A fascinating exploration of how jazz and death have been narrated and mythologised through a range of diverse case studies.
Released as part of Routledge Transnational Studies in Jazz series, Jazz and Death Reception, Rituals, and Representations is an informative and fascinating deep dive into the jazz and death narrative. Seven chapters containing case studies on a wide range of areas, the author gives a thought-provoking analysis of how and why we celebrate our jazz legends.
Starting with the New Orleans ‘Jazz Funeral’, the author explores the roots of this tradition and how it has been shaped into today society comparing tradition with inevitable commerciality. The rich history of New Orleans is examined including the impact of the famous funeral scene in the James Bond Movie Live and Let Die compared with traditionalist and New Orleanian Wynton Marsalis’ role in Dizzy Gillespie’s funeral in New York, 1993.
Chapters two and three explore heaven and hell, investigating the roots of how jazz became known as the ‘devils music’. The author quite rightly is quick to point out that jazz was not the first genre to be considered evil and explains that in 1920, the waltz was considered the ‘dance of death’ with Thomas Faulkner protesting that young women would ‘lose their virtue because of the waltz’. The arrival of jazz saw more so called ‘moral panic’ and the representation of the music and its musicians claimed that jazz led to madness, self-destruction and addiction. Contrasting this in chapter three with the celestial references when analysing the impact of Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane the author gives an insightful analysis of how ‘music has the power to call up the demonic and the divine’.
We move onto ‘Swan Song’s’ and the famous last recordings and last performances of our legends. The author raises awareness of the inaccuracies of some of these reported last recordings and also explores the questions that arise taking into account that not only did the artist not give permission for these final recordings, they didn’t know it would be their last performance and how their ’final’ words have sometimes been mythologised.
Chapters five and six explore the complexity of memorials through a case study of Chet Baker and Duke Ellington. Chet’s death from falling from a balcony in Amsterdam, led to many initiatives to commemorate the spot while also raised questions about the message this would be sending to the community and the wider jazz world. Duke Ellington’s highly controversial memorial in New York opens the door to a wide range of complexities. An initiative led by pianist Bobby Short, the 10 foot high statue is supported by three columns of naked women and was installed in 1997 at what is known as the ‘Gateway to Harlem’. A very timely discussion.
The final chapter, ‘Is Jazz Itself Dead’ is a brilliant investigation into the theory that jazz keeps dying and coming back. The death of jazz was first stated in 1923 ‘this jazz craze is really dying out, slowly but surely’ and the author takes us through its inception to the current state of play contrasting traditionalists, such as Wynton Marsalis, who is referenced a lot in the book, with Miles Davis. Their famous feuds are fascinating - ‘They call Miles’ stuff jazz. That stuff is not jazz, man’ and Miles’ response, ‘what’s he doing messing with the past? A player his calibre, should just wise up’. A brilliant final chapter and definitely food for thought.
A hugely enlightening and engaging book. Highly recommended.
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