Harry Pfister, Tenorsaxophon, Klarinettisten Milton «Mezz» Mesirow und Gene Favre, Bass) aufgenommen hat. (später Mezzrow) kennen. Das war der Zu Hause stellten w ir erfreut fest, dass Beginn einer Freundschaft fürs Leben, die die Rarität bereits in unserem Schellack- sich prägend auf Panassiés musikalische Archiv eingereiht ist! Präferenzen auswirkte. Der Schriftsteller Die Panassié-Sessions Christian Senn weist auf alle Bücher hin, In einem chronologisch geordneten Teil, die Panassié geschrieben hat. Es handelt der die Jahre 1928 bis 1939 reflektiert, sich um 23 Titel, die zwischen 1934 und weist Christian Senn auf eine Fülle von 1975 erschienen sind.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Solo Style of Jazz Clarinetist Johnny Dodds: 1923 – 1938
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2003 The solo ts yle of jazz clarinetist Johnny Dodds: 1923 - 1938 Patricia A. Martin Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Patricia A., "The os lo style of jazz clarinetist Johnny Dodds: 1923 - 1938" (2003). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1948. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1948 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE SOLO STYLE OF JAZZ CLARINETIST JOHNNY DODDS: 1923 – 1938 A Monograph Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The School of Music By Patricia A.Martin B.M., Eastman School of Music, 1984 M.M., Michigan State University, 1990 May 2003 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This is dedicated to my father and mother for their unfailing love and support. This would not have been possible without my father, a retired dentist and jazz enthusiast, who infected me with his love of the art form and led me to discover some of the great jazz clarinetists. In addition I would like to thank Dr. William Grimes, Dr. Wallace McKenzie, Dr. Willis Delony, Associate Professor Steve Cohen and Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Until the Late Twentieth Century, the Historiography and Analysis of Jazz Were Centered
    2 Diasporic Jazz Abstract: Until the late twentieth century, the historiography and analysis of jazz were centered on the US to the almost complete exclusion of any other region. This was largely driven by the assumption that only the “authentic” version of the music, as represented in its country of origin, was of aesthetic and historical interest in the jazz narrative; that the forms that emerged in other countries were simply rather pallid and enervated echoes of the “real thing.” With the growth of the New Jazz Studies, it has been increasingly understood that diasporic jazz has its own integrity, as well as holding valuable lessons in the processes of cultural globalization and diffusion and syncretism between musics of the supposed center and peripheries. This has been accompanied by challenges to the criterion of place- and race-based authenticity as a way of assessing the value of popular music forms in general. As the prototype for the globalization of popular music, diasporic jazz provides a richly instructive template for the study of the history of modernity as played out musically. The vigor and international impact of Australian jazz provide an instructive case study in the articulation and exemplification of these dynamics. Section 1 Page 1 of 19 2 Diasporic Jazz Running Head Right-hand: Diasporic Jazz Running Head Left-hand: Bruce Johnson 2 Diasporic Jazz Bruce Johnson New Jazz Studies and Diaspora The driving premise of this chapter is that “jazz was not ‘invented’ and then exported. It was invented in the process of being disseminated” (Johnson 2002a, 39). With the added impetus of the New Jazz Studies (NJS), it is now unnecessary to argue that point at length.
    [Show full text]
  • French Stewardship of Jazz: the Case of France Musique and France Culture
    ABSTRACT Title: FRENCH STEWARDSHIP OF JAZZ: THE CASE OF FRANCE MUSIQUE AND FRANCE CULTURE Roscoe Seldon Suddarth, Master of Arts, 2008 Directed By: Richard G. King, Associate Professor, Musicology, School of Music The French treat jazz as “high art,” as their state radio stations France Musique and France Culture demonstrate. Jazz came to France in World War I with the US army, and became fashionable in the 1920s—treated as exotic African- American folklore. However, when France developed its own jazz players, notably Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, jazz became accepted as a universal art. Two well-born Frenchmen, Hugues Panassié and Charles Delaunay, embraced jazz and propagated it through the Hot Club de France. After World War II, several highly educated commentators insured that jazz was taken seriously. French radio jazz gradually acquired the support of the French government. This thesis describes the major jazz programs of France Musique and France Culture, particularly the daily programs of Alain Gerber and Arnaud Merlin, and demonstrates how these programs display connoisseurship, erudition, thoroughness, critical insight, and dedication. France takes its “stewardship” of jazz seriously. FRENCH STEWARDSHIP OF JAZZ: THE CASE OF FRANCE MUSIQUE AND FRANCE CULTURE By Roscoe Seldon Suddarth Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2008 Advisory Committee: Associate Professor Richard King, Musicology Division, Chair Professor Robert Gibson, Director of the School of Music Professor Christopher Vadala, Director, Jazz Studies Program © Copyright by Roscoe Seldon Suddarth 2008 Foreword This thesis is the result of many years of listening to the jazz broadcasts of France Musique, the French national classical music station, and, to a lesser extent, France Culture, the national station for literary, historical, and artistic programs.
    [Show full text]
  • Demise from Success? the Emergence of Hybrids Between Nascent and Established Products and the Subsequent Revival of the Once-Nascent Products
    DEMISE FROM SUCCESS? THE EMERGENCE OF HYBRIDS BETWEEN NASCENT AND ESTABLISHED PRODUCTS AND THE SUBSEQUENT REVIVAL OF THE ONCE-NASCENT PRODUCTS Jaemin Lee Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise INSEAD [email protected] October 2015 * Job market paper 1 Jaemin Lee – Sample Work Demise from Success Demise from Success? The Emergence of Hybrids between Nascent and Established Products and the Subsequent Revival of the Once-Nascent Products ABSTRACT This paper argues that the success of a hybrid between an established and a nascent product can ultimately cause the nascent product to become popular at the expense of the hybrid. By invoking familiarity with the established product, the hybrid is more easily understood and accepted. It also contributes to the legitimization of the nascent product over time, given the nascent product’s elements included in the hybrid. However, once the nascent product is better understood, the hybrid’s limitations may become apparent if it fails to incorporate the key elements of the once-nascent product that are crucial to positive evaluation and integral to the appeal of the once-nascent. Thus, unless the hybrid offers the unique value, it may gradually become less appreciated than the once-nascent product. I test this theory in the context of the emergence of hybrid jazz—a combination of original jazz and classical music that was popular during the 1920s and 1930s—and the subsequent popularity of traditional jazz during the 1940s and 1950s in the United States. This paper extends research on entrepreneurship, innovation, and market categories by emphasizing that the appeal of a hybrid is dynamic.
    [Show full text]
  • Really the Blues, Mezzrow Says: “I Was the Only White Man in the Crowd
    rom the time that Mezz Mezzrow first heard Sidney Bechet playing with the Original New Orleans Creole Jazz Band in Chicago in 1918, he nursed a burning ambition to record with him, inspired by the duets Bechet played with the band’s clarinettist Fleader, Lawrence Dewey. It took Mezzrow 20 years to realise that ambition, finally achieving his goal when French critic Hugues Panassié made his recording safari to New York in November 1938. The 12 tracks on this album are of later vintage, a selection from the sides that Mezzrow made in the mid-forties when he was president of the King Jazz record company. Recalling the Bechet dates in his celebrated autobiography, Really The Blues, Mezzrow says: “I was the only white man in the crowd. I walked on clouds all through those recording sessions… How easy it was, falling in with Bechet – what an instinctive mastery of harmony he has, and how marvellously delicate his ear is!” The Mezzrow-Bechet partnership was a conspicuously one-sided match because Mezzrow had nothing like Bechet’s stature as a musician. But he was undoubtedly a good catalyst for Bechet, for whom he had a boundless admiration, and he made no secret of his inability to measure up to Bechet’s almost overpowering virtuosity. Mezzrow once said of one of his sessions with Bechet: “I was ashamed of not being better than I was, to give him the support he deserved and the inspiration, too”. Mezzrow came in for more than his share of adverse criticism during his playing career, and certainly he was never more than a mediocre musician whose intonation was frequently wretched.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Santa Barbara Journal of Transnational American Studies
    UC Santa Barbara Journal of Transnational American Studies Title Excerpt from Jazz Diasporas: Race, Music, and Migration in Post–World War II Paris Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/03d48720 Journal Journal of Transnational American Studies, 7(1) Author Braggs, Rashida K. Publication Date 2016 DOI 10.5070/T871031832 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Introduction Migrating Jazz People and Identities At ninety-five years old Hal Singer could still seduce with his saxophone. The measured steps to the raised stage . the near misses when sitting on his stool . the misheard shout out of the next tune . nothing could alter his firm hold on the saxophone. On that fifth day of October in 2014 Singer’s saxophone blurted just a bit off sync, though still lilting. But it did not take long for him to mesmerize the audience. As this master of rock ’n’ roll, R&B, and jazz performed, visions of poo- dle skirt–laden girls flipping and spinning with intricate steps took over my imagination. His music transported me back in time. In 1948 Singer recorded “Cornbread” on the Savoy label. The song quickly hit number one on the R&B charts. Riding the waves of his success, he turned down the opportunity to retain his spot in Duke Ellington’s reed section; even though he’d only just secured this esteemed role, Singer had enough recognition then to lead his own band (B. Dahl; Felin). On that still summery day in October 2014 Hal Singer created a mood of nostalgia and blood memories in the cozy community center of Belleville, Les ateliers du Chaudron (The studios of Chaudron).1 The lucky ones were sitting upright in chairs against the wall and beside the stage.
    [Show full text]
  • Paris Noir: Race and Jazz in Post-War Paris
    Paris Noir: Race and Jazz in Post-War Paris Essential Questions: Why was Paris a jazz capital after World War II? Why did black Americans (particularly writers and jazz musicians) live in Paris after World War II during decolonization? What were the push and pull factors of African American migration to post-World War II Paris? How did Sidney Bechet link New Orleans jazz to Paris? What influence did Paris have on bop? How are jazz and jazz people naturally transnational? How do you listen to jazz? The importance of listening Obtaining a jazz vocabulary Understanding and appreciating major movements in jazz Understanding and appreciating the life and sounds of jazz innovators Historical context of jazz Objectives: Explain how Paris became the center of African American culture after World War II despite France’s decolonization policy. Determine the factors that transformed Jazz into a transnational and interracial music. Assess the relevancy of the post-World War II African American writers . Historical Context Based On: *Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light by Tyler Stovall *Jazz Diasporas: Race, Music and Migration in Post-World War II Paris by Rashida K. Bragg *France and Its Empire Since 1870 by Alice L. Conklin, Sarah Fishman, Robert Zaretsky Year Zero: A History of 1945 by Ian Burma Historical context presented by Marcie Hutchinson Paris: A New Black Community • Who- African American Writers, Artists Musicians • What- African American expatriate community • Where- Left Bank (Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés •
    [Show full text]
  • Jazz Diasporas.Indddiasporas.Indd 1 008/12/158/12/15 2:502:50 PMPM 2 / Introduction
    Introduction Migrating Jazz People and Identities At ninety-five years old Hal Singer could still seduce with his saxophone. The measured steps to the raised stage . the near misses when sitting on his stool . the misheard shout out of the next tune . nothing could alter his firm hold on the saxophone. On that fifth day of October in 2014 Singer’s saxophone blurted just a bit off sync, though still lilting. But it did not take long for him to mesmerize the audience. As this master of rock ’n’ roll, R&B, and jazz performed, visions of poo- dle skirt–laden girls flipping and spinning with intricate steps took over my imagination. His music transported me back in time. In 1948 Singer recorded “Cornbread” on the Savoy label. The song quickly hit number one on the R&B charts. Riding the waves of his success, he turned down the opportunity to retain his spot in Duke Ellington’s reed section; even though he’d only just secured this esteemed role, Singer had enough recognition then to lead his own band (B. Dahl; Felin). On that still summery day in October 2014 Hal Singer created a mood of nostalgia and blood memories in the cozy community center of Belleville, Les ateliers du Chaudron (The studios of Chaudron).1 The lucky ones were sitting upright in chairs against the wall and beside the stage. Most of us were crouched on wooden bleacher-like levels, holding our knees in, sitting on our jackets, and trying not to take up too much space so that everyone could fit in.
    [Show full text]
  • The Assimilation of American Jazz in Trance, 1917-1940
    le hot the assimilation of american jazz in trance, 1917-1940 William h. kenney iii The assimilation of American jazz music in France, an instance of the cultural transmission of an emerging American musical art, began at the time of World War I. Within the subsequent history of jazz in France lies the tale of the progressive mastery of the two principles of improvisation and rhythmic swing and the modification of American sounds to suit the particular cultural terrain of France between the two World Wars. The process was eased by the obvious fact that France already contained, indeed originated in some cases, the basics of western music: instrumental definitions, chromatic and diatonic scales and the myriad chords from which they were constructed. Still, the principles of melodic and particu­ larly harmonic improvisation were little known in France as was the surprising phenomenon of rhythmic swing so that when early jazz arrived in that country French musicians knew most of the vocabulary of jazz without knowing how to make jazz statements. A small number of French musicians learned to "sing" with a swing and in the process created their own "école française de jazz." Ragtime and the musical precursors of jazz were carried from the U.S.A. to France by military bands sent by the American government in 1917. The most famous was the 369th Infantry Regiment's Hell Fighters Band, an all-Black outfit organized and led by James Reese Europe. Europe was a pioneer of ragtime in New York City where he had organized 0026-3079/84/2501-0005S01.50/0 5 concerts of Black music, headed the famous Clef Club, and accompanied Irene and Vernon Castle's introduction of the foxtrot in America.
    [Show full text]
  • William Russell: Jazz Lover, Collector, and Musicologist an Annotated Bibliography
    William Russell: Jazz Lover, Collector, Musicologist An Annotated Bibliography Ben Wagner Born Russell William Wagner in 1905, William (Bill) Russell was a violinist; an avant-garde composer deeply interested in percussion; accompanist to a touring puppet troupe; a meticulous musical-instrument repairman; a jazz-record producer; an archivist; a writer; and, above all, a New Orleans jazz collector of extraordinary breadth. More than anything else, he simply loved classic New Orleans–style jazz, which he called the “best music I’d ever heard.”1 He sought out obscure, old-time jazz players and was instrumental in the revival of the career of Bunk Johnson. Russell privately showed many kindnesses to jazz musicians down on their luck, encouraging their careers. In an age of segregation, Russell had many close associations with African Americans, organizing recording sessions in houses and rented halls because blacks were not allowed in New Orleans recording studios, nor could they play openly with white musicians. He did much to document and advocate New Orleans as the true birthplace of jazz. Although there were some inaccuracies in his early writings—and the debate continues about the many-faceted origins of American jazz—Russell’s overall analysis has stood up well against later scholarship. He certainly was one of the first to note the importance of place in the development of jazz. From the early 1930s to the end of his life, Russell acquired and documented anything he could find related to jazz: oral-history recordings and transcripts, jam-session recordings, musical instruments, photographs, programs, postcards, ads, city guidebooks, correspondence, sheet music, magazines.
    [Show full text]
  • Course Name: Histories of Post-1960S Jazz
    1 Course Name: Jazz in Europe – European Jazz Department of Music Instructor: Wolfram Knauer Time: Tuesday, Thursday, 2:40pm - 3:55pm Course Number: 72600 Points: 3 points Course Type: Lecture / Seminar Bulletin Description: This course will examine the varied history of jazz in Europe as a history of African-American jazz reception, as a history of the acquisition of musical skills, as a history of a musical and aesthetic "emancipation" and as a history of a productive and self-confident current scene. Topics include the aesthetic understanding and misunderstanding of improvisation and jazz as an African-American music and how the productivity of the music helped to shape the road that European jazz eventually took in different countries. Topics also include a discussion of the diversity in European jazz developments, about authenticity in jazz, and about the recent debate over European vs. American jazz. Explanation: The course explores the diversity of European jazz. It will look upon the development of jazz in selected countries, upon specific musicians and how they came to form their individual styles, upon interrelations between the cultural infrastructures of different countries and musical development. We will look at jazz in France, in Germany, in Scandinavia as well as in some former Eastern-block countries and try to explain specifics in the respective music's developments. At some point, and it mostly was a different point in different countries, European jazz came of age, when musicians stopped just imitating the American role models and tried to connect the beloved African-American jazz idiom with their own reality, their own cultural background and socialisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Migrating Jazz People and Identities
    Introduction Migrating Jazz People and Identities At ninety-five years old Hal Singer could still seduce with his saxophone. The measured steps to the raised stage . the near misses when sitting on his stool . the misheard shout out of the next tune . nothing could alter his firm hold on the saxophone. On that fifth day of October in 2014 Singer’s saxophone blurted just a bit off sync, though still lilting. But it did not take long for him to mesmerize the audience. As this master of rock ’n’ roll, R&B, and jazz performed, visions of poo- dle skirt–laden girls flipping and spinning with intricate steps took over my imagination. His music transported me back in time. In 1948 Singer recorded “Cornbread” on the Savoy label. The song quickly hit number one on the R&B charts. Riding the waves of his success, he turned down the opportunity to retain his spot in Duke Ellington’s reed section; even though he’d only just secured this esteemed role, Singer had enough recognition then to lead his own band (B. Dahl; Felin). On that still summery day in October 2014 Hal Singer created a mood of nostalgia and blood memories in the cozy community center of Belleville, Les ateliers du Chaudron (The studios of Chaudron).1 The lucky ones were sitting upright in chairs against the wall and beside the stage. Most of us were crouched on wooden bleacher-like levels, holding our knees in, sitting on our jackets, and trying not to take up too much space so that everyone could fit in.
    [Show full text]