[Dixielandjazz] Black Rage Jazz (was List of Tenor Sax Players)

[Don Mopsick]

Mike writes:

> By the way, what do you mean by "Black Rage" era?

Mike:

See the groundbreaking book "Black Rage" by William H. Grier (Author), Price
M. Cobbs (1968).

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rage-William-H-Grier/dp/1579103499/ref=pd_bbs_sr
_1/103-2726747-4390232?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190899315&sr=8-1

To set the scene, 1968 was the year of the big riots in Newark, Watts, and
Detroit. I was a high school senior that year in Linden, NJ, the town
adjoining Newark. I definitely felt Black Rage that year, all around town
and in school. 

Also see http://www.mdcbowen.org/cz/parables/rage.htm

I remember reading at the time several jazz writers who commented that the
emerging "avant-garde" screaming style of jazz was an expression of Black
Rage. Think of the movement in jazz as roughly parallel with the late 60s
and early 70s larger African-American social movement reflected in figures
such as Malcolm X, Black Panthers, etc. 

I hesitate to post this reply to you publicly on DJML since it is strictly
off-topic. The sociology has nothing to do with old-school pre-WWII jazz. 

However, to further illustrate the point, consider another great societal
change: the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South to the
North (mainly Chicago) from the mid-20s (the time of a great Mississippi
flood that displaced millions) on.

The Great Migration had a direct, important impact on the jazz of the time.
Many songs composed by both white and black composers expressed the longing
and nostalgia that people felt for "back home." Louis Armstrong recorded
many of these songs, such as "That's My Home," "When It's Sleepy Time Down
South," etc.

Quite a number of these songs have nothing at all to do with the reality of
black life in the Jim Crow South, instead depicting an idyllic, "life's just
grand" sensibility, exactly what Black-Rage-era musicians cited as evidence
of jazz's racist past. The fact was that pre-WWII black performers such as
Armstrong could never hope to express the reality of Jim Crow in song,
successful "protest" songs were far in the future.

One exception: Andy Razaf cleverly disguised Jim Crow reality in "Black and
Blue," which because of an Armstrong recording came to be known as the first
"protest" song (the song has a very interesting genesis, see "Black and
Blue: The Life and Lyrics of Andy Razaf" by Barry Singer, Foreword by Bobby
Short, ISBN 0-02-872395-3). Only much later in 1940 could Billie Holiday
address the "disconnect" problem directly with "Strange Fruit," a big hit at
the liberal Café Society about lynching.

In fact, we are currently developing this theme for an upcoming Riverwalk
compilation show.

So, to post on DJML about "The Great Migration" and its impact on old-school
jazz is very appropriate, while the topic "Black Rage Jazz" belongs
elsewhere. 

I certainly don't want to appear as singling you out publicly on DJML. Think
of my last post to you as an extension of a previous answer to Carborundum
Steve Barbone, King of Off-Topic Posts on DJML.

mopo

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike [mailto:mike at railroadstjazzwest.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 11:38 PM
> To: Don Mopsick
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] List of Tenor Sax Players
> 
> Don Mopsick wrote:
> 
> The problem I have with your argument is not which tenor sax
> player was more
> > innovative, or who better reflected a new culture, or anything else
> about
> > them other than that their style falls outside the focus of this group,
> > which by the way is called "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List." Your post
> about
> > pseudo-avant tenor sax abusers is simply "off-topic" here.
> 
> I was merely continuing a thread that was already in progress by
> other members. I didn't start it and I by no means was the only
> one continuing it.
> 
> I'm fairly certain that you will have no trouble finding another
> more
> appropriate group out there somewhere to discuss plant-killing,
> donkey-braying nonsensical tenor players of the Black Rage era, say,
> "Dentist-Drill Tenor Sax."
> 
> Your attempts at humor are less than mildly amusing. You have
> your opinions that fine. I have mine. 90 percent of my posts are
>    of the OKOM variety. Every so often someone posts something
> off topic and I may respond to it as do others. Please don't
> single me out because I'm the one who happens to post something
> that you don't agree with.
> 
> By the way, what do you mean by "Black Rage" era?
> 
> Mike, I'm looking forward to reading more posts from you about
> "Dixieland
> > Jazz" on this, the "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List."
> 
> And I'm looking forward to more exhilarating dialogue like this
> with you.