Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music - Softcover

Horne, Gerald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1583677852 ISBN 13: 9781583677858

Publisher: Monthly Review Press, 2019

Synopsis

A galvanizing history of how jazz and jazz musicians flourished despite rampant cultural exploitation

The music we call “jazz” arose in late nineteenth century North America—most likely in New Orleans—based on the musical traditions of Africans, newly freed from slavery. Grounded in the music known as the “blues,” which expressed the pain, sufferings, and hopes of Black folk then pulverized by Jim Crow, this new music entered the world via the instruments that had been abandoned by departing military bands after the Civil War. Jazz and Justice examines the economic, social, and political forces that shaped this music into a phenomenal US—and Black American—contribution to global arts and culture.

Horne assembles a galvanic story depicting what may have been the era’s most virulent economic—and racist—exploitation, as jazz musicians battled organized crime, the Ku Klux Klan, and other variously malignant forces dominating the nightclub scene where jazz became known. Horne pays particular attention to women artists, such as pianist Mary Lou Williams and trombonist Melba Liston, and limns the contributions of musicians with Native American roots. This is the story of a beautiful lotus, growing from the filth of the crassest form of human immiseration.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald Horne is Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, and has published three dozen books including, The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the USA and Race War! White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire.

Review

"[A]n exhaustive examination of archives, oral history interviews, autobiographies, and secondary literature that presents a devastating picture of what has been termed 'cockroach capitalism'--the jazz business that ruthlessly exploits and degrades [not just] African American musicians."-Douglas Daniels, author of Lester Leaps In: The Life and Times of Lester "Pres" Young

Edition details

• Publisher: Monthly Review Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1583677852
• ISBN 13: 9781583677858
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 512