What Is This Thing Called Jazz?: African American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists (Music of the African Diaspora)

442 Pages·2002·2.48 MB·English

by  Eric Porter

ROTH FAMILY FOUNDATION
Music in America Imprint
Michael P.Roth
and Sukey Garcetti
have endowed this
imprint to honor the
memory of their parents,
Julia and Harry Roth,
whose deep love of music
they wish to share
with others.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book provided
by Sukey and Gil Garcetti,Michael P. Roth,
and the Roth Family Foundation.
What Is This Thing Called Jazz?
MUSIC OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Edited by Samuel A. Floyd Jr.
1 California Soul: Music of African Americans
in the West,edited by Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje
and Eddie S. Meadows
2 William Grant Still: A Study in Contradictions,
by Catherine Smith
3 Jazz on the Road: Don Albert’s Musical Life,
by Christopher Wilkinson
4 Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story
between the Great Wars,by William A. Shack
5 Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out
West,by Phil Pastras
6 What Is This Thing Called Jazz? African
American Musicians as Artists,Critics,and
Activists,by Eric Porter
What Is This Thing
Called Jazz?
African American Musicians as
Artists, Critics, and Activists
ERIC PORTER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
BERKELEY LOS ANGELES LONDON
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2002 by the Regents of the University of California
Part of chapter 2 was first published as “‘Dizzy Atmos-
phere’: The Challenge of Bebop,” in American Music17,
no. 4 (Winter 1999): 422–446.
For acknowledgments of permissions, please see page xi.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Porter, Eric (Eric C.)
What is this thing called jazz? : African American
musicians as artists, critics, and activists / Eric Porter.
p. cm.— (Music of the African diaspora ; 6)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: A marvel of paradox : jazz and African
American modernity—Dizzy atmosphere : the chal-
lenge of bebop—Passions of a man : the poetics and
politics of Charles Mingus—Straight ahead : Abbey
Lincoln and the challenge of jazz singing—Practicing
“creative music” : the black arts imperative in the jazz
community—Writing “creative music” : theorizing
the art and politics of improvisation—The majesty
of the blues : Wynton Marsalis’s jazz canon.
ISBN 0-520-21872-8 (cloth : alk. paper)—
ISBN 0-520-23296-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Jazz—History and criticism. 2. African
American jazz musicians. I. Title. II. Series.
ML3508 .P67 2002
781.65'089'96073—dc21 2001044408
CIP
Manufactured in the United States of America
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997)
(Permanence of Paper).8
For Cat and my parents

Contents
Plates / follow page 200
Acknowledgments / ix
Introduction / xiii
1 “A Marvel of Paradox”
JAZZ AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MODERNITY / 1
2 “Dizzy Atmosphere”
THE CHALLENGE OF BEBOP / 54
3 “Passions of a Man”
THE POETICS AND POLITICS OF CHARLES MINGUS / 101
4 “Straight Ahead”
ABBEY LINCOLN AND THE CHALLENGE OF JAZZ SINGING / 149
5 Practicing “Creative Music”
THE BLACK ARTS IMPERATIVE IN THE JAZZ COMMUNITY / 191
6 Writing “Creative Music”
THEORIZING THE ART AND POLITICS OF IMPROVISATION / 240
7 “The Majesty of the Blues”
WYNTON MARSALIS’S JAZZ CANON / 287
Epilogue / 335
Notes / 337
Index / 383