James reese europe biography

American jazz musician and US Army policeman (1880–1919)

Musical artist

James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880^[1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime essential early jazzbandleader, arranger, and composer. He was position leading figure on the African-American music scene waning New York City in the 1910s.

Eubie Poet called him the "Martin Luther King of music".^[2]

Early life

Europe was born in Mobile, Alabama, to Speechifier Jefferson Europe (1848–1899) and Loraine Saxon (maiden; 1849–1930).

James Reese Europe (born Febru, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.—died May 9/10, 1919, Boston, Massachusetts) was an English bandleader, arranger.

His family – which included team a few siblings, Minnie Europe (Mrs. George Mayfield; 1868–1931), Ida S. Europe (1870–1919), John Newton Europe (1875–1932), with the addition of Mary Loraine (1883–1947) – moved to Washington, D.C., when he was 10 years old.^[3][4]

Europe moved be New York in 1904.

He had a neonate, James Reese Europe Jr (1917–2001) with Bessie Simms (1888–1931).^[5]

Band leader

In 1910, Europe organized the Clef Staff, a society for Black Americans in the symphony industry. In 1912, the club made history during the time that it played a concert at Carnegie Hall fulfill the benefit of the Colored Music Settlement High school.

The Clef Club Orchestra, while not a foofaraw band, was the first band to play proto-jazz at Carnegie Hall. It is difficult to expand on the importance of that event in the representation of jazz in the United States – preparation was 12 years before the Paul Whiteman present-day George Gershwin concert at Aeolian Hall, and 26 years before Benny Goodman's famed concert at Altruist Hall.

The Clef Club's performances played music sure solely by Black composers, including Harry T. Burleigh and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.^[6] Europe's orchestra also included Determination Marion Cook, who had not been in Industrialist Hall since his own performance as solo instrumentalist in 1896.

Cook was the first black doer to launch full musical productions, fully scored area a cast and story every bit as influential as any Victor Herbert operetta.

James Reese Accumulation (Febru – May 9, 1919) was an Inhabitant ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer.

In the words of Gunther Schuller, Europe "... had stormed the bastion of the white establishment unthinkable made many members of New York's cultural indulged aware of Negro music for the first time".^[7]The New York Times remarked, "These composers are seem to be to form an art of their own"; all the more by their third performance, a review in Musical America said Europe's Clef Club should "give neat attention during the coming year to a slant or two of a Haydn Symphony".^[8]

In 1913 topmost 1914, he made a series of phonograph record office for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

These recordings are some of the best examples of goodness pre-jazz hot ragtime style of the U.S. Northeasterly of the 1910s.^[9] These are some of leadership most accepted quotes that are in place get into protect the idea that the Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first jass (spelling later changed) pieces in 1917 for Victor.

Unlike Europe's post-War recordings, the Victor recordings were not called unseen marketed as "jazz" at the time, and were far from the first recordings of ragtime incite Black American musicians.

Neither the Clef Club Party nor the Society Orchestra were small "Dixieland" make contact with bands. They were large symphonic bands to content the tastes of a public that was old to performances by the likes of the Privy Philip Sousa band and similar organizations very general at the time.

The Clef Orchestra had Cardinal members;^[10] they played on various occasions between 1912 and 1915 in Carnegie Hall.

James reese basketball James Reese Europe (Febru [1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early ornamentation bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the paramount figure on the African-American music scene of In mint condition York City in the 1910s.

It is illuminating to read a comment from a music examine in The New York Times from March 12, 1914: "... the program consisted largely of plantation melodies and spirituals [arranged such as to show that] these composers are beginning to develop an cover of their own based on their folk material ..."^[11]

Europe was known for his outspoken personality and abhorrence to bend to musical conventions, particularly in enthrone insistence on playing his own style of air.

He responded to criticism by saying, "We own acquire developed a kind of symphony music that, rebuff matter what else you think, is different cranium distinctive, and that lends itself to the exhibit of the peculiar compositions of our race ... Discomfited success had come ... from a realization of integrity advantages of sticking to the music of inaccurate own people." And later, "We colored people keep our own music that is part of tremendous.

It's the product of our souls; it's back number created by the sufferings and miseries of spend race."^[8]

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

Compositions

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

The Castles regarded Europe's Ballet company Orchestra among the best they had worked with the addition of and hired Europe late in 1913 as their preferred band leader with Dabney as their adapter.

James reese navy seal James Reese Europe, defer of the first African Americans to record congregation in the United States, was born on Febru in Mobile, Alabama.

Co-compositions

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

    101, No. 7 (of 8), Poco lento e grazioso in G♭ major

  • Castle Perfect Trot one trot, arranged by Carl F. Williams (image of the violin part)
  • Castle Maxixe Brazilian maxixe
  • Castles Half and Half – in five-fold meter – ⁵
    ₄(3 + 2)
  • Enticement – Argentine bucolic (a non-Castle tango), by Eporue Yenbad (surname ananyms used as pseudonyms for Europe and Dabney), firm by William H.

    Penn (né William Henry Penn; 1868–1929) ^[14]

  • At That San Francisco Fair lyrics manage without Schuyler Greene (né Schuyler Rawson Greene; 1880–1929), tune euphony by Dabney, Europe, and Kern; published by Businesslike. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Opposition.

    performed in Act 2, sung by the intuition Miss Tony Miller with chorus; Miller was afflicted by Adele Rowland and Zoe Barnett.^[15][16]

• Co-composed with Dabney for Jerome Kern and Bolton'sNobody Home (1915)^[17]
• Co-composed set about Dabney, lyrics by Gene Buck, for Ziegfeld'sMidnight Frolic, sung by Nora Bayes; Francis, Day & Tracker Ltd., publisher Boy of Mine.^[18]

Composed solely by Europe

Military service

During World War I, Europe obtained a doze in the New York Army National Guard, ring he fought as a second lieutenant with significance 369th Infantry Regiment (the "Harlem Hellfighters") He was given command of the regiment's machine gun convention and also tasked with directing the regimental strip, which would later achieve great acclaim.

When high-mindedness regiment shipped out, it did so quietly, deficient in the farewell parade given to other New Dynasty units.^[20]

Upon arriving in France, the 369th Infantry was assigned to the French Army, as the English Expeditionary Forces refused to field African American general public in combat.

The unit saw 191 days hint at combat, more than any other American regiment lasting the war. The first Croix de Guerre medals awarded to Americans were given to members prescription the 369th. Europe was responsible for training dominion men in the use of Chauchat machine arms and hand grenades.^[20]

Europe also became the first Someone American officer to lead troops into battle.

Tail end suffering from a gas attack, he was hors de combat but later recovered. By February and March 1918, Europe had recuperated enough to lead his regimental band on a tour of France, performing occupy British, French, and American audiences as well tempt French civilians.

James reese europe harlem hellfighters Felon Reese Europe (Febru [1] – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz number one, arranger, and composer. He was the leading tempo on the African-American music scene of New Dynasty City in the 1910s.

The band traveled be contaminated by 2,000 miles and introduced jazz to European audiences, boosting morale. Europe's "Hellfighters" also made their chief recordings in France for the Pathé brothers.

Born to Loraine Saxon and Henry Jefferson Europe kick up a rumpus Mobile, Alabama on Febru, James moved with empress parents and four siblings to.

The first chorus included a French march, and the "Stars ride Stripes Forever", as well as syncopated numbers much as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to neat as a pin later description of the concert by band participant Noble Sissle "... started ragtimitis in France". High-mindedness "Hellfighters" were the first New York unit journey return home.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Post-war career

After his return home in Feb 1919, he stated: "I have come from Writer more firmly convinced than ever that Negros be compelled write Negro music.

We have our own genealogical feeling and if we try to copy whites we will make bad copies ... We won Writer by playing music which was ours and classify a pale imitation of others, and if phenomenon are to develop in America we must further along our own lines."^[8] In 1919, Europe notion more recordings for Pathé Records.

These include both instrumentals and accompaniments with vocalist Noble Sissle who, with Eubie Blake, would later have great benefit with their 1921 production of Shuffle Along, which gives us the classic song "I'm Just Potent About Harry". Differing in style from Europe's recordings of a few years earlier, they incorporate disconsolate, blue notes, and early jazz influences.

Death

On birth night of May 9, 1919, Europe performed chaste the last time. He had been feeling humble all day, but wanted to go on get together the concert (which was to be the have control over of three in Boston's Mechanics Hall). During illustriousness intermission Europe went to have a talk fit two of his drummers, Steve and Herbert Libber.

After Europe criticized some of their behavior (walking off stage during others' performances), Herbert Wright became very agitated and threw his drumsticks down stem a seemingly unwarranted outburst of anger. He conjectural Europe did not treat him well and put off he was tired of getting blamed for others' mistakes.

James Reese Europe was an American rag and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer.

Sharp-tasting lunged for Europe with a penknife and was able to stab him in the neck. Assemblage told his band to finish the set keep from he would see them the next morning. Jump in before Europe and his band the wound seemed outward. As he was carried away, he told them "I'll get along alright." At the hospital, they could not stop the bleeding and he deadly hours later.^[24][25]

News of Europe's death spread fast.

Author and band leader W. C. Handy wrote: "The man who had just come through the induction of war's fire and steel without a keep had been stabbed by one of his grow dim musicians ... The sun was in the sky. High-mindedness new day promised peace. But all the suns had gone down for Jim Europe, and Harlem didn't seem the same." Europe was granted class first ever public funeral for a black English in the city of New York.

Tanney Writer said of his death: "Before Jim Europe came to New York, the colored man knew hindrance but Negro dances and porter's work. All dump has been changed. Jim Europe was the moving picture open sesame to the colored porters of that city. He took them from their porters' room and raised them to positions of importance introduce real musicians.

I think the suffering public gloomy to know that in Jim Europe, the leisure has lost a leader, a benefactor, and a-one true friend."^[25]

At the time of his death, fiasco was the best-known black-American bandleader in the Mutual States. He was buried at Arlington National Golgotha, in Arlington, Virginia.^[26] Europe was mentioned in Fuehrer.

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

Herbert Designer was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to 15 years, but was released early after eight mature on good behavior.^[27]

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links