Published in Worthies Magazine, April 2006
CHICAGO –A BRIEF DISCRIPTION BEFORE AND DURING THE JAZZ ERA
“The job makes the orchestra. If you lose the job and loaf a few weeks, you haven’t any band. Our field is a narrow one. Your men can’t afford to loaf long and the first bidder takes them away from you. The job is what you want to worship.” — Dave Peyton, Orchestra Leader, April 1926
“…I made it my business to go out for a daily stroll and look this ‘heaven’ over. Chicago just meant one thing to me-its beautiful brick and stone buildings, excitement, people moving swiftly, and things happening”–Lil Hardin-Armstrong, Pianist, Downbeat June 1951
What makes a city the center of art and culture? What drives its formation in certain areas of development? What forms its revolutionary or evolutionary process?
What were the cultural circumstances?
Chicago, with its own style of Jazz, was developed through many political, economic and social variables. The development of the clubs, cabaret and dance halls was, as Dave Peyton suggested, instrument in this formation even before Jazz came into being. The center of Chicago, the center of American Jazz was the South Side. The center of the South Side was “the Stroll”. With its cabarets, dance hall etc., the pent up emotions of the age were released in clubs such as the Pekin.
Chicago Jazz expresses the excitement of this urban age. Before World War I and after, through The Roaring Twenties moved across racial and economic lines, expressed emotions from an earlier repressed Victorian age. Prior to World War I Popular Music was well developed here adding to the social dance scene. The development began of course as far back as pre Civil War days and the unfinished promises after it. Chicago also had the pool halls, gambling dens, cafes and saloons making it an attraction for African-American who were barred from the “normal” out lets of like such as the schools and businesses. The city also gained national attention with the 1893 Columbia Exposition.
From 1915 to 1919 five hundred thousand African-Americans migrated from the South to northern cities. With places like Pittsburgh and Detroit, these cities attached thousands seeking jobs in the newly created industrial market. Sixty-five thousand, from 1910-1920 came to Chicago. From the Second Ward, where most of the businesses were located, the first black City Councilman was elected in 1915. Republican organizers also owned some of the most popular clubs then. After WWI, there was an increase on 148%, as the black population reached over 100,000. This was in despite of the 1919 race riot. The opportunities were just too strong of a pull for this segment of the underclass.
The Pekin Inn was an early pre-jazz club. It began as a beer hall serving both black & whites. In 1906 it was redesigned and opened up as a 1,200-seat theater for blacks. The club/theater helped make State Street the center of activity. In 1916, it became a dance hall when the seats were removed. In this decade, Jelly Roll Morton career developed as his playing styled represented the transition from ragtime to Jazz.
“The Stroll” district of South Side Chicago went from the twenties and thirty-fifth streets to State Street. This “Vice District” had 500 saloons, 1,000 concert halls, 56 poolrooms and 500 bordellos with a staff 3,000 women. It was also only twenty square blocks.
Also in the 1920s, mass entertainment began with inventions such as the radio and phonograph. Included in this anti –Victorian Era were the Ashcan School of Art, Modernism, Vaudeville and the new dance craze throwing off the sexual inhibitions of the prior era.
Other clubs, Black and Tan clubs (where black and whites could mix) were The Dreamland, The Everleigh Club, Sunset Café where Louis Armstrong played The Plantation, the Nest and The Royal Gardens Café. The Savoy was the largest dancehall (get more info) the world from its beginnings in 1926 closing in ’46. It was at Dreamland where “King” Oliver played and became the forerunner of Jazz development. In 1918, after playing here from 9:30 to 1am, he doubled up by playing 2 to 6am at the Pekin Café. The pattern was set for other Jazz Musicians who were at the top and could maintain this endurance test. Part of the Chicago style was small, hot blues driven jazz bands 1-2 horns and a vocalist.
“One of those-over and-over strains that seem to have no very clear and certainly no ending at all… the kind of stuff associated with cane rows and levee camp.” W.C. Handy describing the music that brought a shower of silver dollars from the dancers. “ That night a composer was born an American composer.”
The people want good jazz music and that is what we aim on to give all the time.” Clarence Williams Composer and music store owner.
As stated earlier in this column, Jazz was formed by the, influenced by ragtime, dance tunes, African music, etc., Economics and social structure formed the rise of segregated clubs. Patrons as well as owned by Africa-Americans. There are no records of New Orleans Jazz prior to the northern migration, so it is how much Chicago Jazz initially differed.
Note: in 1914 the sale of phonographs was $27,116,00 and $158,668,000 in 1919 representing 2,225,000 machines. In 1921, 100,000,000 records were manufactured and the ownership ratio was one out of seventy-two people.
The end came here and else where to this age as a result of simple and complex factors such as the stock market crash, the end of Prohibition and the depression.
What’s Going On!
To repeat, the Village Vanguard will have the Roy Haynes Quartet from March 14-19, The Kenny Barron Trio from March 21-26 and in late March to early April the Tom Harrell Quintet. More great jazz here on April 4 –9th the Paul Motian Quartet. April 11th the Billy Hart Quartet and for two weeks the Bill Frisell Quintet
Tavern on the Bay in New Rochelle on Pelham Road has Latin Jazz on Sundays from 6-9 with no admission and free appetizers.
Coyote Flaco on North Ave. in New Rochelle also has Jazz one night a week.
Tarrytown Musical has more great jazz with Maynard Ferguson on March 31st. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band on April 7th and on May 6th Dave Brubeck is appearing.
Great jazz continues at Galitos Portuguese Restaurant across from the Metro North Train Station in Mt Vernon call 914 –668-0100
Glenn Slaby Blog