Jazz Griots: Music as History in the 1960s African American Poem

259 Pages·2012·4.98 MB·English

by  Jean-Philippe Marcoux

Jazz Griots
Jazz Griots
Music as History in the 1960s African
American Poem
Jean-Philippe Marcoux
LEXINGTON BOOKS
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Copyright © 2012 by Lexington Books All rights reserved. No part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Marcoux, Jean-Philippe, 1977—
Jazz griots : music as history in the 1960s African American poem / Jean-
Philippe Marcoux.
pages ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7391-6673-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. American poetry--African
American authors--History and criticism. 2. Jazz in literature. 3. Griots. 4.
African Americans--Intellectual life--20th century. 5. English language--
Rhythm. I. Title.
PS310.J39M37 2012
811'.509357--dc23
2012012627
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to Langston Hughes and H. Nigel Thomas, two griots of
the “Long Black Song”
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Intravernacular Dialogues, Jazz Performativity, and the Griot’s Meta-linguistic
Praxes
Chapter 1
The Sound of Grammar: Blues and Jazz as Meta-languages of Storytelling in
Langston Hughes’s Ask Your Mama
Chapter 2
Move On Up: Free Jazz and Rhythm and Blues Performativities as Creative Acts
of Cultural Re-inscription in David Henderson’s De Mayor of Harlem
Chapter 3
Sister in the Struggle: Jazz Linguistics and the Feminized Quest for a
Communicative “Sound” in Sonia Sanchez’s Home Coming and We A
BaddDDD People
Chapter 4
Birth of a Free Jazz Nation: Amiri Baraka’s Jazz Historiography from Black
Magic to Wise Why’s Y’s
Coda
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
This book was inspired in parts by the writings on African American music of
Steven C. Tracy, Lawrence Levine, Amiri Baraka, Aldon Lynn Nielsen,
Kimberly W. Benston, Samuel A. Floyd Jr., Meta DuEwa Jones, Mark Anthony
Neal, as well as the writings of William Van DeBurg, Paul Berliner, Ingrid
Monson, and Brian Ward, who have explained how music is the language of the
black experience, of particular moments in a history of struggles, and who have
theorized the music as a continuous dialogue with the soul of a people.
Special thanks to:
Caroline Brown, who supervised early versions of this material and who helped
me when this project was, at the time, a dissertation. You were the first to
believe that this was a book waiting to be written.
Sonia Sanchez, who encouraged me on the phone to pursue the project and
convinced me of its significance. Thank you for your generosity with your work.
David Henderson, who granted me a lengthy interview filled with advice and
wonderful stories. Thank you for being so generous with your time whenever I
needed to ask you for something.
Aldon Nielsen, who might not remember giving me, in an elevator in San
Francisco, the key to unlock my discussion of Sanchez’s “a/coltrane/poem.” He
asked me, “So, how did you cut it?” In fact he might not remember my name . . .
Martha Cutter, editor of MELUS, and the two referees who looked at versions of
a paper that became part of the chapter on Henderson. Thank you for the careful,
attentive readings and constructive criticisms.
Justin Race, my editor, who took the many calls of an anxious writer, and who
always supported me during the processes of revisions and production. Thank
you for your patience, your reassurance, and for taking a chance on this project.
Special thanks to Sabah Ghulamali for the support, the laughter, and the very
creative exchanges!
creative exchanges!
Justin Bisanswa and Chantal Fortier for the advice and the support; Sophie
Robichaud for the wonderful work in the last stages of the manuscript; Brad
Kent and Elspeth Tulloch for being extraordinary colleagues.
Finally, Isabelle and Alexandre, the great loves of my life, who saw this project
come to life and who were generous and gracious enough to the give me the gift
of time; thank you to my friends and family for the gift of love and friendship.
Jean-Philippe
February 2012