What is jazz to you? To some, it’s elevator music or a relic of the past that’s just one paragraph of their APUSH textbook. However, to others, it’s wordless communication that brings people together. It’s a way for people to reclaim their culture. It’s a way to express their innermost feelings. It’s music that you only feel in your soul.
Even if you’re the former, jazz may have a larger influence on your life and the music you listen to than you might realize. Invented sometime in the 1840s through plantation brass bands and touring minstrel groups, jazz started to take form as a live music performance meant to be danced to. In 1917, it was recorded for the first time, which gave rise to the jazz we know today.
Although the earliest jazz recordings were by white musicians in the Original Dixieland Jass Band, these recordings inevitably popularized jazz on the national stage. This encouraged listeners to support the African-American artists who had been pioneering jazz since the century before. As a live art form, jazz clubs in major cities, like Harlem, became popular throughout the country.
Seth Sullivan, local jazz saxophonist and freshman at North Carolina Central University, is a music enthusiast currently majoring in Jazz Studies. Sullivan comments, “the reason why you play the music is because of history, because of what they experienced and what you experienced.”
North Carolina specifically has been lucky enough to foster much of this rich culture and creativity. Jazz music has been bringing people together through a shared love of music since the Civil Rights Movement. In a time of intense division, dance halls rich in African American culture sprouted up all over North Carolina. These dance halls played jazz music and often caught the attention of many white North Carolinians, creating what may have been one of the first forms of integration in the state. “A lot of people associate jazz [with] the Black struggle … But I like to think of it differently. It’s not the struggle, it’s the hope and the joy that they get out of it,” said Sullivan.
Additionally, the infamous Greensboro sit-in—when 4 African American college students sat at the counter of Woolworth’s restaurant and refused to leave even after being denied service due to segregation—actually influenced Max Roach’s “Freedom Now Suite,” which grew to become an incredible jazz piece known almost as a soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement. While jazz often comes with heavy tones of cultural advocacy, the style of music itself is filled to the brim with joy and lightheartedness. “Jazz is supposed to be fun. Jazz is supposed to be joyful. Jazz is not serious,” said Sullivan on the topic of modern jazz.
“A lot of places will … [celebrate] Black excellence in jazz,” said Sullivan. “It kind of shows the community in jazz, especially at HBCUs.” Sullivan describes how the history and tight-knit community at NCCU and other Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) add to the playing experience. In these communities, “you’re going to be playing better [and] you’re going to be swinging better,” said Sullivan.
As jazz music has influenced dance, modern music, and even visual art in North Carolina, the NC Arts Council has established the “African American Music Trails of Eastern NC,” which is a cultural tourism initiative highlighting the amazing contributions African American artists have made through jazz, funk, gospel, and the blues. Specifically, North Carolina has been home to world-renowned cats (jazz slang for musicians) like John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, and more. “You can’t play jazz without knowing where it came from. And knowing where it came from will not only better your playing, but it will better you as a human,” said Sullivan.
The historical aspects of jazz can give the false impression that jazz is no longer a prominent part of American culture today, but jazz is still everywhere, even if you don’t see it at first. For example, ever listened to “From the Start” by Laufey? The jazzy walking bassline, bossa nova groove, complex and lush harmonies, and improvised scatting (vocalizations) are characteristic of vocal jazz in the vein of Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker, who Laufey has cited as her biggest influences. Also, Kendrick Lamar’s “For Free? (Interlude)” features a jazz quartet of Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Brandon Owens, and Sput Searight jamming behind Lamar’s frantic poetry.
“Jazz is in everything, because that’s where all the American music came from,” said Sullivan. Naturally, this means that there is almost definitely jazz out there similar to what you already listen to, but it will take some time to find and get used to it. Sullivan highlights how listening to jazz can be like a chain. “I have this one student [who] listens to Nirvana. And if you know Steely Dan, … they incorporate jazz, very slightly, but they do. [So] I showed him the Ajah record with Wayne Shorter. Through that, I gave him Weather Report. Through that, Jaco Pastorius, who kind of listened to Ray Brown.” As listeners continue to “swim upstream” listening to jazz, you’ll find that your favorite artists are more related to people like Duke Ellington than you may have thought.
Oftentimes, people are turned off by jazz as it can be dense, abrasive, and cerebral. However, jazz as a culture is the opposite of this. It’s quite welcoming and can be found everywhere if you know where to look. For those looking to experience jazz in its live performance form, some great venues include Bond Brothers Eastside in Cary, the Sharp 9 Gallery in Durham, Kingfisher also in Durham, and many more. The best thing you can do is find local jazz groups on social media and find out when their next show is. Chances are you’ll find a lovely group of swingin’ cats to spend your evening with.
As Sullivan ends, “Jazz is for everybody. If you want to play jazz, everybody will support you. But just know where it came from. You gotta know where it came from. So learn as much as possible, listen to as much as possible.”
Sources used:
https://www.ncarts.org/programs/come-hear-nc/learn
