The Soul of Black Jazz
As many continue to educate themselves on Black history to combat racism even after February, it is crucial to understand the significant, often overlooked role that music like jazz plays in African Americans’ experiences. While some may merely associate the musical style with the tunes that play in elevators, jazz actually has a rich history rooted in Black oppression and resistance.
Building off the blues, a type of music based on work songs and spirituals that enslaved Black people sang, jazz music combines African rhythms with European harmonic styles in an improvisational manner. By offering the freedom of expression during a time of much racial segregation in the early twentieth century, jazz has allowed Black musicians to share their lived experiences and convey powerful emotions using democratic techniques such as “call and response.” This practice, which originates from Sub-Saharan Africa, leaves space in performances for jazz players to equally and freely react to each others’ music. As Grammy-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard puts it, “what makes [jazz] African American to me is the pain and suffering, the honesty about our search for truth.” Jazz’s ability to highlight and resist African American oppression while also offering a sense of resilience to Black people makes it more than simply a musical style.
Today, while jazz has lost some popularity, the music form continues to persevere and resist whitewashing. Current Black musicians like bassist Esperanza Spalding and saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings keep the music form relevant through social media and the incorporation of other musical styles, ultimately helping to mold jazz’s future.
At Riverdale, the Jazz Ensemble also carries on jazz’s legacy. In the classroom, the students learn the history behind the music they play to try to honor the Black musicians that helped pave the way for jazz today, such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. To Chair of the Department of Music and Director of the Jazz Ensemble Jason Curry, Black jazz history is crucial for everyone to always learn: “In a way, I am appreciative that there is a month dedicated to studying [Black] history, but I think this is something that needs to be studied all the time because a person cannot understand American history without knowing Black American history.” To live up to this standard, Mr. Curry, who learned from some of jazz’s masters like Louis Hughes, Barry Harris, and Benny Golson, tries to fill in the gaps of students’ understanding of African American jazz history year-round, not just during Black History Month.
In addition to educating themselves on this essential information, Jazz Ensemble members consistently try to look back to primary source material in order to make sure that they stay authentic to the original piece that they are playing. In preparation for their concert on February 15th, the Jazz Ensemble referred to actual transcriptions of Duke Ellington’s performances so that “if one went back to 1941 and turned on the radio, they would hear this exact music,” Mr. Curry says. As junior and tenor saxophonist on the ensemble Harris Adolph understands, this practice not only “immortalizes Black musicians” by honoring their exact pieces but also allows students on the Jazz Ensemble to gain a deeper connection to the historic Black musicians that they revere.
It is clear that even about a century after the Harlem Renaissance, the power of jazz by no means has diminished. Jazz transcends many current Black musicians past reality and connects them to their African American heritage, which serves as incredibly important for Black students in a predominantly white institution like Riverdale. For Adolph, playing jazz and listening to the impactful messages conveyed in the music subconsciously allow him to reflect on Black history and reminisce on his early childhood when he would listen to Charlie Parker with his father. Additionally, trombone player on the ensemble Gia George-Burgher appreciates how “jazz inspire[s] the cultivation of a stronger Black identity and community.”
Jazz’s deep roots in African American culture explain why it is crucial to Black activism both in the present and past. George-Burgher appreciates how jazz has historically helped stir the culture and “pushes people to use their voices–literally and figuratively– to advocate for change,” especially during the Civil Rights Movement. Jazz also bears significance today as police brutality and institutional racism persist. Inspired by influential African American musicians that broke racial barriers like John Coltrane, Black Lives Matter activists with bull horns and drums use music such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” during protests as a way to demand change. Similarly, Riverdale’s Jazz Ensemble hopes to utilize the power of jazz to continue the fight for universal Black liberation today.
