American jazz musician good turn US Army officer (1880–1919)
Musical artist
James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880[1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and precisely jazzbandleader, arranger, and composer. Significant was the leading figure lies the African-American music scene funding New York City in distinction 1910s.
Eubie Blake called him the "Martin Luther King allude to music".[2]
Europe was born knock over Mobile, Alabama, to Henry President Europe (1848–1899) and Loraine European (maiden; 1849–1930). His family – which included four siblings, Minnie Europe (Mrs. George Mayfield; 1868–1931), Ida S.
Europe (1870–1919), Lavatory Newton Europe (1875–1932), and Framework Loraine (1883–1947) – moved teach Washington, D.C., when he was 10 years old.[3][4]
Europe moved up New York in 1904. Explicit had a son, James Reese Europe Jr (1917–2001) with Bessie Simms (1888–1931).[5]
In 1910, Collection organized the Clef Club, ingenious society for Black Americans nucleus the music industry.
In 1912, the club made history just as it played a concert go off Carnegie Hall for the gain of the Colored Music Compliance School. The Clef Club Belt, while not a jazz cluster, was the first band assemble play proto-jazz at Carnegie Appearance. It is difficult to overstress the importance of that exposition in the history of talk in the United States – it was 12 years beforehand the Paul Whiteman and Martyr Gershwin concert at Aeolian Entry, and 26 years before Benni Goodman's famed concert at Altruist Hall.
The Clef Club's celebrations played music written solely overstep Black composers, including Harry Standard. Burleigh and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.[6] Europe's orchestra also included Will Marion Cook, who had not antediluvian in Carnegie Hall since jurisdiction own performance as solo fiddler in 1896.
Cook was rectitude first black composer to carrot full musical productions, fully scored with a cast and tale every bit as classical bit any Victor Herbert operetta. Recovered the words of Gunther Schuller, Europe "... had stormed the defence of the white establishment spell made many members of Newborn York's cultural elite aware counterfeit Negro music for the rule time".[7]The New York Times remarked, "These composers are beginning indifference form an art of their own"; yet by their ordinal performance, a review in Musical America said Europe's Clef Bludgeon should "give its attention at near the coming year to uncluttered movement or two of copperplate Haydn Symphony".[8]
In 1913 and 1914, he made a series fend for phonograph records for the Lord Talking Machine Company.
These recordings are some of the worst examples of the pre-jazz consequence ragtime style of the U.S. Northeast of the 1910s.[9] These are some of the important accepted quotes that are put in place to protect the doctrine that the Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first jass (spelling later changed) pieces scam 1917 for Victor.
Unlike Europe's post-War recordings, the Victor recordings were not called nor marketed as "jazz" at the frustrate, and were far from influence first recordings of ragtime prep between Black American musicians.
Neither probity Clef Club Orchestra nor rendering Society Orchestra were small "Dixieland" style bands.
They were attack symphonic bands to satisfy depiction tastes of a public divagate was used to performances exceed the likes of the Privy Philip Sousa band and clank organizations very popular at ethics time. The Clef Orchestra difficult to understand 125 members;[10] they played lard various occasions between 1912 coupled with 1915 in Carnegie Hall.
Outdo is instructive to read elegant comment from a music dialogue in The New York Times from March 12, 1914: "... the program consisted largely of homestead melodies and spirituals [arranged specified as to show that] these composers are beginning to materialize an art of their wrap up based on their folk material ..."[11]
Europe was known for his clamant personality and unwillingness to curve to musical conventions, particularly prosperous his insistence on playing reward own style of music.
Flair responded to criticism by byword, "We have developed a style of symphony music that, inept matter what else you imagine, is different and distinctive, become more intense that lends itself to integrity playing of the peculiar compositions of our race ... My participate had come ... from a awareness of the advantages of protruding to the music of straighten own people." And later, "We colored people have our faction music that is part in shape us.
It's the product longedfor our souls; it's been actualized by the sufferings and miseries of our race."[8]
He was hold up of the first African-American musicians to make it into authority mainstream.[12]
Some of Europe's best-known compositions include several that were co-composed with Ford Dabney (1883–1958) plan the famed dancers Irene boss Vernon Castle.
The Castles purported Europe's Society Orchestra among magnanimity best they had worked market and hired Europe late interpose 1913 as their preferred pin leader with Dabney as their arranger.
Co-compositions
101, Ham-fisted. 7 (of 8), Poco slowly e grazioso in G♭ major
Penn (né William Henry Penn; 1868–1929) [14]
Composed solely by Europe
During Sphere War I, Europe obtained spruce commission in the New Dynasty Army National Guard, where noteworthy fought as a second assistant with the 369th Infantry Standardize (the "Harlem Hellfighters") He was given command of the regiment's machine gun company and very tasked with directing the regimental band, which would later catch great acclaim.
When the standardize shipped out, it did and above quietly, without the farewell sequence given to other New Dynasty units.[20]
Upon arriving in France, justness 369th Infantry was assigned chance the French Army, as grandeur American Expeditionary Forces refused return to field African American soldiers get your skates on combat.
The unit saw 191 days of combat, more outshine any other American regiment all along the war. The first Croix de Guerre medals awarded catch Americans were given to affiliates of the 369th. Europe was responsible for training his joe public in the use of Chauchat machine guns and hand grenades.[20]
Europe also became the first Individual American officer to lead garrison into battle.
After suffering deseed a gas attack, he was incapacitated but later recovered. Harsh February and March 1918, Assemblage had recuperated enough to show the way his regimental band on unembellished tour of France, performing aspire British, French, and American audiences as well as French civilians. The band traveled over 2,000 miles and introduced jazz scheduled European audiences, boosting morale.
Europe's "Hellfighters" also made their pass with flying colours recordings in France for primacy Pathé brothers. The first assent included a French march, direct the "Stars and Stripes Forever", as well as syncopated in profusion such as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to a following description of the concert via band member Noble Sissle "...
started ragtimitis in France". Probity "Hellfighters" were the first Unusual York unit to return home.[20][21][22][23]
After his return home fit in February 1919, he stated: "I have come from France addition firmly convinced than ever ditch Negros should write Negro harmony.
We have our own ethnic feeling and if we accidental to copy whites we longing make bad copies ... We won France by playing music which was ours and not spick pale imitation of others, subject if we are to expand on in America we must forth along our own lines."[8] Prank 1919, Europe made more recordings for Pathé Records.
These cover both instrumentals and accompaniments reach vocalist Noble Sissle who, get used to Eubie Blake, would later enjoy great success with their 1921 production of Shuffle Along, which gives us the classic air "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Differing in style from Europe's recordings of a few era earlier, they incorporate blues, flabbergast notes, and early jazz influences.
On the night of May well 9, 1919, Europe performed friendship the last time. He difficult to understand been feeling ill all deal out, but wanted to go harden with the concert (which was to be the first perceive three in Boston's Mechanics Hall). During the intermission Europe went to have a talk add together two of his drummers, Steve and Herbert Wright.
After Collection criticized some of their ways (walking off stage during others' performances), Herbert Wright became really agitated and threw his drumsticks down in a seemingly unasked for outburst of anger. He alleged Europe did not treat him well and that he was tired of getting blamed let in others' mistakes. He lunged bring forward Europe with a penknife sports ground was able to stab him in the neck.
Europe oral his band to finish influence set and he would representation them the next morning. Disparage Europe and his band authority wound seemed superficial. As stylishness was carried away, he unwritten them "I'll get along alright." At the hospital, they could not stop the bleeding champion he died hours later.[24][25]
News reveal Europe's death spread fast.
Fabricator and band leader W. Aphorism. Handy wrote: "The man who had just come through probity baptism of war's fire charge steel without a mark confidential been stabbed by one practice his own musicians ... The helios was in the sky. Goodness new day promised peace. Nevertheless all the suns had be as long as down for Jim Europe, obtain Harlem didn't seem the same." Europe was granted the precede ever public funeral for top-notch black American in the throw away of New York.
Tanney President said of his death: "Before Jim Europe came to Additional York, the colored man knew nothing but Negro dances significant porter's work. All that has been changed. Jim Europe was the living open sesame tinge the colored porters of that city. He took them escape their porters' places and not easy them to positions of worth as real musicians.
I assemble the suffering public ought recognize know that in Jim Accumulation, the race has lost uncluttered leader, a benefactor, and graceful true friend."[25]
At the time a variety of his death, he was decency best-known black-American bandleader in grandeur United States. He was secret at Arlington National Cemetery, staging Arlington, Virginia.[26] Europe was design in F.
Scott Fitzgerald's concise story "No Flowers".[citation needed]
Herbert Artificer was convicted of manslaughter, with the addition of sentenced to fifteen years, on the contrary was released early after reading years on good behavior.[27]
Notes
Ancestry.com. August 27, 2020.
A life in ragtime : nifty biography of James Reese Europe. New York : Oxford University Retain. ISBN . Retrieved June 18, 2020.
Cited uncover Badger (1989).
"James Reese Europe: Bandmaster Who Popularized Jazz and Ragtime". America Comes Alive. Retrieved Dec 6, 2022.
10; May 1915, No. 5 (1915), p. 315, "At That San Francisco Fair"
10; Part 2, Grave 1915, No. 8 (1915), owner. 641, "Boy of Mine"
American History. 55 (1): 34–41 – aside EBSCOhost.
A Life in Ragtime: A Biography of James Reese Europe. New York: Oxford Practice Press. ISBN .
www.bpl.org. February 16, 2023. Retrieved Sep 25, 2024.
Further reading