The Jazz Revolution: Twenties America and the Meaning of Jazz PDF
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The Jazz Revolution This page intentionally left blank The Jazz Revolution Twenties America £sf the Meaning of Jazz Kathy J. Ogren OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS New York Oxford For my mother Kathleen Joanne Ogren and to the memory of my father Robert A. Ogren Oxford University Press Oxford New York Toronto Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi Kuala Lumpur Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo Nairobi Dar es Salaam Cape Town Melbourne Auckland and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 1989 by Kathy J. Ogren First published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, Inc., 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016-4314 First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1992 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging--in-Pnblication Data Ogren, Kathy J. The Jazz Revolution: Twenties America and the meaning of jazz / Kathy J. Ogren. p. cm. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Jazz music—United States. 2. Music and society. 3. United States—Popular culture—History—20th century. I. Title. ML.3508.037 1987 781'.57'0973—dc19 88-22596 CIP MN "Jazzorna" and "The Cat and the Saxophone" are Copyright 1926 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and rencwed 1954 by Langston Hughes. Reprinted from The Weary Blues', by Langston Hughes, by permis- sion of the publisher. ISBN 0-19-505153-X ISBN 0-19-507479-3 (PBK.) 10987654 Printed in the United States of America Acknowledgments Like most jazz performances, this book is not a solo act. I have depended on contributions from others. Most of my primary materials came from two outstanding jazz archives that contain valuable oral histories as well as other research materials. Curtis Jerde and the staff of the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University, New Orleans, helped me find oral histories and photographs. Dan Morgen- stern and the staff of the Rutgers University Institute for Jazz Studies, Newark, likewise guided me through the riches of their collection. The Special Collections staff of the University of Cali- fornia Library, Los Angeles, provided useful information about West Coast entertainment, particularly in the George P. Johnson Negro Film Collection. Robert Brubaker and the Prints and Pho- tographs staff at the Chicago Historical Society gave me useful pointers about jazz photographs. Summer research grants from the University of Redlands made possible my trips to the ar- chives. The inter-Library Loan, Special Collections, and Periodi- cals staff of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at The Johns Hop- kins University, and the staff of the George Armacost Library at The University of Redlands also helped me track down sources. The Jazz Revolution: Twenties America and the Meaning of Jazz began as my Ph.D. thesis. I received many helpful comments v vi Twenties America and the Meaning of Jazz from members of my dissertation committee, although I was unable to incorporate all of their suggestions. Consequently, I'd like to thank my supervisors Ronald G. Walters and Vernon Lidtke, and committee members Yves-Alain Bois, Toby Ditz, Gillian Feeley-Harnick, and Daniel O. Naiman. Donald Bren- neis, Robert A. Hill, Tyrus Miller, Daniel Wilson, and Deanna Shemek read all or parts of the dissertation and I appreciate their encouragement. Several people proofread and offered critiques of the manu- script. Ronald G. Walters and Curt Jerde provided insightful comments on the introduction and Chapter One, Pat Wasielewski noted several important misconceptions in Chapter Two, and Sidney J. Lemelle read the entire text and gave generously of his time and counsel. In this, as in many projects, I owe special thanks to Ronald G. Walters, Daniel Horowitz, and Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz. While tolerating my eccentricities, they nevertheless continued to give sound advice and solid support. This acknowl- edgment is but a small measure of my appreciation for their pa- tience and confidence in my efforts. Sharon Widomski and Marilynn Lawrence somehow man- aged to make clean copy out of my writing and typing. Neva Makgetla rescued me from a serious jam on the word-processor. Tyrico Z. Tyler checked references for me, and, with Mark Ankcorn, helped prepare the final draft. Roland Marchand sent me the perfect magazine illustration and Zeph Makgetla helped me with photographic tasks. I am grateful for the sensible recommendations and advice of my editor, Sheldon Meyer. The Oxford University Press staff, especially, Rachel Toor and Leona Capeless, gave careful and much-appreciated attention to preparing the manuscript. Celia Petty prepared the index. Although I cannot properly acknowledge all of them, many friends, family members, colleagues, and students cheered my progress and ensured the completion of this project. In particu- lar, I thank James Sandos and Patricia Wasielewski of The Uni- versity of Redlands, who regularly reminded me to make this book a priority. Ida Altman, Allyson Smith, Nancy Langer, Acknowledgments vii Karen Holden, Tyrus Miller, Deanria Shemek, Bill Roberts, Debra Roberts, Ahmed Sehrawy, Sharon Smith, Lance Selfa, and Dan Shelton made sure I had a place to stay, the appropri- ate coordinates for negotiating new cities, and peace and quiet in which to work. Roxanne Wilson and Dan Shelton shared both the exhilaration and frustration of this adventure—their optimism often served me well. My mother, Kathleen Joanne Ogren, never hesitated to give me material and emotional support for writing The Jazz Revolu- tion: Twenties America and the Meaning of Jazz. With gratitude, I dedicate this book to her and to the memory of my father, both of" whom first taught me the gift of song. This page intentionally left blank Contents Introduction: The Significance of the Jazz Controversy for Twenties America 3 1. "Comin' Down the Same Drain": Performance Practice of Bluesmen, Minstrels, and Jazzmen 11 2. "All the Lights Were Tinted Green or Red": Location and Setting for Jazz Performance 56 3. Dance-Tested Records and Syncopep for the Millions 87 4. From Devil's Music to Jooking: Jazz Performance and the Black Community 111 5. Prudes and Primitives: White Americans Debate Jazz 139 Conclusion: Performance Crossroads 162 Notes 167 Bibliographic Essay and Suggested Readings 197 Index 213 Illustrations follow page 110
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