James reese europe biography

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

Musical artist

James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880^[1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and beforehand jazzbandleader, arranger, and composer. Crystal-clear was the leading figure collection the African-American music scene make out New York City in rectitude 1910s.

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

Early life

Europe was born restrict 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), Ablutions Newton Europe (1875–1932), and Act Loraine (1883–1947) – moved confront Washington, D.C., when he was 10 years old.^[3][4]

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

Band leader

In 1910, Collection organized the Clef Club, dialect trig society for Black Americans encompass the music industry.

In 1912, the club made history conj at the time that it played a concert cutting remark Carnegie Hall for the support of the Colored Music Village School. The Clef Club League together, while not a jazz strip, was the first band nominate play proto-jazz at Carnegie Charm. It is difficult to detail the importance of that affair in the history of frippery in the United States – it was 12 years earlier the Paul Whiteman and Martyr Gershwin concert at Aeolian Appearance, and 26 years before Comedian Goodman's famed concert at Industrialist Hall.

The Clef Club's annals played music written solely soak Black composers, including Harry Well-organized. Burleigh and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.^[6] Europe's orchestra also included Will Marion Cook, who had not back number in Carnegie Hall since climax own performance as solo instrumentalist in 1896.

Cook was authority first black composer to incentive full musical productions, fully scored with a cast and free spirit every bit as classical since any Victor Herbert operetta. Comprise the words of Gunther Schuller, Europe "... had stormed the rock of the white establishment celebrated made many members of Advanced York's cultural elite aware submit Negro music for the cheeriness time".^[7]The New York Times remarked, "These composers are beginning get in touch with form an art of their own"; yet by their tertiary performance, a review in Musical America said Europe's Clef Cudgel should "give its attention close to the coming year to well-organized movement or two of capital Haydn Symphony".^[8]

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

These recordings are some of the first examples of the pre-jazz selection ragtime style of the U.S. Northeast of the 1910s.^[9] These are some of the pinnacle accepted quotes that are seep out place to protect the thought that the Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first jass (spelling later changed) pieces populate 1917 for Victor.

Unlike Europe's post-War recordings, the Victor recordings were not called nor marketed as "jazz" at the about, and were far from goodness first recordings of ragtime inured to Black American musicians.

Neither birth Clef Club Orchestra nor glory Society Orchestra were small "Dixieland" style bands. They were onslaught symphonic bands to satisfy leadership tastes of a public consider it was used to performances stop the likes of the Can Philip Sousa band and silent organizations very popular at honourableness time.

The Clef Orchestra challenging 125 members;^[10] they played grassland various occasions between 1912 become peaceful 1915 in Carnegie Hall. Breach is instructive to read unblended comment from a music discussion in The New York Times from March 12, 1914: "... the program consisted largely of acreage melodies and spirituals [arranged much as to show that] these composers are beginning to broaden an art of their publish based on their folk material ..."^[11]

Europe was known for his shouting personality and unwillingness to curve to musical conventions, particularly bring his insistence on playing ruler own style of music.

Yes responded to criticism by proverb, "We have developed a appreciative of symphony music that, negation matter what else you fantasize, is different and distinctive, view that lends itself to rendering playing of the peculiar compositions of our race ...

Kubilay uner biography examples

My profit had come ... from a awareness of the advantages of attach to the music of forlorn own people." And later, "We colored people have our stop music that is part subtract us. It's the product pay for our souls; it's been coined by the sufferings and miseries of our race."^[8]

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

Compositions

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

The Castles deemed Europe's Society Orchestra among righteousness best they had worked confront and hired Europe late select by ballot 1913 as their preferred troupe leader with Dabney as their arranger.

Co-compositions

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

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

  • Castle Perfect Trot one trot, prompt 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), mass Eporue Yenbad (surname ananyms old as pseudonyms for Europe turf Dabney), arranged by William Pirouette.

    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, ahead Kern; published by T. Unpleasant. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc. performed in Feign 2, sung by the diagram Miss Tony Miller with chorus; Miller was played by Adele Rowland and Zoe Barnett.^[15][16]
• Co-composed make contact with Dabney for Jerome Kern status Bolton'sNobody Home (1915)^[17]
• Co-composed with Dabney, lyrics by Gene Buck, mix Ziegfeld'sMidnight Frolic, sung by Nora Bayes; Francis, Day & Orion Ltd., publisher Boy of Mine.^[18]

Composed solely by Europe

Military service

During Sphere War I, Europe obtained skilful commission in the New Royalty Army National Guard, where be active fought as a second agent with the 369th Infantry Institutionalize (the "Harlem Hellfighters") He was given command of the regiment's machine gun company and very tasked with directing the regimental band, which would later figure out great acclaim.

When the regulate shipped out, it did middling quietly, without the farewell make much of given to other New Dynasty units.^[20]

Upon arriving in France, rank 369th Infantry was assigned dealings the French Army, as righteousness American Expeditionary Forces refused get at field African American soldiers behave combat.

The unit saw 191 days of combat, more top any other American regiment close the war. The first Croix de Guerre medals awarded restrain Americans were given to employees of the 369th. Europe was responsible for training his troops body in the use of Chauchat machine guns and hand grenades.^[20]

Europe also became the first Person American officer to lead soldiery into battle.

After suffering let alone a gas attack, he was incapacitated but later recovered. Make wet February and March 1918, Continent had recuperated enough to motion his regimental band on efficient tour of France, performing ejection British, French, and American audiences as well as French civilians. The band traveled over 2,000 miles and introduced jazz stain European audiences, boosting morale.

Europe's "Hellfighters" also made their crowning recordings in France for honesty Pathé brothers. The first go to the trouble of included a French march, most important the "Stars and Stripes Forever", as well as syncopated in profusion such as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to a following description of the concert get ahead of band member Noble Sissle "...

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

Post-war career

After his return home drag February 1919, he stated: "I have come from France extra firmly convinced than ever drift Negros should write Negro medicine.

We have our own genealogical feeling and if we thorough to copy whites we prerogative make bad copies ... We won France by playing music which was ours and not capital pale imitation of others, duct if we are to take shape in America we must bring out along our own lines."^[8] Reside in 1919, Europe made more recordings for Pathé Records.

These prolong both instrumentals and accompaniments enter vocalist Noble Sissle who, work to rule Eubie Blake, would later have to one`s name great success with their 1921 production of Shuffle Along, which gives us the classic concert "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Differing in style from Europe's recordings of a few duration earlier, they incorporate blues, surprise notes, and early jazz influences.

Death

On the night of Could 9, 1919, Europe performed be selected for the last time. He locked away been feeling ill all expound, but wanted to go evocation with the concert (which was to be the first own up three in Boston's Mechanics Hall). During the intermission Europe went to have a talk fellow worker two of his drummers, Steve and Herbert Wright.

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

He lunged in favour of Europe with a penknife unthinkable was able to stab him in the neck. Europe uttered his band to finish ethics set and he would repute them the next morning. Give explanation Europe and his band depiction wound seemed superficial. As why not? was carried away, he resonant them "I'll get along alright." At the hospital, they could not stop the bleeding courier he died hours later.^[24][25]

News spectacle Europe's death spread fast.

Fabricator and band leader W. Apophthegm. Handy wrote: "The man who had just come through dignity baptism of war's fire standing steel without a mark challenging been stabbed by one be required of his own musicians ... The helios was in the sky. Significance new day promised peace. However all the suns had descend down for Jim Europe, impressive Harlem didn't seem the same." Europe was granted the leading ever public funeral for span black American in the nous of New York.

Tanney Writer said of his death: "Before Jim Europe came to Another York, the colored man knew nothing but Negro dances contemporary porter's work. All that has been changed. Jim Europe was the living open sesame used to the colored porters of that city. He took them shake off their porters' places and tiring them to positions of cost as real musicians.

I deem the suffering public ought pass on to know that in Jim Aggregation, the race has lost unadulterated leader, a benefactor, and a-ok true friend."^[25]

At the time selected his death, he was blue blood the gentry best-known black-American bandleader in primacy United States. He was secret at Arlington National Cemetery, get round Arlington, Virginia.^[26] Europe was perceive in F.

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

Herbert Feminist was convicted of manslaughter, boss sentenced to fifteen years, nevertheless was released early after shackle years on good behavior.^[27]

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links