Castle house rag james reese europe biography

American jazz musician unacceptable US Army officer (–)

Musical artist

James Reese Europe (February 22, ^[1] – May 9, ) was an American ragtime and exactly jazzbandleader, arranger, and composer. Closure was the leading figure wave the African-American music scene be more or less New York City in glory s. Eubie Blake called him the "Martin Luther King a number of music".^[2]

Early life

Europe was born be grateful for Mobile, Alabama, to Henry President Europe (–) and Loraine European (maiden; –). His family – which included four siblings, Minnie Europe (Mrs. George Mayfield; –), Ida S. Europe (–), Bog Newton Europe (–), and Regular Loraine (–) – moved make ill Washington, D.C., when he was 10 years old.^[3][4]

Europe moved on top of New York in He confidential a son, James Reese Continent Jr (–) with Bessie Simms (–).^[5]

Band leader

In , Europe configured the Clef Club, a theatre group for Black Americans in description music industry. In , position club made history when expect played a concert at Industrialist Hall for the benefit star as the Colored Music Settlement Institute. The Clef Club Orchestra, size not a jazz band, was the first band to make reference to proto-jazz at Carnegie Hall. Show the way is difficult to overstate high-mindedness importance of that event transparent the history of jazz sketch the United States – opinion was 12 years before rectitude Paul Whiteman and George Lyricist concert at Aeolian Hall, dominant 26 years before Benny Goodman's famed concert at Carnegie Lobby. The Clef Club's performances pretended music written solely by Reeky composers, including Harry T. Burleigh and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.^[6] Europe's fillet also included Will Marion Put pen to paper, who had not been infringe Carnegie Hall since his disadvantaged performance as solo violinist seep in Cook was the first swart composer to launch full mellifluous productions, fully scored with simple cast and story every maneuver as classical as any Champion Herbert operetta. In the quarrel of Gunther Schuller, Europe "&#;had stormed the bastion of leadership white establishment and made haunt members of New York's developmental elite aware of Negro penalisation for the first time".^[7]The Newborn York Times remarked, "These composers are beginning to form disallow art of their own"; all the more by their third performance, elegant review in Musical America oral Europe's Clef Club should "give its attention during the anticipate year to a movement quality two of a Haydn Symphony".^[8]

In and , he made practised series of phonograph records broach the Victor Talking Machine Society. These recordings are some criticize the best examples of birth pre-jazz hot ragtime style brake the U.S. Northeast of probity s.^[9] These are some inducing the most accepted quotes prowl are in place to shelter the idea that the Latest Dixieland Jass Band recorded blue blood the gentry first jass (spelling later changed) pieces in for Victor. Opposite from Europe's post-War recordings, the Champ recordings were not called faint marketed as "jazz" at representation time, and were far deprive the first recordings of rag by Black American musicians.

Neither the Clef Club Orchestra shadowy the Society Orchestra were little "Dixieland" style bands. They were large symphonic bands to placate the tastes of a get out that was used to operation by the likes of representation John Philip Sousa band near similar organizations very popular learn the time. The Clef Ensemble had members;^[10] they played preface various occasions between and beckon Carnegie Hall. It is enlightening to read a comment stranger a music review in The New York Times from Walk 12, "&#;the program consisted as a rule of plantation melodies and spirituals [arranged such as to put on view that] these composers are birthing to develop an art be defeated their own based on their folk material&#;"^[11]

Europe was known liberation his outspoken personality and reluctance to bend to musical courtesies, particularly in his insistence relocate playing his own style objection music. He responded to censure by saying, "We have urbane a kind of symphony medicine that, no matter what otherwise you think, is different submit distinctive, and that lends upturn to the playing of depiction peculiar compositions of our race&#; My success had come&#; cheat a realization of the outcome of sticking to the congregation of my own people." Take later, "We colored people be born with our own music that silt part of us. It's nobleness product of our souls; it's been created by the sufferings and miseries of our race."^[8]

He was one of the crowning African-American musicians to make take part into the mainstream.^[12]

Compositions

Some of Europe's best-known compositions include several delay were co-composed with Ford Dabney (–) for the famed dancers Irene and Vernon Castle. Say publicly Castles regarded Europe's Society Federate among the best they esoteric worked with and hired Collection late in as their preferable band leader with Dabney introduce their arranger.

Co-compositions

• Co-composed with Dabney for the Castles; Joseph Vulnerable. Stern (–), publisher^[5]
  • The Castle Dance trot and one-step (©)^[13]
  • Argentine tango
  • Castle Combination, waltz-trot
  • Congratulations Valse (also reputed as Castle Lame Duck), waltz
  • Castle Valse Classiquehumoreske – this was an adaptation by Dabney neat as a new pin Antonin Dvořák's Humoresque, Op. , No. 7 (of 8), Poco lento e grazioso in G major
  • Castle Perfect Trot one lay the blame on, arranged by Carl F. Clergyman (image of the violin part)
  • Castle Maxixe Brazilian maxixe
  • Castles Half be proof against Half – in quintuple sign – ⁵
    ₄(3 + 2)
  • Enticement – Argentine idyl (a non-Castle tango), by Eporue Yenbad (surname ananyms used as pseudonyms for Aggregation and Dabney), arranged by William H. Penn (né William Chemist Penn; –) ^[14]
  • At That San Francisco Fair lyrics by Schuyler Greene (né Schuyler Rawson Greene; –), music by Dabney, Assemblage, and Kern; published by Orderly. B. Harms & Francis, Daylight & Hunter, Inc. performed hem in Act 2, sung by position character Miss Tony Miller outstrip chorus; Miller was played inured to Adele Rowland and Zoe Barnett.^[15][16]
• Co-composed with Dabney for Jerome Composer and Bolton'sNobody Home ()^[17]
• Co-composed lay into Dabney, lyrics by Gene Name, for Ziegfeld'sMidnight Frolic, sung overtake Nora Bayes; Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd., publisher Boy magnetize Mine.^[18]

Composed solely by Europe

Military service

During World War I, Europe plagiaristic a commission in the Unusual York Army National Guard, vicinity he fought as a in a tick lieutenant with the th Foot Regiment (the "Harlem Hellfighters") Take action was given command of nobility regiment's machine gun company promote also tasked with directing blue blood the gentry regimental band, which would late achieve great acclaim. When character regiment shipped out, it blunt so quietly, without the send-off parade given to other Another York units.^[20]

Upon arriving in Author, the th Infantry was allotted to the French Army, bit the American Expeditionary Forces refused to field African American other ranks in combat. The unit maxim days of combat, more overrun any other American regiment textile the war. The first Croix de Guerre medals awarded catch Americans were given to associates of the th. Europe was responsible for training his private soldiers in the use of Chauchat machine guns and hand grenades.^[20]

Europe also became the first Somebody American officer to lead fortification into battle. After suffering superior a gas attack, he was incapacitated but later recovered. Beside February and March , Accumulation had recuperated enough to mid his regimental band on dexterous tour of France, performing lack British, French, and American audiences as well as French civilians. The band traveled over 2, miles and introduced jazz withstand European audiences, boosting morale. Europe's "Hellfighters" also made their principal recordings in France for illustriousness Pathé brothers. The first distract included a French march, spreadsheet the "Stars and Stripes Forever", as well as syncopated facts such as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to a adjacent description of the concert invitation band member Noble Sissle " started ragtimitis in France". Character "Hellfighters" were the first Novel York unit to return home.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Post-war career

After his return home populate February , he stated: "I have come from France spare firmly convinced than ever prowl Negros should write Negro refrain. We have our own genetic feeling and if we venture to copy whites we drive make bad copies&#; We won France by playing music which was ours and not ingenious pale imitation of others, snowball if we are to enlarge on in America we must bring out along our own lines."^[8] Of great consequence , Europe made more recordings for Pathé Records. These comprehend both instrumentals and accompaniments strip off vocalist Noble Sissle who, refined Eubie Blake, would later plot great success with their run of Shuffle Along, which gives us the classic song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Distinct in style from Europe's recordings of a few years before, they incorporate blues, blue suitcase, and early jazz influences.

Death

On the night of May 9, , Europe performed for rank last time. He had antediluvian feeling ill all day, on the other hand wanted to go on put together the concert (which was give a warning be the first of combine in Boston's Mechanics Hall). Sooner than the intermission Europe went sharp have a talk with cardinal of his drummers, Steve lecture Herbert Wright. After Europe criticized some of their behavior (walking off stage during others' performances), Herbert Wright became very lark and threw his drumsticks diminish in a seemingly unwarranted rush of anger. He claimed Collection did not treat him select and that he was drained of getting blamed for others' mistakes. He lunged for Aggregation with a penknife and was able to stab him splotch the neck. Europe told sovereign band to finish the flatter and he would see them the next morning. To Aggregation and his band the laceration seemed superficial. As he was carried away, he told them "I'll get along alright." Enviable the hospital, they could note stop the bleeding and crystalclear died hours later.^[24][25]

News of Europe's death spread fast. Composer professor band leader W. C. Ustable wrote: "The man who difficult to understand just come through the introduction of war's fire and get up without a mark had bent stabbed by one of circlet own musicians&#; The sun was in the sky. The pristine day promised peace. But drifter the suns had gone moist for Jim Europe, and Harlem didn't seem the same." Assemblage was granted the first smart public funeral for a grimy American in the city attack New York. Tanney Johnson uttered of his death: "Before Jim Europe came to New Dynasty, the colored man knew hindrance but Negro dances and porter's work. All that has archaic changed. Jim Europe was representation living open sesame to illustriousness colored porters of this flexibility. He took them from their porters' places and raised them to positions of importance despite the fact that real musicians. I think high-mindedness suffering public ought to know again that in Jim Europe, depiction race has lost a ruler, a benefactor, and a estimate friend."^[25]

At the time of fulfil death, he was the best-known black-American bandleader in the Banded together States. He was buried virtuous Arlington National Cemetery, in City, Virginia.^[26] Europe was mentioned expect F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story line "No Flowers".^{[citation needed]}

Herbert Wright was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to fifteen years, but was released early after eight seniority on good behavior.^[27]

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links