Blog 5

Before enrolling in this course, in my uninformed opinion, jazz was simply a music form created from brass instruments. If I thought of jazz I would imagine one of two things. I may imagine a sullen scene from a movie involving seduction or defeat; or I could depict an ensemble of instruments decorating my middle school cafeteria. To my surprise, jazz has proven to be a relentlessly diverse and modern music. From its African roots and perpetual migrations to its prominence amongst American pop culture, jazz has survived as a continually improvising art form. However, it’s curious as to how an African derived art form became a pop culture phenomenon in the mid 1900’s in a country that maintained segregation until 1964. It can be argued that white appropriation of black talent led jazz to flourish as an American music.

            My assumption that jazz corresponds to seduction was partially correct. From its blues infused roots in New Orleans to its hot natured tempos in Chicago, jazz has evolved to emote a feeling within the listener.  Fletcher Henderson agrees that jazz, but more specifically Swing creates a Dionysian dialogue, “Someone once described swing as the quality which not only makes people want to dance but would also cause them to fall over in a heap if the music stopped unexpectedly.” (Henderson 112). Oppositely, Billie Holidays’ song, “Strange Fruit” forlornly protests lynching. Also, Robert Johnson unashamedly utilized his musical talent for seduction (Gioia 15). White appropriation of jazz, which was predominated by black music at the time, evoked hate in Miles Davis’s heart. (Davis 44) Thus, my assumption of a sensual nature of jazz was correct in that jazz can emote sensuality.  Through this course however I’ve learned jazz can convey a multitude of emotions.

            My alternative assumption that jazz corresponds to an assortment of instruments in my middle school cafeteria was also partially correct. Jazz has evolved to be a dialectical art form between the musicians, the audiences, and the conductors. Bebop is dependent upon a musicians’ individual perspective and interactions with other musicians’ perspectives through musical embrace (Stewart 2.17.15). Contrastingly, the hot nature of Chicago jazz evolved as a parallel to racial tensions between subjected black musicians and their predominately white audiences. (Chicagoans 157) With the development of “cool jazz”, where Davis embodied a new “cool” hipness following the swing era, Davis’ genius and perspective as a conductor was made evident to his audiences. Miles Davis’ genius exemplified the conductor-ensemble harmony in which he gave musicians minimal instruction to let them create music from one another. Davis explains how he only subtly conducts an ensemble until “the music is talking to them [the audience] when everything's right.” (Davis 356) Thus, my assumption of a middle school jazz ensemble was correct in that jazz directly corresponds to a culmination of sounds harmoniously interweaving amidst slight conduction. Through this course however, I’ve learned that jazz is comprised of much more than a conductor-musician dynamic, but an improvisational all-encompassing dynamic between seemingly anyone with ears. 

            From the implemented “plantation system” in Chicago to the appropriation of Duke Ellington’s talent by Irving Mills’ co-ownership, white appropriation of black talent for economic benefit has remained a clear theme throughout the history of jazz. (Travis 43, Stewart 2.3.15) Davis refers to the white aesthetic dilution of jazz, as heard in swing, as, “half-assed hipness” (272) and goes on to proclaim that record companies would keep “black stars on the music plantation so that their white stars could just rip us off.” (334) This course has taught me that jazz has been plagued by circumstantial, both social and economic, hegemonic appropriation throughout its history. More importantly though I’ve learned that jazz has survived and thrived as a culturally mottled, and therefore universally familiar, dynamic music.

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