The importance of jazz in American culture - Essay Example

The importance of jazz in American culture Jazz is one of the most significant contributions made by African Americans to American society and culture. Music has always been important in African-American society , because it has functioned as a means to reinforce the identity of the community, especially during the long period of slavery and through the dawn of the civil rights movement. Jazz functioned as a means to propel African American music into the mainstream culture, by drawing whites and black alike in their enjoyment of the music. This essay will draw reference to three poems by Langston Hughes, in examining how Jazz has come to symbolize a quintessentially African American experience which nevertheless, has encompassed all of American society to the extent that it has been classified as a national treasure. The origins of jazz may lie in the blues rhythms that developed in the period immediately following the American Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. The distinctive element of the blues is that through the performance of a solo artist, an attempt is made to translate emotions into music through humming, moaning, and soundless effects added to the actual words of the song (Halim, No Date). Jazz developed from the blues, but it differed from the blues in that it had a more cheerful, uplifting note within it. In the words of Stanley Crouch, jazz historian and critic, the love for the music felt by both white and black communities helped to make jazz “a futuristic social force in which one was finally judged purely on the basis of ones individual ability. Jazz predicted the civil rights movement more than any other art in America." (Hentoff, 2009). It was in essence a tool to reach out to people everywhere, irrespective of their color and therefore a tool that could function as a means to break down segregation and lead to the development of a non-segregated society. Lewine (1992) has described how jazz slowly became synonymous with popular culture. America emerged into the 20th century as a society where culture was necessarily associated with the high brow, more genteel sections of society. But jazz entered this cultural arena as a vital new element that was so distinctive that it appeared to be “the new product of a new age”, while culture appeared to be traditional, having developed over the centuries (Lewine, 1992:7). Yet, culture and jazz appeared to define each other, because the emergence of this new form of music which was (a) spontaneous (b) raucous and (c) participatory in that the audiences joined in vigorously, and its enormous popularity redefined the entire element of what constituted culture. The group nature of jazz music derives from its roots – the blues, which actively invited audience participation. Jazz was distinct from the traditional forms of music because audiences would often be clapping, stomping their feet and singing along. The appeal of jazz was such that all sections of society enjoyed it, including white Americans and thereby it functioned as a unifying force, that brought white and black Americans together in a true expression of a democratic society. In his poem titled “Democracy”, Langston Hughes states: “I have as much right as the other fellow has, to stand on my two feet and own the land”. No other arena was such a potent unifying force among whites and blacks as jazz was; the sheer joy and beauty of the music drew people of all colors and it became the tool by which the barriers of segregation were effectively broken down. Hughes in his poem mentioned above, does not wish to wait for years and years for the effect of democracy to be felt, he states: “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead”, jazz was therefore the proactive manner in which African Americans actively reached out for democracy and equality. Hentoff (2009) describes how jazz performance sat the Philharmonic became weapons to fight segregation; “colored” sings were removed from toilets and both black and white audiences had to sit together if they wished to enjoy the performances. The unique expression of the African American spirit and history and the bold, rebellious outbreak into freedom and equality which is represented in jazz is especially evident in Hughes’ poem titled “Jazzonia”. In this poem, the poet describes six African American girls in Harlem who are dancing along to jazz music. Their eyes are described as “bold” and they wear dresses of “silken gold”. The poet questions whether these girls are too bold and too gorgeous, thereby subtly suggesting that the legacy of slavery may not necessarily lend itself to African American girls presenting themselves boldly as equal citizens. Yet, even as the poet questions their daring, he equates it to a “shining tree” and “shining rivers of the soul!”, thereby alluding to the fact that the move is inspiring and a joy to the soul. This is essentially the spirit of jazz that thrust it into the forefront of the American music scene. The very daring and uplifting spirit associated with jazz, the courage to dream of a happy future and to express those sentiments through the top tapping jazz rhythms was itself the element that made jazz stand out. This underlying spirit of boldness and courage, especially in the context of the sadness associated with past African American culture made it thrive and reach across boundaries to touch the hearts and spirits of millions of people across the world, but especially in America. In his poem titled “Let America be America again” the tone of the poem by Langston Hughes is one of longing and hope; a hope that the existing America of post slavery and oppression will be transformed into an America that is truly the land of the brave and the free. This is a land that in Hughes’ estimation has not emerged yet and still remains a dream, yet his poem is rife with the hope that it will indeed come to pass. He states: O, let America be America again--The land that never has been yet--And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land thats mine--the poor mans, Indians, Negros, ME..” The wide acceptability and popularity of jazz has recently led to the designation of jazz as a national American treasure. The resolution which was passed by Congress states that jazz is “a uniquely American musical synthesis and culture through the African American experience”. (www.jimketch.com). In assigning such a label to jazz and designating it a national treasure, the reasons that have been provided are as follows: (a) Jazz is a unifying force, which has bridged cultural, religious, ethnic and age differences in a diverse American society (b) Jazz is the true music of the American people, because its roots lie in the different cultures and personal experiences of the people making up the diverse fabric of American society (c) Has a historic, continuing and pervasive influence on other forms of music, both domestically and abroad (d) It is a multi-faceted art form that is continually evolving and fusing with other forms of music to give rise to new cultural fashions. Jazz was able to attain to this standard as a unifying force that has overcome the barriers of segregation in American society and led it on the path towards truer democracy and freedom lies in the spirit of the music. It has an upbeat, uplifting tone even as it deals with the depressing and sad elements of African American culture as epitomized in their slavery. In his poem, Hughes states: Yet Im the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned Thats made America the land it has become. The spirit of these words is evidence in the development of the jazz form of music. When the African American culture was steeped in slavery , they dreamt of freedom – a dream that was strong and brave but needed a strong vehicle to transform into reality. Hughes, in his poem above, states that the dream is manifested in song , i.e., in its mighty daring sings, thus showing clearly that song is the vehicle upon which the dream of freedom became a reality. Jazz music became that uplifting spirit that could lift the former colonial race of people out of their slavery and bring them into the true light of democracy, not merely by the formal lifting of the segregated states as achieved through emancipation in the Civil War, but by actually ensuring that it could be put into practice with generations of conditioning into slavery and prejudice being eliminated. The overall theme associated with jazz music was therefore one of joy, courage, boldness and daring. Music had always been a significant part of African American culture; during the era of slavery, they used Gospel songs as a means to gain strength and courage to keep moving on. Music was thus the same tool that also helped them to make the next step forward, from emancipation into the freedom of a democratic, non segregated society. The long standing dream of the Negro, that was also articulated by martin Luther King in his expression of his dream, to gain equality in a democratic society was fulfilled largely through the vehicle of jazz, which provided a common ground upon which both the white man and the black man could stand, united in their love for the music, despite being former oppressor and slave. While the blues might have been the music that spelt the transition phase for African Americans in dealing with the post emancipation era, it was jazz that truly uplifted the people and placed them on the path towards enforcing the non segregation in actual society and daily living. Jazz functioned as the unifying force between all races of people and thereby became the weapon to set the Negro on the path to true freedom. The strength of the dream of democracy and equality required an equally strong vehicle of launch and jazz, by the strong power it had to attract people and appeal to them, so that they immediately felt the powerful draw, served also as a means to encourage the white man to interact more freely with the former negro and to shed all existing prejudices that had resulted out of many years of conditioning where they had seen Negros only in menial positions. Jazz was the equalizer that helped the white man to venture into former Negro terrain; music was the strong weapon that was used by the African American to shake up the white man into viewing him as an equal rather than as a subordinate or inferior member of society. Hence, jazz became one of the tools by which the goals of democracy which sought equality for every man, were enforced – not necessarily through laws but through the sheer power and beauty of the music and its uplifting spirit that touched the hearts of the white and black man alike. This spirit is expressed in Hughes’ poem titled “A New Song”. He states: That day is past-For now, In many mouths-Dark mouths where red tongues burn And white teeth gleam-New words are formed, Bitter With the past But sweet With the dream. The day that Hughes refers to is the past days of oppression and the new words which are formed in the mouths of Negros cannot escape the bitterness of the past, but they are also sweet with the hope of the future. This is the spirit that is epitomized by the jazz form of music. It originates from the blues which express the inner sorrow and pathos of the suffering the entire race has been subjected to, but it also carries within it, the spirit of a new hope and the dream of freedom and true equality. The uplifting nature of jazz lies in this inner hope and cheer that infuse the rhythms, while they still remain a collective activity from the enjoyment point of view. On the basis of the above, it may thus be seen that the unique identify of jazz lies in its role as the true attacker of segregation, and setting the path towards the development of America’s present democratic society. The music form revolutionized culture because of its participatory nature, its spirit to uplifting and infectious that it drew people from all races and all; sections of society to enjoy it with whole hearted, unrestrained enthusiasm. The collective experience of African American slavery is exemplified in the pathos associated with the lyrics, but the spirit of hope and the dream of a better tomorrow that is more democratic burns in the uplifting lyrics. During the early 1920s when segregation was still a part of American society despite emancipation, the unique appeal of jazz was the strong tool that broke down the barriers between races one by one and propelled the nation towards true democracy. Since both blacks and whites alike enjoyed it, the people from the white race who wanted to participate in and enjoy the music had to throw away their segregation rules before entering the auditoria to listen to the music; they had to use common toilets and sit next to colored people; they watched colored people performing on stage. Jazz was perhaps one of the first vehicles upon which the American public was able to see members of a hitherto oppressed race shining in the public limelight. In some instances, both white and black performers alike sang and danced on stage and the sheer popularity of the music made non segregation more acceptable to the general public. It revolutionized culture , because of its participatory element; yet this was the very source of its appeal, i.e, that audiences could freely participate and demonstrate their enjoyment of the music in a socially acceptable form. Jazz therefore did function as a strong weapon, arising out of the mouths of African American people, as described by Langston Hughes, which liberated society from the aftereffects of segregation. The designation of jazz as a national treasure is especially significant, because it provides an indication of how well the African American experience has now been integrated into the main fabric of American society and culture. It was this form of music that successfully achieved what would perhaps have been a much longer process otherwise, i.e, the integration of former slaves into the new democratic American society. It is the beacon of democracy, its uplifting spirit of hope and the dream of true democracy having materialized in society today, where African Americans are now placed on par with other Americans. It was a cultural revolution as Lewine has pointed out, but jazz has now become synonymous with American culture, evolving from the status of a revolutionary trend into a widely accepted form of music that is universal in its appeal and reaches out across boundaries of gender and color to dissolve the former barriers of segregation and achieve the goals of true democracy. References: Halim, Nadia, No Date. “The history and impact of jazz”, Spirit Mag, retrieved June 15, 2010 from: http://www.spirit-mag.com/spirit/index.php?id=92 Hentoff, Nat, 2009. “How jazz helped hasten the civil rights movement”, The Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2009. “Jazz: a national treasure”, Retrieved June 17, 2010 form: http://www.jimketch.com/materials/files/Jazz%20a%20National%20Treasure.pdf Lewine, Lawrence W, 1999. “Jazz and American Culture”, The Journal of American Folklore, 102(403):6-22 Read More