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FROM PATTON, TO BAILEY, TO PEPPER: ILLUMINATING THE MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN JAZZ AND THE BLUES by MICHAEL GUTIERREZ A.A., Dallas Community College District: Richland College, 2015 B.A., Fort Lewis College, 2017 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Music Jazz Performance and Pedagogy 2020 This thesis entitled: FROM PATTON, TO BAILEY, TO PEPPER: ILLUMINATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN JAZZ AND THE BLUES written by Michael Gutierrez has been approved for the masters doctoral degree program in: Jazz Performance Dr. John Gunther Committee Chair Name John Drumheller Committee Member Name The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Student ID number 109249342 IRB protocol # IACUC protocol # ABSTRACT African Americans and Native Americans share a common history, community, tradition, and ways of life. Both of these cultures survived for centuries while dealing with the struggle of slavery, racism, and genocide in America and were able to persevere. These experiences would help define the cultures as well as become the inspiration and foundation for the music that would eventually turn into the blues and later, America’s native music: Jazz. Jazz and Blues played evolutionary roles in what would eventually become “the American Sound.” When considering iconic musicians like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, or even Jimi Hendrix, one would be surprised by the amount of Native American heritage that can be traced back through their history. In my research I will dive into this history and illuminate the contributions of Native Americans in the creation and development of American music. This history has always been hidden away from bibliographies and stories, but I feel that it is important to remember that these two cultures have been intertwined from early on. My wish is to not take away from the African American story, I merely want to expand upon what is known so that the Native-American story can be incorporated. I want my thesis to inspire more people to research this topic and to make the readers more aware of this invisible history. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this to my late grandmother, Letha Gail Howlingcrane. Thank you for believing in me. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to first thank everyone who played a role in my academic accomplishments. First, to my committee chair and lesson teacher, John Gunther, who pushed me to follow my heart and allowed me a space to find and explore what inspired me. Second, to my family and friends, you have continuously inspired me to be great and have always supported my musical dreams and aspirations. Lastly, I want to thank my partner, Caitlin Martinac, for your unwavering support and dedication. You have kept me sane and helped this thesis become something that I can be proud of. Thank you all. v TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...1 II. BACKGROUND………………………………………………………………………….4 III. CHARLEY PATTON……………………………………………………………………...8 IV. MILDRED BAILEY……………………………………………………………………..16 V. JIM PEPPER……………………………………………………………………………..23 VI. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………..30 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………..31 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION What is Native American music? For some people, it might be the “Tomahawk Chop'', a very popular sports anthem, or the sound of the Native American flute used in melodies in different early Western TV shows and movies like '”Bonanza,” or even the Native American scene in Disney’s Peter Pan . If they are familiar with pow-wows, it could be the homophonic vocal music that goes along with the steady beat of the drum. By exploring these contrasting sounds and expectations, we can identify what gives this music its native sound and what makes it so unique. We can also consider the influence that it has had on different musical genres and I will accomplish this by examining a few artists and their effect on blues and jazz. The introduction of European colonialism to the New World began the intertwining of the Native American and African American’s shared history. Slavery has been a part of the native history from the very beginning. When tribes like the Iroquois or Creek went to war with the surrounding tribes and won, they took the remaining survivors as war captives.1 They were primarily used for small scale labor but in certain cases, they were adopted by and accepted into the new tribe. When warriors were killed in battle, they often had to be replaced by these captives. They were expected to fill the economic, military, and familial roles of the departed to 1 Lauber, Almon Wheeler. I ndian Slavery in Colonial Times Within the Present Limits of the United States Chapter 1: Enslavement by the Indians Themselves ( New York: Columbia University Press, 1913), 53. 1 help maintain the “spirit power of the tribe.” 2 This was a common practice until it was the native people themselves, who were the ones being conquered. The collision of these two worlds had a catastrophic effect on the native people who occupied this land. The warriors of these tribes went on to become the symbols of culture and identity in the twentieth century but also came to symbolize the “savage man”, and were pigeonholed into romanticized versions of their people. These people who were close to nature, with their intelligence unclouded by social conventions, fashion, or greed, were what philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau had dreamed about. But to the new settlers, they saw a poor soul ready to be saved by the grace of God.3 The government never intended to exterminate these people, they only wished to civilize them and teach them agriculture and other domestic arts. They wanted to destroy the incompatible Native life and eventually use their land for the further expansion of the new America. The brutal history only adds to the determination it took to hold onto what made them so unique, and the eventual return of their pride and culture. This research is important to me because I am a half-Comanche and half-Mexican American musician looking to find out more about the history of these two different cultures and their influence outside of their immediate worlds. I am a part of two minorities and have never really felt like I belonged to either. Growing up as a first-generation immigrant and witnessing 2 Snyder, Christina, "Conquered enemies, adopted kin, and owned people: the creek Indians and their captives." Journal of Southern History 73, no. 2 (May 2007): 255, https://link-gale-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A163705273/WHIC?u=coloboulder&sid=WHIC&x id=77047bcd. 3 Page Smith, Tragic Encounters : The People’s History of Native Americans (California: Counterpoint, 2015). 2 the struggle of my father trying to provide for our family, as well as listening to my families’ stories about the old ways and their boarding school experiences, has allowed me to use these experiences in creating my own unique voice in my playing. I decided to focus on the Native American aspect of my lineage to see what contributions we made to the jazz art form. 3 CHAPTER II BACKGROUND When the first European settlers first arrived on this land, they quickly realized that maintaining a good relationship with the bordering tribes was in everyone’s best interest. They had been allies in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, but once these relationships were no longer necessary, the native people quickly became an obstacle in the expansion of America. Like Great Britain did to the Native Americans before, the early Americans would reserve the right to ignore these agreements and treaties and absorb the land of their enemies and allies alike. The cultural assimilation of Native Americans marked the beginning of a 100 year battle in which these different tribes fought to hold on to their identity. George Washington created a six point plan to encourage the “civilizing” process with “promotions of experiments to civilize or improve Native American society” being the main 4 focus.” The most efficient way to assimilate these Indigenous people was to put them through a Indian Boarding School from an early age. The children often described their stays as traumatic experiences. They were forbidden to use their native languages, taught to ignore their own religions in favor of Christianity, ultimately abandoning their Native American identity altogether. Boarding Schools have been around since the 1630’s, with St. Mary’s being officially established in Maryland in 1640. Their main purpose was, “…to extend civilization and 4 “We the People,” Lumen Learning, accessed February 27, 2020, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/we-the-people/. 4 5 instruction to the ignorant race, and show them the way to heaven.” Indian Boarding Schools started to show up in the late 19th century with Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879 being 6 the first official one. In the face of genocide and forced assimilation, and with most of the Native American traditional religious ceremonies being outlawed in 1884, Native Americans had limited options when it came to expressing their culture. One of these ways was to become a form of entertainment for non-Native audiences, where they performed at venues such as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. In these shows, they were made to recite the story of the eventual triumph of civilization over savagery.7 The legalization of Native American religious dance in 1934 provided an economic opportunity for these Native performers. By professionalizing Native American music and dance, they created a commercial pow-wow music industry that would benefit from what would eventually turn into big budget pow-wows and provided a way for these people to earn a living.

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