New Day Jazz

Justin Desmangles

"Of course, there are exceptions: One of the reasons jazz is so appealing to large numbers of white Americans is precisely because they feel that in this black musical tradition, not just black musicians but black humanity is being asserted by artists who do not look at themselves in relation to whites or engage in self-pity or white put-down.


"This type of active, as opposed to reactive, expression is very rare in any aspect of African-American society. One usually sees either the highly assimilated black person who wants to be accepted by whites no matter what, which is symptomatic of self-doubt, insecurity and lack of power. Or, one sees someone like Louis Farrakhan, who can only assert black humanity by putting others down - a sign of moral immaturity. Unfortunately, those two modes of expression have been dominant in middle-class black America. However, one does not find this kind of 'reactive' behavior in jazz. Charlie Parker didn't give a damn.

"Jazz is the middle road between invisibility and anger. It is where self-confident creativity resides. Black music is paradigmatic of how black persons have best dealt with their humanity, their complexity - their good and bad, negative and positive aspects, without being obsessively preoccupied with whites. Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Coltrane were just being themselves. And for whites interested in the humanity of the 'other,' jazz provides them with examples of sheer and rare genius - a purely American form of artistic grace and elegance emanating from its subjugated people, exiled people, degraded people."

Cornel West, Charlie Parker Didn't Give a Damn, New Perspectives Quarterly, Summer 1991 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 pictured at right
Beauford Delaney, 
Portrait of Charlie Parker, 1968, Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 23 1/2 in.

Genre

Jazz

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Sunday 9/06/2015 @ 3:00PM - 6:00PM
ArtistSongAlbumLabelComments
Sonny Stitt The String Only the Blues Verve (Japan) October 11, 1957
Ben Webster Cottontail King of the Tenors Verve (Japan) April 21, 1953
Ben Webster Danny Boy King of the Tenors Verve (Japan) April 21, 1953
Louis Armstrong That Old Feeling Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson Verve (Japan) October 14, 1957
Louis Armstrong Let's Fall in Love Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson Verve (Japan) October 14, 1957
Airbreak
Anita O'Day You Turned the Tables on Me Anita Sings the Most Verve (Japan) January 31, 1957
Anita O'Day Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Anita Sings the Most Verve (Japan) January 31, 1957
Sonny Clark Minor Meeting Sonny Clark Quintets Blue Note (Japan) December 8, 1957
Sonny Clark Tadd's Delight Sonny Clark Trio Blue Note (Japan) October 13, 1957
Miles Davis Tadd's Delight 'Round About Midnight Columbia (Mono 2014) June 5, 1956
Airbreak
Kenny Dorham Melanie Matador United Artists (Japan) April 15, 1962
Carmen McRae When Sunny Gets Blue Bittersweet Focus (Japan) 1964
Carmen McRae How Did He Look? Bittersweet Focus (Japan) 1964
Carmen McRae Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry Bittersweet Focus (Japan) 1964
Lee Konitz Foolin' Myself Motion Verve (Japan) August 29, 1961
Airbreak
New York Contemporary Five Consequences Consequences Fontana (Japan) August 23, 1963
New York Contemporary Five Sound Barrier (a.k.a. Cisum) Consequences Fontana (Japan) August 23, 1963
The Six Winds Monk's Mood Elephants Can Dance Sackville July 5, 6, 1988
Roscoe Mitchell More Cutouts More Cutouts Cecma Records February 20, 1981
Airbreak
Roscoe Mitchell Sing / Song Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes Nessa December 11, 12, 1980
Roscoe Mitchell CYP Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes Nessa December 11, 12, 1980
Jim Carroll Just Visiting Life is a Killer Giorno Poetry Systems December 27, 1981
Van Morrison Madame George Astral Weeks Warner Brothers September 25, October 1, 15, 1968
Sonny Terry One Monkey Don't Stop the Show Sonny is King Bluesville (Prestige) 1963
Sonny Terry Changed the Lock on the Door Sonny is King Bluesville (Prestige) 1963
Airbreak
The Brass Ensemble of the Jazz and Classical Music Society featuring Miles Davis Three Little Feelings Facets (Miles Davis) CBS-France October 20, 1958