JAZZ: THE TRUE WELCOME {PART 4 OF 10} (TV)

Summary

The fourth episode in this ten-part miniseries detailing the history of jazz music in America. This installment begins as the Jazz Age comes to an abrupt close with the arrival of the Great Depression in 1929. With 15 million Americans out of work, the music business suffered greatly, though many found solace in the radio and in inexpensive music venues, like the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Norma Miller recalls many an evening spent dancing at the club, including a memorable evening on which famed dancer "Twistmouth George" invited her to cut a rug. At the same time, Louis Armstrong's "aria"-like records continued to sell well, but he was still largely unknown to white audiences. His manager Tommy Rockwell brought him to New York City, though Armstrong insisted upon bringing along his bandmates, and performed at a series of all-black venues before transitioning to the Broadway stage, where he proved himself as a "born showman" and won over the crowds. Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Crouch and Gary Giddins all comment on Armstrong's unique vocal style, in which he combined improvisational scatting with the songs' original melodies, agreeing that he "invented American singing." Many of Armstrong's contemporaries imitated his signature styles, and he was noted for inserting racial commentary into his music, adopting an attitude of pride in being black. One young man, Charles Black, stated that he was influenced by Armstrong in his later work as a lawyer in the landmark "Brown vs. The Board of Education" case.

Frankie Manning recalls learning the famous Lindy Hop alongside Miller and other dancers at the popular Savoy Club, accompanied by famed drummer Chick Webb. Duke Ellington, noted for his suave demeanor, soon headed to Hollywood and appeared alongside blackface comedians "Amos 'n' Andy" in the film "Check and Double Check" (1930). Crouch and Marsalis note that his music was both "ethnic and all-inclusive," and Ellington soon brought his beloved mother Daisy out to California. Elsewhere, larger-than-life pianist "Fats" Waller gained fame for his exceptional talents and prolific songwriting career, though low fees forced him to sell individual songs to multiple buyers at a time. Giddins describes the evolving sections of jazz bands and their roots in the call-and-response style of Baptist churches, explaining why the genre is truly an "American invention." In midtown, bandleader Fletcher Henderson played for whites-only crowds at the Roseland Ballroom and then headed uptown to the Savoy Club, which, as Miller notes, was unique for its integrated dance floor. At the same time, Armstrong landed in hot water when he was arrested for marijuana possession and became entangled in mob activity, largely thanks to gangster Johnny Collins, who essentially "stole" him from Rockwell. Armstrong eventually headed back to Chicago and was hailed as a hometown hero as he played sold-out shows and visited the "colored waifs" home in which he was raised.

In New York, wealthy John Henry Hammond II shocked his family by departing Yale, declaring himself a "social dissident" and dedicating his life to celebrating jazz and providing recording and performance opportunities for black musicians, earning himself a greatly beloved spot in jazz history despite his own lack of musical talent. The country finally began to improve under President Roosevelt's New Deal, though the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 was in fact bad for nightclub business, as citizens could now spend less and drink at home, and club owners scrambled to hire impressive new acts to entice their customers back. Ambitious clarinetist Benny Goodman, intending to move away from his studio-musician work, rounded up a number of other "genuine jazz" artists and was hired onto the NBC radio show "Let's Dance." Needing a larger repertoire of songs, Goodman turned to Henderson, who sold him a number of old and new arrangements, including reworked arrangements of popular songs, and Ossie Davis comments on Goodman's transition from an "outsider" to an essential figure in jazz history through his own hard work and Depression-era determination.

Art Tatum, the nearly blind piano virtuoso from Toledo, stunned everyone with his exceptional aural memory and his ability to "sound like four guys" at the keys, and his creative style went on to influence countless other musicians. Davis fondly recalls his nights dancing in the nightclubs, and Miller and Manning discuss the "melting pot" of the Savoy, famous for its racially mixed crowds. Elsewhere, Ellington hit the road and performed in many more live shows and motion pictures, earning a reputation as a "matinee idol," and black America was impressed by his non-stereotypical debonair style. Giddins explains how music can make "the other" seem more relatable, noting that jazz created a sense of "wonder, delight and pride" about African-American life. Ellington embarked on a highly successful European tour, and when he returned to the segregated venues of the American South, he avoided the frustration of white-only hotels by staying on his modified and comfortable train. He fell into despair after Daisy's death from cancer in 1935, and his unorthodox musical elegy to her, "Reminiscing in Tempo," was met with a mixed response, including Hammond's suggestion that it was a "disaster." Armstrong too traveled through Europe and was regarded as a "sensation," though Collins' habit of overbooking him caused him to suffer a painful lip callus, leading to a short semi-retirement in Paris. Upon returning to America, Armstrong fired Collins for stealing from him, leading to increased tensions with the mob, while simultaneously dealing with a contentious – and expensive – split with wife Lil Hardin Armstrong.

Goodman continued to have success with "Let's Dance," though when the show's main sponsor, Nabisco, went on strike, he was forced to take his players on a cross-country tour, and they were met with less-than-enthusiastic responses from middle-American audiences not yet familiar with the new genre of swing. In Los Angeles, however, they were met with huge crowds outside of the Palomar Ballroom, and the highly successful performance marked the official entry of the Swing Era.

Details

• NETWORK: PBS
• DATE: December 4, 2000 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:59:28
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:74584
• GENRE: Education/Information
• SUBJECT HEADING: Education/Information; Jazz; African-American Collection - Music; African-American Collection - News/Talk
• SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 2001
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - "Jazz" series home video, CD set and book
  • TV - Commercials - General Motors products

CREDITS

• Ken Burns … Executive Producer, Director
• Pam Tubridy Baucom … Coordinating Producer
• Lynn Novick … Producer
• Victoria Gohl … Co-Producer
• Peter Miller … Co-Producer
• Sarah Botstein … Associate Producer
• Natalie Bullock Brown … Associate Producer
• Shola Lynch … Associate Producer
• Karen Kenton … Associate Producer
• Madison Davis Lacy … Consulting Producer
• Geoffrey C. Ward … Writer
• Keith David … Narrator
• Philip Bosco … Voice
• Kevin Conway … Voice
• Bruce Davison … Voice
• Ann Duquesnay … Voice
• Derek Jacobi … Voice
• Delroy Lindo … Voice
• James Naughton … Voice
• David Ogden Stiers … Voice
• Studs Terkel … Voice
• Norma Miller … Interviewee
• Wynton Marsalis … Interviewee
• Stanley Crouch … Interviewee
• Frankie Manning … Interviewee
• Ossie Davis … Interviewee
• Gary Giddins … Interviewee
• Louis Armstrong
• Lil Hardin Armstrong
• Charles Black
• Johnny Collins
• Charles Correll (see also: Amos 'n' Andy)
• Daisy Ellington
• Duke Ellington
• Benny Goodman
• Freeman Gosden (see also: Amos 'n' Andy)
• John Henry Hammond II
• Fletcher Henderson
• Tommy Rockwell
• Dutch Schultz (see also: Arthur Simon Flegenheimer)
• Art Tatum
• Fats Waller (see also: Thomas Waller)
• Chick Webb (see also: William Henry Webb)