Lecture 5 The Great Migration

• Starting around 1915, approximately two million African-Americans from southern states moved north to cities like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York • Many came to escape the racism and discrimination of the Jim Crow South • Many came because of the promise of jobs in the mills, foundries, stockyards, and meatpacking plants

Jazz Musicians and Chicago • Chicago became the focal point of the world in the 1920s • Jazz musicians from New Orleans actually started arriving in the city well before that • By 1925, almost all of the major players on the New Orleans scene had relocated to the Windy City Chicago Nightlife • By the mid-1920s there were literally hundreds of dance halls, theatres, speakeasies, and cabarets • Speakeasy: a place where alcohol was illegally served during the Prohibition Era in the United States • Cabaret: a restaurant serving liquor and providing entertainment (as by singers or dancers)

Chicago & the Mob • During his administration from 1914-1931, Mayor Big Bill Thompson, befriended club owners, bootleggers, pimps, gamblers, and gangsters by turning the other cheek to their activities, allowing vice to thrive • Crime syndicates took control of the city • The leaders of the Chicago mob scene were Bugs Moran, who controlled the north side, and Al Capone, who controlled the south side The Mob, Prohibition & Jazz • At the heart of the mob empire during Prohibition was the sale and distribution of illegal alcohol • Control of nightclubs and speakeasies was essential to business • Jazz musicians playing in speakeasies often witnessed police raids and gunfights as the turf wars for control of the illegal liquor business were fought

Demise of the Chicago Scene • By the late 1920s, New York was becoming the center of everything • New York provided plenty of jobs for musicians • Nightclubs, theaters, and dance halls • The radio and recording industries • The sheet music publishing empires of Tin Pan Alley • By the end of the 1920s, brutal gang warfare in Chicago solidified public support for cracking-down on crime • As police raids intensified, mob violence increased, making clubs even more unsafe for jazz musicians • The final blow to the Chicago jazz scene was the repeal of Prohibition, ending the era of speakeasies and loose morals

Louis Armstrong (1901 – 1971) • Born on August 4, 1901 in the section of New Orleans known as “The Battlefield” • First achieved fame as a cornet player, later switching to trumpet • Later in his career he was best known as a vocalist Louis and the Karnofskys • At the age of 7, Louis went to work for the Karnofskys, a Russian-Jewish immigrant family who delivered coal to the prostitutes of Storyville • Louis rode in their wagon and blew a long tin horn to let the Karnofsky’s clients know they were coming • Mrs. Karnofsky insisted that Louis eat a good dinner every evening before going home • One day, Louis spotted a cornet in a pawn shop window and asked the Karnofskys to advance him the $5 to buy it • To express gratitude towards the Karnofskys for their kindness to him, Armstrong wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life Armstrong’s Early Troubles • Dropped out of school for good at the age of 11, and formed a vocal quartet that sang and danced on the street corners of Black Storyville • In 1913, he was arrested for firing his stepfather’s pistol on New Year’s Eve • Was sent several times to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs as a result of his delinquency The Waif’s Home Brass Band • While at the Waif’s Home, Louis quickly became the best cornet player in its marching band • When Armstrong led the band through his old neighborhood for the first time, all the prostitutes, gamblers, thieves, and beggars were waiting for the band because they knew he would be in it • The onlookers were so proud to see that little Louis—someone from their neighborhood—had done so well, that they dropped enough coins in the boys’ hats to pay for brand-new instruments and uniforms for the whole band Early Career • In 1914, Louis was released from the Waif’s Home • He began playing in parades, dance halls, and seedy bars • He astonished older musicians with his tone, power and musical ideas Armstrong & King Oliver • Joseph “King” Oliver was Armstrong’s idol • Oliver (called “Papa Joe”) acted as a mentor and almost as a father figure to young Armstrong • In 1918 when King Oliver left for Chicago, Armstrong took Oliver’s place as the cornetist in Kid Ory’s band • In 1922, Armstrong joined the exodus to Chicago, where he had been invited by Oliver to join his Creole Jazz Band What’s in a Name? • The nickname Satchmo or Satch is short for Satchelmouth, describing his embouchure • In 1932, then Melody Maker magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted him in London with “Hello, Satchmo!” shortening Satchelmouth, and it stuck • Early on he was also known as Dippermouth, a reference to the propensity he had for refreshing himself with the dipper from a bucket of sugar water which was always present on stage with Joe Oliver’s band in the early 1920s • Friends and fellow musicians usually called him Pops, which is how Armstrong usually addressed his friends and fellow musicians Split from Oliver • Armstrong was happy working with Oliver, but his second wife, pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, urged him to seek more prominent billing • He and Oliver parted amicably in 1924 • Armstrong moved to New York City to play with the Orchestra, the top African-American band of the day • Armstrong switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section Hot Five & Hot Seven • He returned to Chicago, in 1925, and began recording under his own name with his famous Hot Five and Hot Seven • His recordings with pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines and trumpet introduction to West End Blues remain some of the most famous and influential improvisations in the whole of jazz history Armstrong’s Vocal Style • Armstrong is considered to be the first important vocal interpreter of jazz and popular songs • Although not as expressive as his trumpet playing, the relaxed phrasing of his singing was copied by many • The uniquely gritty coloration of his voice became a musical archetype that was much imitated and endlessly impersonated • Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it 1930s & 1940s • In the late 1930s Armstrong began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style • As result he began to branch out and develop his vocal style, and make his first theatrical appearances • After spending many years on the road, he settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille Satch over the Beatles • In 1964, he recorded his biggest-selling record, Hello, Dolly! • The song went to #1 on the pop chart, making Armstrong the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat at age 63 • In the process, Armstrong dislodged The Beatles from the #1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with 3 different songs Later Years • In his later years, Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a year • He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under sponsorship of the US State Department with great success and become known as “Ambassador Satch” • While failing health restricted his schedule in his last years, within those limitations he continued playing until the day he died • Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, at age 69

Struttin’ with Some Barbecue Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, recorded December 9, 1927 Personnel: Louis Armstrong (cornet), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Edward “Kid” Ory (trombone), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)

Hotter Than That Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, recorded December 13, 1927 Personnel: Louis Armstrong (cornet & vocals), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Edward “Kid” Ory (trombone), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lonnie Johnson (guitar), Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)

West End Blues Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, recorded June 28, 1928 Personnel: Louis Armstrong (trumpet & vocals), Jimmy Strong (clarinet), Fred Robinson (trombone), Mancy Cara (banjo), Earl “Fatha” Hines (piano), Zutty Singleton (drums)

Weather Bird Louis Armstrong and Earl “Fatha” Hines, recorded December 5, 1928 Personnel: Louis Armstrong (trumpet), Earl “Fatha” Hines (piano)

Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke (1903 – 1931) • Born March 10, 1903 in Davenport, Iowa • A notable jazz cornetist as well as a talented classical and jazz pianist • He made innovative and influential recordings with Frankie Trumbauer • He wrote several compositions for the piano, and recorded one of them () Early Life • As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south • Partially because of frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke’s school grades suffered • His parents sent him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy just north of Chicago in order to improve his academic schooling Early Days in Chicago • Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at the clubs and speakeasies around Chicago • Often he did not return to his dormitory before curfew or was even still found off- campus the next day • He was soon asked to leave Lake Forest academy due to his academic failings and extracurricular activities in Chicago Bix & Frankie Trumbauer • In 1925, Bix met saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, who would become his musical soulmate • “Tram” like Bix played in a very lyrical style • The pair recorded a number of sides together during the 1920s as the Frankie Trumbauer Orchestra • Bix and Tram moved to New York in 1926 to play in the society dance bands of and Bix’s Decline • Beiderbecke had suffered health problems from an early age which contributed to the general decline of his health in his adult years • His relentless touring schedule and increasing alcoholism were also major factors contributing to his ever-worsening condition • Bix suffered from severe pain in his legs amongst other ill effects of his abuse of very low quality, poor grade, and often somewhat poison Prohibition Era alcohol Final Days • In 1929, Beiderbecke had a nervous breakdown • Bandleader Paul Whiteman sent him home to his parents’ home in Iowa to recuperate • He eventually returned to New York only to go on a final drinking binge in the summer of 1931 • Beiderbecke died alone on August 6, 1931 of an alcohol-related seizure • He was only 28 years old

Singin’ the Blues with Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra, recorded February 4, 1927 Personnel: Frankie Trumbauer (C-Melody ), Bix Beiderbecke (cornet), (clarinet), Bill Rank (trombone), (guitar), Paul Mertz (piano), (drums)

Hot vs. Cool: Comparing Louis Armstrong & Bix Beiderbecke Louis Armstrong • Brilliant tone that cut through in any musical context • Hit high notes unreachable by other musicians • Employed techniques such as fast tonguing, bending notes, and rhythmically floating above the beat • Extra daring, an almost uncontrollable drive, and rhythmic tension Bix Beiderbecke • Sound was delicate and lyrical; ideas polished and sophisticated • Made imaginative use of the cornet’s middle range • Relied on his choice of notes and skillful sense of dynamics; ideas sounded coolly calculated • Relaxed, laid-back, unhurried, exuding a sense of control

The Austin High Gang • The relocated black and Creole New Orleans musicians began to inspire a new crop of musicians in Chicago in the 1920s • A number of these Caucasian teenage musicians lived in middle-class neighborhoods and attended Austin High School • This group of boys initially included Jimmy McPartland (cornet), Dick McPartland (guitar), Frank Teschmacher (clarinet), Bud Freeman (tenor sax) • The Gang was a loose collection of musicians who hung out together but never recorded under that name • When the boys were introduced to the sound of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, they decided to try to play like them • Playing jazz was not something that was looked favorably on by polite society in the suburbs and not something a parent or school band director would encourage • Eventually joining their ranks were Dave Tough (drums), Joe Sullivan (piano), Mezz Mezzrow (clarinet & sax), Eddie Condon (guitar & banjo), (clarinet), (clarinet), Jimmy Dorsey (alto sax), (trombone), and Gene Krupa (drums)

The New York Scene • A much different scene than either New Orleans or Chicago • While the city had gone crazy over the O.D.J.B. in 1917, jazz in New York had a much more European influence • Ragtime, rather than jazz or blues, was the major influence

Tin Pan Alley • Since the mid 1890s, midtown New York brimmed with publishing companies where composers and lyricists came to work and cranked out America’s popular songs • The name Tin Pan Alley was originally used to describe the sound of many pianos plinking out melodies along 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenues in the early years of the 20th century that sounded like dishpans being stuck • Eventually it came to be a catchall phrase to describe the entire publishing industry based in New York • Tin Pan Alley composers and lyricists developed a structure known as the standard song form • The standard song form is a 32-bar form comprised of four 8-bar sections, either in AABA or ABAC phrase configuration • Some of the best known songwriters of Tin Pan Alley include Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, George Gershwin (music), Ira Gershwin (lyrics), Richard Rodgers (music), and Lorenz Hart (lyrics)

Music & the Birth of Radio • Between 1920 and 1924, 600 stations began broadcasting • Radio executives realized the value of music programs which were extremely popular and inexpensive to produce • In 1927, three small networks were launched, headquartered in New York: NBC Red, NBC Blue, CBS • As networks grew and others formed it became clear that radio executives were deciding which orchestras were featured on music programs • Musicians soon realized that to earn a national reputation (which led to tours, steady engagements, and increased record sales), they would have to be based in New York

Birth of the Jazz Big Band • Throughout the late 1920s and into the 1930s, jazz bandleaders were experimenting with increasing the size of their bands • Because dance halls kept getting bigger, the amount of volume a band needed to fill them kept growing • The only way to do this was with more players (these were the days before amplified sound reinforcement)

The Importance of Arranging • The Depression aided in the creation of the big band since musical labor as cheap and available • A result of the increase in size of the jazz band was an increased emphasis on written arrangements • After a certain size, it is no longer feasible for a band to improvise its way through a song as musical chaos can take over • An arranger charts out a song giving each player a specific role to play in the piece

The Rise of the Saxophone • The 1920s and 1930s saw the increase in the use of the saxophone • During the early years of jazz, saxes were more of a novelty, and the clarinet was the reed instrument of choice • The saxophone provides a deeper and fuller sound than the clarinet • By using a combination of alto, tenor, and baritone saxes in a band, a wide range of the musical spectrum can be covered • By the late 1930s, the clarinet was used primarily as a secondary or “doubling” instrument by reed players

Paul Whiteman (1890 – 1967) • Paul Whiteman was born on March 28, 1890 in Denver, Colorado • After a start as a classical violinist and violist, Whiteman led a jazz-influenced dance band • Whiteman’s band gained national prominence after moving to New York and recording for Victor Records • Whiteman became the most popular bandleader of the 1920s “Symphonic Jazz” • Although Whiteman’s intentions were good, his music was not really jazz • His arrangements were so complex and intricate that they did not swing, and left very little room for improvisation • Because Whiteman could pay top dollar, he was able to hire some of the finest musicians of the day including Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, and both Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey Whiteman’s Importance • Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered by Whiteman’s Orchestra with Gershwin at the piano in 1924 • While it contained no improvisation, it was filled with jazz-inspired harmony and melodies that included blue notes and other jazz affectations • In the audience were music critics and authorities from the world of classical music, including Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff • The piece which was a sensation and gave jazz an important place on the concert stage of the classical music world

Fletcher Henderson (1897 – 1952) • Fletcher Henderson was born on December 18, 1897 in Cuthbert, Georgia • He was a pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer • Henderson was important in the development of big band jazz and The New Kid in Town • Henderson had just graduated from Atlanta University when he moved to New York in 1920 to work on his Master’s Degree in chemistry at Columbia University • When he found his job prospects in chemistry to be very restricted due to his race, he took a job as a song plugger for the Pace-Handy Music Company • Soon he was producing recording sessions for Black Swan Records • He also served as the musical director for singer Ethel Waters • His success made him forget about a career in chemistry The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra • Henderson formed his first band in 1922 • They quickly secured gigs at Club Alabam and soon after at the Roseland, the top ballroom in Harlem at the time • Henderson’s band boasted the arranging talents of saxophonists Don Redman and , as well as himself • Many great African-American jazz musicians of the era passed through his band including Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, , and Benny Carter The Band Breaks Up • Henderson was never one to attend to business affairs or to possess good managerial skills • His band was undisciplined, often showing up late or underdressed • With the onset of the Depression, missed paydays became common, and ultimately his band deserted him en masse in 1934 • Henderson was never one to attend to business affairs or to possess good managerial skills • His band was undisciplined, often showing up late or underdressed • With the onset of the Depression, missed paydays became common, and ultimately his band deserted him en masse in 1934 Henderson’s Comeback • Down on his luck, he started selling his arrangements to and writing new ones for Benny Goodman in 1935 • Through these hot arrangements, Goodman was able to capture the mod of dancers throughout the country and become the first star of the • Though never as commercially successful as Paul Whiteman or Benny Goodman, his contribution to jazz as a bandleader, arranger, and talent scout is immeasurable

Hot ‘n’ Anxious The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, recorded March 19, 1931 Personnel: Rex Stewart (cornet) Russell Smith (trumpet), Bobby Stark (trumpet), Claude Jones (trombone), Benny Morton (trombone), John Kirby (tuba), Russell Procope (clarinet & alto sax), Harvey Boone (alto sax), Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax & clarinet), Horace Henderson (piano), Clarence Holiday (guitar), Walter Johnson

Sources • History and Tradition of Jazz by Thomas E. Larson • Jazz for Dummies by Dirk Sutro • Jazz a film by • http://en.wikipedia.org

Discography 1. “Potato Head Blues” by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1 CBS RD 033-1 2. “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1 CBS RD 033-1 3. “Hotter Than That” by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1 CBS RD 033-1 4. “West End Blues” by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1 CBS RD 033-1 5. “Weather Bird” by Louis Armstrong & Earl “Fatha” Hines from the album The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Volume 1 CBS RD 033-1 6. “In a Mist” by Bix Beiderbecke from the album Bix Beiderbecke Volume 1: Singin’ the Blues ©1927 Sony Music Entertainment 7. “At the Jazz Band Ball” by Bix Beiderbecke from the album Bix Beiderbecke Volume 2: At the Jazz Band Ball © 1927 Sony Music Entertainment 8. “Singin’ the Blues” by Bix Beiderbecke from the album Bix Beiderbecke Volume 1: Singin’ the Blues ©1927 Sony Music Entertainment 9. “Royal Garden Blues” by Louis Armstrong from the album Louis Armstrong: The Ultimate Collection © 2000 UMG Recordings 10. “Royal Garden Blues” by Bix Beiderbecke from the album Bix Beiderbecke Volume 2: At the Jazz Band Ball © 1927 Sony Music Entertainment 11. “San” by The Paul Whiteman Orchestra from the album The Indispensable Bix Beiderbecke BMG Music 12. “Happy Feet” by The Paul Whiteman Orchestra from the album The Sound of the Movies: Bing Crosby ©2002 TIM Cz 13. “Hot and Anxious” by The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra from the album Ken Burns’ Jazz: Fletcher Henderson ©2000 Sony BMG Music Entertainment 14. “Shanghai Shuffle” by The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra from the album Ken Burns’ Jazz: Fletcher Henderson ©2000 Sony BMG Music Entertainment