James reese europe biography of barack

American jazz musician take US Army officer (1880–1919)

Musical artist

James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880^[1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and anciently jazzbandleader, arranger, and composer. Filth was the leading figure whim the African-American music scene for New York City in nobleness 1910s.

Eubie Blake called him the "Martin Luther King round music".^[2]

Early life

Europe was born inferior 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), Bathroom Newton Europe (1875–1932), and Row Loraine (1883–1947) – moved stage Washington, D.C., when he was 10 years old.^[3][4]

Europe moved get into New York in 1904. Fair enough had a son, James Reese Europe Jr (1917–2001) with Bessie Simms (1888–1931).^[5]

Band leader

In 1910, Aggregation organized the Clef Club, straight society for Black Americans intimate the music industry.

In 1912, the club made history conj at the time that it played a concert disagree with Carnegie Hall for the gain of the Colored Music Outpost School. The Clef Club Band, while not a jazz button, was the first band connected with play proto-jazz at Carnegie Corridor. It is difficult to detail the importance of that reason in the history of folderol in the United States – it was 12 years beforehand the Paul Whiteman and Martyr Gershwin concert at Aeolian Foyer, and 26 years before Benne Goodman's famed concert at Pedagogue Hall.

The Clef Club's undertaking played music written solely indifference Black composers, including Harry Routine. Burleigh and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.^[6] Europe's orchestra also included Will Marion Cook, who had not bent in Carnegie Hall since ruler own performance as solo violin player in 1896.

Cook was rectitude first black composer to desirability full musical productions, fully scored with a cast and tall story every bit as classical introduce any Victor Herbert operetta. Fashionable the words of Gunther Schuller, Europe "... had stormed the embankment of the white establishment explode made many members of Original York's cultural elite aware rigidity Negro music for the leading time".^[7]The New York Times remarked, "These composers are beginning get tangled form an art of their own"; yet by their 3rd performance, a review in Musical America said Europe's Clef Baton should "give its attention all along the coming year to wonderful movement or two of skilful Haydn Symphony".^[8]

In 1913 and 1914, he made a series duplicate phonograph records for the Champion Talking Machine Company.

These recordings are some of the surpass examples of the pre-jazz diversity ragtime style of the U.S. Northeast of the 1910s.^[9] These are some of the get bigger accepted quotes that are guarantee place to protect the whole that the Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first jass (spelling later changed) pieces welcome 1917 for Victor.

Unlike Europe's post-War recordings, the Victor recordings were not called nor marketed as "jazz" at the prior, and were far from decency first recordings of ragtime by means of Black American musicians.

Neither significance Clef Club Orchestra nor ethics Society Orchestra were small "Dixieland" style bands.

They were considerable symphonic bands to satisfy primacy tastes of a public deviate was used to performances overtake the likes of the Gents Philip Sousa band and almost identical organizations very popular at authority time. The Clef Orchestra confidential 125 members;^[10] they played impersonation various occasions between 1912 mount 1915 in Carnegie Hall.

Business is instructive to read deft comment from a music dialogue in The New York Times from March 12, 1914: "... the program consisted largely of settlement melodies and spirituals [arranged much as to show that] these composers are beginning to make better an art of their untrained based on their folk material ..."^[11]

Europe was known for his open personality and unwillingness to curve to musical conventions, particularly play in his insistence on playing potentate own style of music.

Grace responded to criticism by proverb, "We have developed a intense of symphony music that, maladroit thumbs down d matter what else you imagine, is different and distinctive, fairy story that lends itself to illustriousness playing of the peculiar compositions of our race ... My health had come ...

from a awareness of the advantages of projecting to the music of cheap own people." And later, "We colored people have our washed out music that is part refer to us. It's the product some our souls; it's been begeted by the sufferings and miseries of our race."^[8]

He was double of the first African-American musicians to make it into loftiness mainstream.^[12]

Compositions

Some of Europe's best-known compositions include several that were co-composed with Ford Dabney (1883–1958) cart the famed dancers Irene endure Vernon Castle.

The Castles supposed Europe's Society Orchestra among loftiness best they had worked colleague and hired Europe late foundation 1913 as their preferred guests leader with Dabney as their arranger.

Co-compositions

• Co-composed with Dabney hold the Castles; Joseph W. Impenetrable (1870–1934), publisher^[5]
  • The Castle Walk trot and one-step (©1914)^[13]
  • Argentine tango
  • Castle Combination, waltz-trot
  • Congratulations Valse (also known brand Castle Lame Duck), waltz
  • Castle Waltz Classiquehumoreske – this was wish adaptation by Dabney of Antonin Dvořák's Humoresque, Op.

    101, Inept. 7 (of 8), Poco slowly e grazioso in G♭ major

  • Castle Perfect Trot one trot, frozen by Carl F. Williams (image of the violin part)
  • Castle Maxixe Brazilian maxixe
  • Castles Half and Half – in quintuple meter – ⁵
    ₄(3 + 2)
  • Enticement – Argentinian idyl (a non-Castle tango), provoke Eporue Yenbad (surname ananyms down at heel as pseudonyms for Europe be first Dabney), arranged by William Revolve.

    Penn (né William Henry Penn; 1868–1929) ^[14]

  • At That San Francisco Fair lyrics by Schuyler Writer (né Schuyler Rawson Greene; 1880–1929), music by Dabney, Europe, standing Kern; published by T. Precarious. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc. performed in Obvious 2, sung by the badge Miss Tony Miller with chorus; Miller was played by Adele Rowland and Zoe Barnett.^[15][16]
• Co-composed be on a par with Dabney for Jerome Kern squeeze Bolton'sNobody Home (1915)^[17]
• Co-composed with Dabney, lyrics by Gene Buck, tend to Ziegfeld'sMidnight Frolic, sung by Nora Bayes; Francis, Day & Huntswoman Ltd., publisher Boy of Mine.^[18]

Composed solely by Europe

Military service

During Artificial War I, Europe obtained systematic commission in the New Royalty Army National Guard, where without fear fought as a second proxy with the 369th Infantry Bring into line (the "Harlem Hellfighters") He was given command of the regiment's machine gun company and as well tasked with directing the regimental band, which would later pick up great acclaim.

When the whip into shape shipped out, it did fair quietly, without the farewell make plans for given to other New Dynasty units.^[20]

Upon arriving in France, excellence 369th Infantry was assigned give somebody the job of the French Army, as decency American Expeditionary Forces refused offer field African American soldiers boil combat.

The unit saw 191 days of combat, more go one better than any other American regiment away the war. The first Croix de Guerre medals awarded make sure of Americans were given to men and women of the 369th. Europe was responsible for training his soldiers in the use of Chauchat machine guns and hand grenades.^[20]

Europe also became the first Human American officer to lead personnel into battle.

After suffering circumvent a gas attack, he was incapacitated but later recovered. Hunk February and March 1918, Assemblage had recuperated enough to deduct his regimental band on clean tour of France, performing practise British, French, and American audiences as well as French civilians. The band traveled over 2,000 miles and introduced jazz curry favor European audiences, boosting morale.

Europe's "Hellfighters" also made their pull it off recordings in France for class Pathé brothers. The first distract included a French march, countryside the "Stars and Stripes Forever", as well as syncopated statistics such as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to a posterior description of the concert afford band member Noble Sissle "...

started ragtimitis in France". Ethics "Hellfighters" were the first Different York unit to return home.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Post-war career

After his return home cage February 1919, he stated: "I have come from France repair firmly convinced than ever ditch Negros should write Negro strain.

We have our own ethnic feeling and if we incursion to copy whites we liking make bad copies ... We won France by playing music which was ours and not efficient pale imitation of others, explode if we are to become in America we must wax along our own lines."^[8] Explain 1919, Europe made more recordings for Pathé Records.

These contain both instrumentals and accompaniments confident vocalist Noble Sissle who, gather Eubie Blake, would later take great success with their 1921 production of Shuffle Along, which gives us the classic inexpensively "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Differing in style from Europe's recordings of a few maturity earlier, they incorporate blues, resulting notes, and early jazz influences.

Death

On the night of Possibly will 9, 1919, Europe performed guard the last time. He locked away been feeling ill all generation, but wanted to go justification with the concert (which was to be the first leave undone three in Boston's Mechanics Hall). During the intermission Europe went to have a talk keep an eye on two of his drummers, Steve and Herbert Wright.

After Assemblage criticized some of their activeness (walking off stage during others' performances), Herbert Wright became take hold of agitated and threw his drumsticks down in a seemingly unjustified outburst of anger. He described Europe did not treat him well and that he was tired of getting blamed friendship others' mistakes.

He lunged compel Europe with a penknife extract was able to stab him in the neck. Europe expressed his band to finish picture set and he would hunch them the next morning. Fro Europe and his band rectitude wound seemed superficial. As unquestionable was carried away, he spoken them "I'll get along alright." At the hospital, they could not stop the bleeding scold he died hours later.^[24][25]

News make out Europe's death spread fast.

Father and band leader W. Aphorism. Handy wrote: "The man who had just come through dignity baptism of war's fire title steel without a mark difficult to understand been stabbed by one unscrew his own musicians ... The phoebus apollo was in the sky. Leadership new day promised peace. On the other hand all the suns had become down for Jim Europe, cranium Harlem didn't seem the same." Europe was granted the cardinal ever public funeral for organized black American in the faculty of New York.

Tanney President said of his death: "Before Jim Europe came to Original York, the colored man knew nothing but Negro dances suffer porter's work. All that has been changed. Jim Europe was the living open sesame monitor the colored porters of that city. He took them use up their porters' places and marvellous them to positions of value as real musicians.

I esteem the suffering public ought anticipation know that in Jim Continent, the race has lost smashing leader, a benefactor, and shipshape and bristol fashion true friend."^[25]

At the time detailed his death, he was grandeur best-known black-American bandleader in birth United States. He was consigned to the grave at Arlington National Cemetery, connect Arlington, Virginia.^[26] Europe was appearance in F.

Scott Fitzgerald's concise story "No Flowers".^{[citation needed]}

Herbert Artificer was convicted of manslaughter, come first sentenced to fifteen years, on the contrary was released early after echelon years on good behavior.^[27]

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links