Afro-American Social Identity from the Perspective of the Development of American Jazz

Abstract：The fact that the Jazz is deeply rooted in the Afro-American ethnic group makes its ethnic features extremely distinct.The development of Jazz in America stands for the process of Afro-Americans struggle and fight.identity.

Key words：Jazz;Afro-American;social identity

1Brief History of American Jaz

1.1Soul and Blues： Era before the word“Jazz”was Created

To strengthen the thought control，white slave owners converted their slaves through preaching sermons.To make the process easier，hymns designed particularly for black slaves appeared.The hymns and the ways of singing are now called Soul，from which Blues were generated later.With plantation declining，blacks with musical abilities started their career in bands.The Soul could not be accepted by white men in cities.Here came another form of black music，Blues.This term was used to express African Americans spirits and mental states.

1.2Origin： From New Orland to Chicago

Most blacks chose New Orland as their destination of adventure.As a great commodity exchange center，New Orland offered a comparatively open environment.A great deal of nightclubs appeared，which was significant for Jazz at early stage.In the 1920s，black quarters in Chicago expanded at an incredible speed.Once dwelling in Chicago，blacks began their enjoyment of city life，which brought about the transformation of their music style.Blues， once wailed the woe，had switched to the songs for joy，and took off in nightclubs there.Black music，from then on， was finally called “Jazz”.

1.3Prosperity：Jazz in New York

In the 1920s，New York became the base camp for Jaz.At this moment， the Jazz performance got rid of its vulgar and low-class image and was accepted gradually by white Americans.Jazz， consequently， showed its “enjoyability” to lovers of classical music. In 1935， Porgy & Bess， considered as the very first “black opera” performed in America， won great fame and also， of course， black Jazz. Since then， larger numbers of music dramas with black performers or their music were put on the stage of Broadway.

1.4Stabilization： Jazz after WWII

Then started African American civil rights campaign. Black people argued strongly for freedom， respect and justice， which was also shown in music. Musicians minimized the concept of “pattern” to demonstrate their resentment against white-controlled society. Jazz at this stage was named “free Jazz” because of its discard of conventional music patterns. Meanwhile， to satisfy youngsters desire for rebellion， Jazz musicians plunged themselves into the fusion of Jazz with Rock & Roll， thereby “Jazz-Rock” gained its life. Jazz industry actually established its irreplaceable position in America.

2White Americans Attitudes toward Jazz：from Devaluation to Affirmation

2.1Devaluation and Assailing

Even if no unanimous conclusion had been drawn about the derivation of the term “Jazz”， critics working for white-controlled journals disqualified any claim that Jazz might have to be a serious musical genre （Ho， 1995）. They began their comments with a seemingly objective definition of “Jazz” as “an adjective descriptive of a band”， but then changed the tone by saying “The groups that play for dancing， WHEN COLORED， seem infected with the virus” （Anderson， 2004）. Criticism against Jazz was just a cover for racial propaganda.

2.2Partial acceptance

The development of economy after WWI stimulated the spirits of adventure in white youngsters， known as “flappers” or “flaming youth” （Willian， 1995）， who denied Victorian moral codes. Black culture became attractive during their struggle to break with the past. Meanwhile， black Jazz obtained the opportunity of expansion of radio broadcasting and became prevalent across the whole nation. All the factors contributed to the fame of Jazz in big cities （Merod， 1995）. Jazz had squeezed into middle-class white society but white critics classified Jazz as “lowbrow” played by white musicians and “highbrow” played by the black （Anderson， 2004）. The fact was that the white America had already impacted by Jazz， but the acceptance was still partial.

2.3Fusion with the Mainstream Culture

Once only permitted in nightclubs， Jazz now transformed as a comparatively elegant and noble music. Thus， the music became both popular and classical that could be performed both in “lowest” of venues and at the “highest” concert halls （Ho， 1995）. ?Later， American government accepted the “Jazz diplomacy” as an indispensable part of the musical diplomacy. Even today， Jazz diplomacy keeps working. It is no exaggeration to say that the real attraction behind black Jazz is its symbolic meaning that surpasses the music itself （Zeng， 2013）.

3Stimulation and Limitation of Jazz in the Establishment of Afro-American Identity

3.1Jazz as an Expression for Afro-Americans to Struggle for Independence

In the pre-Jazz era， black slaves “yarned for freedom” （Hersch， 1995）. In later years， black musicians preferred to manifest their denunciation directly by the lyrics， names of songs and albums. Besides， to respond to the black civil rights activity， musicians at that time recorded a piles of albums that shared a common theme： freedom. The names of those albums were almost like Suite Freedom， the Freedom Rider， Free for All， Let Freedom Ring， etc. （Hersch， 1995）. Moreover， to refute the white critics humiliating explanation of the term “Jazz”， black commentators attempted to redefine this word. They named it “Great Black Music” （Ho， 1995）.

3.2Jazz as an Expression for Afro-American to Enter“White America” Society

American entertainment was comprehensively controlled by white people， which implied that Jazz， on its way to enter white America society， would be limited. The fusion of Jazz with American mainstream culture was subject to the negative impact from American entertainment market. On the other hand， the American youngsters could be seen as the most indispensable intermediary audience for Jazz. In fact there was an essential distinction between their rebellion and black culture. Once the hippies grew into yuppies， Jazz might not be appealing to this group of white Americans any longer.

3.3Jazz as an Expression for Afro-Americans to Fight for Social Identity

Jazz had contributed to the blacks establishment of African American social identity. Some critics evaluated Jazz as “protest and resistance to national oppression， for its musical energy and revolutionary aesthetic qualities”（Ho， 1995）. Self-expression was what mattered in Jazz. The noted black novelist Ralph Ellison argued that “Jazz is in fact， integral to African American culture， wherein each musicians improvisation represents a definition of his identity， as an individual”（Merod， 1995）. Yet， it could be quite tough to establish the whole ethnic groups social identity through mere art. The difference between Jazz and classical music may lay more on economy and race than on art （Thomas， 1995）.

4Conclusion

Jazz，once being isolated， criticized and discriminated， became understood， enjoyed and accepted by the white. However， although Jazz is now prevalent both on the concert halls and clubs， the fight for black groups social position has not finished yet. There is still a long way to go.

References

[1]Anderson，M.The White Reception of Jazz in America[J].African American Review，2004（38）：135-145.

[2]Hersch，C.Let Freedom Ring！ Free Jazz and African-American Politics[J].Cultural Critique，1995（32）：97-123.

[3]Ho，W-F.What Makes“Jazz”the Revolutionary Music of the 20th Century，and will it Be Revolutionary for the 21st Century？ [J].African American Review，1995（29）：283-290.

[4]Merod，J.Jazz as a Cultural Archive[J].Boundary，1995（02）：1-18.

[5]Thomas，L.“‘Classical Jazzand the Black Arts Movement.” [J].African American Review，1995（29）：237-240.

[6]曾琳智.音樂在公共外交中的運用及影響探究[J].國際觀察，2013（3）：42-28.

作者簡介

賀倩彧（1993.06—），女，重慶人，重慶第二師范學院，助教，碩士，主要研究方向：外語教育與應用語言學。