THE ARTS AT HOME AND ABROAD Topic Discussion- Chp 16 Natalie Grum Intro to Africana Studies Dr. Bryan Carter Summer Session

CLASSIC BLUES  In 1920, Mamie Smith became the first black women to release a blues record to a major record with “Crazy Blues.” The record sold over 75,000 in Harlem alone.  Many other black female singers began recording albums after Smith’s popularity and they created what is now known as “Classic Blues”  The Classic Blues sound is described as, “a female style of sassy, urban- sounding blues songs.”  In 1925, Blind Lemon Jefferson became the first black male to record a blues album and his success led to the creation of the “male dominated country blues genre.”

BLACK SWAN RECORDS  Harry Pace created Black Swan Records to support all forms of black music.  Pace became interested in the civil rights movement when studying at Atlanta University where he was close with W.E.B. Du Bois.  Pace sold his product in drugstores, furniture dealers, newsstands, barber shops, pool halls and speakeasies in hopes of reaching black audiences  The company was overrun by the white industries introduction of black artists after only 2 years.

NATIONAL AND LIVE BROADCAST RADIO  The introduction of radio allowed the black artist music to be broadcast across the country and dissolved the invisible barrier that culturally separated the rural southern world.  White listeners were able to experience the African music for free when previously they might have never been exposed to the music.  In Chicago many radio stations had live black performances in white establishments that ran across the nation through the airwaves.  New York stations often aired black music.  Duke Ellington was the decades most frequently broadcast musician.

THE EVOLUTION OF JAZZ  New Orleans to Chicago The progression of jazz styles in the 1920’s reflects the black northern migration trends. - New Orleans is identified as the birthplace of jazz but the the emergence of jazz in Chicago was changed by the combination of classic blues and the improvisational music on New Orleans. - Musical opportunities were abundant in Chicago.

JAZZ IN NEW YORK: RAGTIME TO STRIDE  James P. Johnson was the creator of the “Stride” piano style that evolved in New York from ragtime.  The Big- Band tradition represented the New York jazz scene  New York jazz style grew out of the large band music of James Reese Europe and was less similar to Chicago’s classic blues style

THE JAMES REESE EUROPE ORCHESTRA  James Reese Europe contributed to the evolution of New Yorks jazz style through his influence on black musical theatre.  He created the organization the Clef Club (an organization of black professional musicians) to promote better working conditions and opportunites.  Victor records offered him a recording contract and the James Reese Europe Orchestra was created  During WW1 James Europe and his Hellfighter’s Band of the 396 th Infantry brought jazz to France.  But after Europe’s tragic death, his band mate Fletcher Henderson took his place as leader.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG TRANSFORMS BIG BAND JAZZ  Armstrong joined Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra in New York City.  He added a new flair to the bands strict persona and electrified audiences with his improvisational performances  After gaining technical skills and learning from the orchestra, Armstrong moved to Chicago and became the leader of the Hot Fives  After returning to New York in 1930, he performed in the big band style and became one of the greatest and most widely known black artists in America

DUKE ELLINGTON AND THE BIG BAND ERA  Following Henderson, Duke Ellington took the spotlight.  He maintained a tailored image in Henderson’s legacy, who showed his racial pride though his New Negro style.  Ellington thought of his music as the work of the Harlem Reniassance, he wished to “portray the experience of the colored races.” It was said by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a historian and scholar of the Harlem Renaissance, that “the 1920’s, as it should be remembered, saw the rise of surpassingly accomplished musicians such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, whose artistry had a greater influence on the nation as a whole than the work of any of the renaissance writers.”

MOTION PICTURES  Lincoln Motion Picture Company was established by George and Noble Johnson in 1916  Oscar Micheaux’s film and book company began in 1918 and later he became the most important producer of African American films in the 1920’s  “Race Movies” were the earliest all-black films and were played n segregated theatres in the south and northern urban black communities.

BLACK TALENT IN WHITE STUDIOS  In 1929 Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington stared in musical shorts because they had both already gained a following through radio  The all-black musical Hallelujah! (1929) was directed by a white film maker named King Vidor. - The film was very controversial and due to its sexual message and non traditional message of black manhood and bodyguards had to be hired for the films main characters - Although the film was said to be the most realistic representation of black family life in a Hollywood film

BLACK THEATRE  Post War Theatre- - Charles Gippin as the Reverend William Custis in John Drinkwater’s Abraham Lincoln sparked a revival of African Americans in theater following the war. - In 1924 Paul Robeson played a leading role in All god’s Chillun Got Wings and for the first time a black man had a role opposite a white woman. - In 1926 Paul Green’s, In Abraham’s Bosom, was a distinct success and showed blacks ability in theater  Black Musicals - Popular musicals written by blacks appeared on Broadway w/ the longest running being Shuffle Along by Eubie Blake - The song from the musical “Im just Wild about Harry” was used during the campaign of Harry Truman

THE CHARLESTON  Pianist James P. Johnson performed songs for the Broadway musical Runnin’ Wild  The musical is little known today but Johnson’s song “The Charleston” is now a symbol of the decade.  The song resulted from migration patterns from the south to New York  Johnson admittedly altered the style of his performances in New York for the migrants from Charleston, South Carolina

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE  The Tenderloin- before blacks had migrated to Harlem, NY was home to the district known as The Tenderloin on Manhattan’s west side - The area was a mecca for black artistic talent - In 1900, it most of NYC’s 60,000 residents  The Marshall Hotel- became the home to numerous talented black figures such as James Reese Europe, Bob Cole, and many others. - Run by an African American, Jimmie Marshall, the hotel was the best place to network and collaborate with other artistic blacks - After a change in cabaret laws in 1913 the hotel closed and the shift to Harlem began for many talented individuals.

BLACK PERIODICALS  Periodicals referred to Harlem as the “Race Capital of the World”  Harlem became the most happening place for both whites and blacks  Not only was it a nightlife destination for all races but it also became a place for literary pursuits to flourish.  New ideas such as cultural racism, pan-Africanism, cultural pluralism, and American cultural nationalism were trending  The NAACP and the National Urban League- held literary contests and banquets to encourage new talent and open doors for young black writers.  The editor of The Crisis, Jessie Fauset, and the editor of Opportunity, Charles S. Johnson, played huge roles in supporting black writers  Events like the Civic Club (1924), arranged by Johnson, gave young black writers the chance to be introduced to NY’s influential white intellectuals

BEFORE THE CIVIC CLUB  Claude McKay gained fame before the writers introduced at the Civic Club. - McKay had poems and essays published in many left wing magazines as early at 1910 and co-edited The Liberator - His poetry was highly acclaimed and expressed his contempt for American racism in poems like “The Lynching” and “To the White Fiends” - His piece called Home to Harlem uplifted other black writers such as Du Bois, Jessie and Langston Hughes by showing them that they can write about black life in its reality.  Jean Toomer was also respected well before the Civic Club - Toomer did not reside in Harlem, instead he lived in the white artistic area of Greenwich Village - His piece Cane (1923) was extremely well received by black audiences and is recognized today as the first American Modernist writing

COUNTEE CULLEN  21 year old, Countee Cullen, became famous after reading his poetry at the Civic Club in 1924 and had his poems appear in 4 national magazines  Alain Locke recalled Cullen as a “genius, quintessentially young and talented” – the definition of the New Negro  His work, Color, did not depend on the use of racial experiences but he used delicate diction and the effectiveness of verse instead  In his second book, Copper Sun, he focused less on racial themes because he was against the idea of racially politicized poetry. He demanded his fame as a poet, not as a black poet.

LANGSTON HUGHES  Arrived in New York in 1921 to attended Colombia University but after a year he was on the road again on the way to Africa and Europe  Hughes wrote in various genres that were full of racial pride  His volume of poetry, Weary Blues, utilized blues and jazz rhythms.  Hughes experimental modernism bothered Countee Cullen because of his emphasis on “Negro Themes”  He experimented greatly with his writing, even breifly trying theater, but he always kept to his politically charged leftist ideas

WOMEN OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE  Jessie Fauset, a 1905 graduate of Cornell University, led the female literary movement - As the editor of The Crisis she greatly encourage new talent - Her first novel, There is Confusion (1924), aimed to point out universal qualities that led blacks to act the way they did just as whites and all others do. - Prevalent themes throughout her works include the gender limitations of marriage, racial concessions to patronage and the publishing industry  Nella Larson was the first black women to be given the Guggenheim Fellowship award - Larson was less conformist than Fauset, she was critical of the middle class  Zora Neale Hurston- focused on folk customs and female sexuality

FRENCH CONNECTIONS  African American art in Harlem captured the eye of many white audiences in cities abroad like Paris, Marseilles, and London.  Paris in the 1920’s was said to be similar to Harlem in its black population - The black population grew during WW1 as troops from the US were stationed there - Paris gave black artists the opportunity to gain fame and fortune away from the racial inequality of the United States  African American pop culture was initially brought to France by James Reese Europe’s 369 th Infantry Regiment jazz band  Josephine Baker- the most legendary black performer in France  African Art influenced European artist Pablo Picasso - The use of primitive art combined with modern art connected blacks with European and American audiences.

FRENCH CONNECTIONS (CONT.)  Before New York publically recognized influential black artists, France awarded René Maran the highest literary honor of the Prix Goncourt in 1921, for his novel Batouala - Maran became an international star and was highly acclaimed for his contribution to black art in the United States  Harlem writers followed the French newspapers and French writers followed the African American scene  While there were significantly differing viewpoints circulated among the blacks regarding French kindness - Alain Locke celebrated France for its racial equality - But René Maran wrote that the French tolerated the blacks because of their need for manual laborers.

VISUAL ARTISTS  Photographers and Illustrators - James Van Der Zee- captured realistic photos of the black middle class and of Harlem’s leaders. His photos shaped the way the Harlem Renaissance is remembered. - Aaron Douglas- also embodied the Harlem Renaissance through his photographs with his African aesthetic. His photos were on the cover of successful playbills, magazines and books.  Painters - Palmer Hayden- drew his entire life and took art classes to improve his natural talents. He gained his fame after winning 1 st prize in the Harmon Foundation Awards for Negro Artists. - Archibald J. Motley Jr.- was a Chicago artists known for painting the cities nightlife. He was the first black artist to have a one man gallery show in NY

CLASHING ARTISTIC VALUES  Art as Propaganda- Du Bois, Cullen, and Fauset all deplored the primitive image given to blacks in art. They all believed that blacks must be concerned with leaving good impressions on whites. - Though black artists who disagreed with this refusal to accept the reality of black culture chose to defend themselves in white press.  Race Literature- was the defined by the distinctions made between black literature and white. - DuBois believed that were were spiritual differences while George Schuyler argued that no such distinction existed. - Jean Toomer rejected both of their opinions. He believed that rather than celebrate race like black writers had, the idea of race must be completely abandoned.

ART AND SOCIAL CHANGE  James Weldon Johnson exemplified the idea of “civil rights by copyright” - He had been a lawyer, educator, diplomat and political activist and then an literary artist of all trades (writer, a composer, and a playwright) - He was an officer of the NAACP and fought against hate crimes like lynching - He accounted the first sign of hope for white respect with the rise of black bohemia in the 20 th century.  Black artists in Harlem became stars, they were celebrated as people and not only as blacks. The arts were the necessary, but missing, common ground for equality between whites and blacks. The future looked bright as the line between races became blurred and even though The Great Depression in 1929, the arts did not die.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Franklin, John Hope, and Alfred A. Moss. "The Arts at Home and Abroad." From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. New York: McGraw-Hill, Print.