A smoke-filled bar; melodies streaming from a saxophone; the sounds of a piano playing softly in the background; a beautiful lady behind a big microphone belting out an even bigger voice; and, a sophisticated audience drinking in both the sounds and a glass of scotch. These are the images of jazz that came to mind before I began my quest to learn more about this deeply passionate and often complicated genre of music.
So, what is jazz? That was my first question to a group of experts from Charleston Jazz, a non-profit that works to preserve and celebrate the rich jazz tradition of Charleston. I felt a little silly asking such a simplistic question, but after days of research preparing for my interview, I still did not have a full grasp of what makes jazz, jazz. I soon realized it was not a trivial question, but one that sparks much debate, even within the jazz community. Jazz dates back more than 100 years and through the years the sounds have twisted and turned into something much different than those of traditional jazz, yet it’s still jazz.
I listened intently as the group talked about seconds and fifths and scales, about variations of rhythms, and about melody; all the things that you would expect musicians to talk about. But they talked about so much more. They discussed the role of jazz in musical expression and, in a sense, musical freedom. Jazz came of age in “the roaring 20’s” after all. But the breaking of musical tradition is nothing new. Even Beethoven’s music was considered a new and fresh sound from the works of Mozart. And, Elvis; well, he’s a southern music subject for another time. What was different with jazz, however, was the ability of this genre to bring people together like never before. Historians trace the roots of jazz to several different cultures and societal influences. Most notably was the import of enslaved men and women from Africa and the West Indies, along with the refugees from Haiti. Jazz historian, Cameron Lawrence, stated “White musicians, eager to learn the new music, began to seek out black musicians, and jazz started to explode.”
They discussed historical styles such as swing and blues and how jazz is now interwoven with the more modern view of folk and gospel as members of the family. They discussed cultural influences and how post-modern communication has added cultural inspirations from places like Cuba and Hungary to the mix. And, they talked about the styles of jazz: Big Four in New Orleans, Blues in Chicago, and Gullah in Charleston.
And, yes, Charleston holds a sacred spot alongside New Orleans and Chicago in the birth and development of jazz. The presence of recording studios in New Orleans and Chicago during the early years kept those cities in the headlines, but modestly, yet decisively, Charleston etched its place in jazz history.
It all began with the Jenkins Orphanage, an orphanage for African American boys founded in an abandoned marine hospital in 1891 by Baptist minister Reverend Daniel Jenkins. Jenkins was not only a reverend, but a businessman with strong connections in the music industry. Hoping he could train the students and have them perform as a method of supporting the orphanage, he secured donated instruments and hired graduates of the Avery Institute to teach music to the students. Jenkins selected brass instruments for the boys as many suffered from tuberculosis and playing these specific instruments would help strengthen their lungs. Playing donated instruments and wearing discarded Citadel uniforms, the boys became the only black instrumental band organized in South Carolina and they began to play to not only to local Charlestonians, but to people around the world. They played in Paris, Berlin, London and even Rome. The school’s reputation soon led some parents to send their sons there to study music.
The boys were not taught jazz, but simply basic music. It wasn’t long, however, until the cultural elements of jazz trickled in and the band began to perform ragtime and distinctive swing. Gus Aiken, a runaway orphan who returned to the orphanage, brought with him the new art of flutter-tonguing and growling on the trumpet. Gus would go on to play with Louis Armstrong. William “Cat” Anderson, Jabbo Smith and Freddie Green are a few notable professional musicians that were alumni of the Jenkins Orphanage and many students left to play in the bands of Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. The Jenkins Orphanage Band also played on Broadway for the play “Porgy”. This story was set in the 1930s in an African-American Charleston neighborhood known as Catfish Row. Later the story was turned into the widely known opera “Porgy and Bess”.
Now, back to the original question; what is jazz? After much debate, the group determined if an answer is required, it must be improvisation. There you have it, folks. Improvisation. From the beginning, jazz was built on the unexpected. A group of musicians playing a tune will sound one way. Take each of those musicians and place them with different musicians playing the same song, and a much different sound will emerge. Jazz, essentially, is a musical language all its own. I’m now hooked and I’m happy to be a part of the conversation.
There is a resurgence of interest in the social history of Charleston’s jazz legacy as well as its musical history, but Charleston’s role in jazz is not simply one for the history books. Live jazz can be heard nightly in concert halls and smaller performing venues. www.charlestonjazz.com has information on the Charleston Jazz Academy, the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Charleston Jazz Festival, and smaller performances around the city.
A special “thank you” to Mary Beth Nataragan, Executive Director of Charleston Jazz; Charlton Singleton, 2018 Director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; Robert Lewis, 2019 Director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; and, David Carter, Director of Education & Outreach of Charleston Jazz. Their passion and expertise on jazz was equaled only by their hospitality.
