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The New Negro of Jazz: New Orleans, Chicago, New York, the First Great Migration, & the Harlem Renaissance, 1890-1930

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The New Negro of Jazz: New Orleans, Chicago, New York, the First Great Migration, & the Harlem Renaissance, 1890-1930 The New Negro of Jazz: New Orleans, Chicago, New York, the First Great Migration, & the Harlem Renaissance, 1890-1930 A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History of the College of Arts and Sciences 2012 By Charlie Lester M.A., University of Cincinnati, 2008 B.A., Northern Kentucky University, 2004 Committee Chair: Professor David Stradling Abstract The New Negro of Jazz: New Orleans, Chicago, New York, the First Great Migration, & the Harlem Renaissance, 1890-1930 By Charlie Lester The Harlem Renaissance is often remembered for its cultural achievements, but scholars often place too much attention on literary and visual artists with little regard for the musicians of the period. When scholars do make the connection between jazz and the Harlem Renaissance, the work of jazz artists in cities outside of Harlem play second fiddle. In fact, New Orleans and Chicago could just as easily stake the claim as the nation’s jazz capital in this period, and so many early jazz innovators emigrated to Chicago’s South Side from New Orleans that the Windy City could arguably boast a more vibrant music scene than Harlem. Thanks in no small part to the First Great Migration, when over one million African Americans left the South to stake their claim on the American Dream in the urban North, jazz transitioned from a regional to the national music in the 1910s and 1920s. A number of scholars of the Great Migration have shed light on the grass roots leadership that facilitated northern emigration. In the first few decades of the 20th century, African Americans in scores of cities across the country were busy forging a new collective identity, known as the “New Negro”, as expressed in the visual and performing arts, political protest, and economic enterprise culminating in the Harlem Renaissance. Thanks to several historians the political activism of the literary component of the Harlem Renaissance is well known. Unfortunately, few have made the same connections in regard to the musicians of the period. Jazz made its own Great Migration on the backs of a cadre of grass roots musician leaders whose political awareness has yet to be fully appreciated. These considerations suggest that a deeper analysis of jazz, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the political iii activism of musicians beyond 135th Street and Lenox Avenue is necessary to uncover the “New Negro” of black music. This dissertation examines the Great Migration through the lens of jazz to explore why New Orleans musicians left the Crescent City at the turn of the twentieth century, why Chicago and New York were such attractive places to ply their crafts, and what relationship New Orleans, Chicago, the Great Migration, and jazz have to the Harlem Renaissance. As a result, this work synthesizes the scholarly traditions of Urban, African American, and Jazz histories, and challenges the traditional interpretations of the Harlem Renaissance. While jazz was a central cultural component of life in Harlem, it was also crucial to scores of cities across the country as African Americans journeyed north during the Great Migration. Jazz musicians were also just as active politically as other migrants. Despite a common stereotype that characterizes musicians as apolitical, my work seeks to demonstrate that the musicians of the period were no different than their counterparts in the literary arts by shedding new light on the grass roots activism that emerged alongside the music. iv Acknowledgements Over the course of my academic career, I have been very fortunate for the high level of support and assistance received along the way from a cadre of family, friends, mentors, professors, colleagues, and archivists, and granting institutions. Though the work of writing a dissertation is often a solitary experience, the work of becoming a professional historian is very much a communal effort. I am pleased to have a number of “all-stars” on my team, and I would like to recognize them for their advice, encouragement, support, and companionship throughout this long and rewarding endeavor. First let me thank the many professors and advisors I have been fortunate to work with along the way. David Stradling has been a model mentor and friend. His advice, editorial skills, and passion have strengthened this project every step of the way. Most importantly, I always sensed he stood in my corner, and that assumption proved correct time and again. He provided the proverbial pat on the back when I needed it and a kick in the ass when necessary. I am equally grateful for both. Davarian Baldwin has been a welcome outside addition to this project. His interest in my work from an early stage has been nothing short of phenomenal. Dr. Baldwin pushed me to think about the subject of this dissertation in new and rewarding ways. Thank you for reaching out to a young scholar with similar interests. Thanks also to Tracy Teslow and Wendy Kline for serving on this committee and for all the advice and letters of recommendation in my time at UC. Outside this committee, I have been privileged to work both directly and indirectly with a number of dedicated and gifted scholars at the University of Cincinnati and as an undergrad. Nikki Taylor advised me on this project while it was still in its infancy and helped mold me as a v scholar. John Alexander and John Brackett taught the first classes I took as a graduate student and placed my academic career on firm ground to conquer anything grad school could throw my way. I should also recognize the influence of Fritz Casey-Leininger, Christopher Phillips, Wayne Durrill, Mark Lause, Maura O’Connor, Martin Francis, Willard Sunderland, James Ramage, Michael Washington, Jeffrey Williams, Michael Ryan, and Al Pinelo. Zane Miller, though retired from UC for several years, has taken an interest in my project and offered advice and encouragement. I also need to thank Hope Earls for putting out many academic fires for me. I received much needed assistance at several archives and libraries while researching the project. Bruce Boyd Raeburn and Lynn Abbott were gracious hosts at the Hogan Jazz Archive in New Orleans. Ed Berger, Vincent Pelote and the staff at The Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark, New Jersey were always attentive to my many requests and made me feel at home in Newark. Leslie and all the staff members at the Louis Armstrong House Museum Archive at Queens College were tremendously helpful in pinpointing specific items of research. I would also like to thank all the staff members at New York University’s Tamiment Library, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The University of Chicago’s Chicago Jazz Archive, The Carter G. Woodson Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library, and The Harold Washington Branch of the Chicago Public Library. I also received funding from a number of sources that made these research trips possible. Thanks first to the Department of History and to Roger Daniels and Zane Miller for supporting graduate research. Thanks also to the Graduate Student Governance Association for several travel reimbursement payments. Thanks also to the University Research Council and the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center for major financial contributions and for the fellowships that afforded me the time to research and write major portions of the dissertation. vi I would be remiss to leave out the many family members and friends who have helped me along the way. First I would like to thank my parents, Charlie and Kate Lester, for instilling in me a love of history, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to social justice. These values have served me well, and without your assistance over the years, I would not be here today. My grandparents on my mother’s side, Robert and Madeline Rodger, have also provided support (including financial assistance as an undergraduate, when in a moment of panic, I realized I miscalculated my academic bill one semester). Thanks also to the Rodger and West clans for encouragement. My paternal grandparents have been a particular source of inspiration. One Christmas, the two of them bought me Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album, and it set me on the path of jazz addict ever since. My grandfather, a jazz pianist and one-time bandleader, and I have had many conversations about jazz over the years (including a story about how Cab Calloway and his drummer showed up at my grandfather’s boyhood home one afternoon in Newark, New Jersey during the Great Depression). I would also like to thank the extended Lester family for the many great meals and over-the-top laughter over the years⎯ the food and foolishness have provided both emotional and physical sustenance on far too many occasions to recount here. Thanks also to my sister and brother-in-law, Fran and Chris Edwards and all my nieces and nephews, for the many good times and for buying my first laptop as an undergrad. My in-laws have made me feel a part of the family since day one. Thanks to Cecil, Nancy, Cheryl, Todd, Becky, Jeremy, Mike, and Marissa for making me feel at home, always. I forged a number of academic relationships in my time at UC. These friends made life as a graduate student much more enjoyable. Thanks to Evan Hart, Matt Stanley, Zach Garrison, Adam Rathge, Rob Gioielli, Feay Coleman, Jessica Biddlestone, Maribeth Mincey, Michelle Semancik, Katy Cornell, Lance Lubelski, and Nate McGee for the camaraderie and fellowship. I vii would also like to thank Matt Brandt, my best friend of twenty-five years and partner in crime.
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