Chicago Jazz: A Cultural History, 1904-1930

250 Pages·1994·12.79 MB·English

by  William Howland Kenney

Chicago
Jazz
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Chicago
Jazz
A
Cultural
History
1904-1930
WILLIAM-HOWLAND KENNEY
NewY oOrkxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1993 by William Howland Kenney
First published in 1993 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1994
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 the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kenney, William Howland.
Chicago jazz : a cultural history, 1904-1930
/ William Howland Kenney.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-506453-4
ISBN 0-19-509260-0 (pbk)
r. Jazz—Illinois—Chicago—History and criticism.
2. Chicago (Ill.)—Social conditions, 3. Chicago (Ill.)—Race relations.
4. Chicago (Ill.)—Popular culture. I .Title.
ML35o8.8.C5K46 1993
781.65*0973'1109042—dc20 92-27397
135798642
Printed in the United States of America
For Francoise and Melanie
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Acknowledgments
MY INTEREST IN the cultural history of jazz was sparked by historian
Neil Leonard many years ago at the University of Pennsylvania. In a
small way at least, I hope this volume will indicate his enduring inspira-
tion. The work of Lewis A. Erenberg deeply influenced my initial
thoughts about a model for this study. Two Kent State University
colleagues—Professors Doris Y. Kadish and August Meier—played im-
portant roles by taking precious time from their own research to help me
to improve the focus and organization of my chapter drafts. Their intel-
lectual discipline and generosity have acted as a constant source of schol-
arly inspiration, while their faith in this project's potential, like that of
editor Sheldon Meyer, has been vastly encouraging.
I gratefully acknowledge fellowship support for this book from the
American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for
the Humanities. Both awarded summer Grants-in-Aid in 1989 for the
collection of source materials in Chicago. The Research Council of Kent
State University provided an Academic Year Research and Creative Ac-
tivity Appointment in 1989 and travel funds to return to the archives
thereafter.
viii Acknowledgments
The staffs of several libraries and archives, worked with remarkable
skill to make my job easier. These organizations are listed on page 181.1
would particularly like to acknowledge, however, the permission granted
by Ron Greek of the Columbia Oral History Collection and Mary Ann
Bamberger of the University Library, University of Illinois at Chicago to
quote from the collections under their management. Michael Cole, Linda
Burroughs, and Mary Taylor of the Periodical Information and Access
Department at Kent State did a skillful job of making available to me
crucial interlibrary loan, periodical, and microfilm documents.
I would also like to express my indebtedness to the dedicated jazz
record collectors who went out of their ways to tape Chicago jazz records
for my use. Joel O'Sickey again provided invaluable assistance in this
regard, as he has on past projects, and I'm particularly grateful to him for
sharing his considerable knowledge of the phonograph records with me.
John and Nina Steiner offered me their hospitality while I learned from
the Steiner Collection. Jim Stincic, John Richmond, Larry Booty, and
John Bitter all provided records and tapes of Chicago jazz. Jazz guitarist
Brad Bolton diagrammed some of the more complex big band record-
ings. All these individuals proved the strength of the jazz community and
the role it can play in helping to recreate a cultural history of jazz. Above
all, Francoise Massardier-Kenney, who has shone a bright and encourag-
ing light on my path to and through this project, has my heartfelt thanks.
Kent, Ohio W. H. K.
June 1992
Contents
1 • South Side Jazz: Cultural Context, 3
2 • The Evolution of South Side Jazz, 35
3 • White Jazz and Dance Halls, 61
4 • White Chicago Jazz: Cultural Context, 87
5 • Chicago's Jazz Records, 117
6 • "Syncopated Threnody":
The End of Chicago's Jazz Age, 147
APPENDIX, 173
ABBREVIATIONS OF ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS, 181
NOTES, 181
INDEX, 219