The record changer (Jan-Dec 1951)

4 repeated list he stated, generally retains more African characteristics than secular music. He ihen documented the existence of African music in the New World, from the Djukas of Brazil, who have kept the tradition virtually intact, to the more complex blending of music in Trinidad, Haiti, and Cuba where African elements — especially rhythm — are partially retained. The premise of the lecture was that these nearby retentions and reinterpretations of African music have had an indirect influence upon jazz. The fourth panel began with a consideration of the term "Afro-American" to describe jazz in the broadest of senses. It was discarded as inaccurate because of misleading parallels such as "Swedish-American," and so on, a phrase used to describe a community of a certain nationality living together in this country — a meaning which fits neither the Negro nor jazz. The panel felt that, in any event, it was saddled with the word "jazz" because of popular usage. The problem of aesthetics was then introduced : how does one judge the relative value of two jazz artists? This is a key problem that should and would be answered, the panel decided, but it must wait upon a formulation of a historical and descriptive definition of the subject. Before adjourning, the panel found: "African musical qualities are more nearly intact in the New World outside the U.S.A., but they have had an increasing influence upon jazz from early New Orleans days to the Afro-Cuban mambo of the present." Thursday's lecture by the present writer was devoted to the blues, which were described as the main stream of jazz. A distinction was made between early blues which do not employ European harmony consistently (John Lee Hooker), and the later 12-bar form which combines the three basic chords in our music in a definite sequence. The 12bar form was analysed and its evolution from cries, hymns, ring-shouts, marches, and reels traced. Although this form is important only as a container into which creative improvisation can be poured, it was established that it is one of the few unchanged factors in the last thirty years of jazz. A range of examples was played to show the infinite variety of vocal and orchestral treatment accorded to this form, as well as its universal popularity. The fifth panel began with a discussion of whether the blues is dance music. If it is not, then jazz is not dance music. No agreement could be reached, and the panel went on to discuss the effects of "commercialism" on jazz artists. It was agreed, after considerable debate, that when a folk artist is paid for his performance a qualitative change may occur, but the change may not necessarily be for the worse. On the other hand, when an artist is forced to select a few typical tricks and repeat them over and over, they rapidly lose all meaning. The improvisational character of jazz, it was added, is of great importance because it counteracts such a tendency, and those artists and orchestras who no longer improvise are departing from the jazz tradition. Friday's lecture on Gospel Singing was given by Professor James, who traced the Mahalia Jackson and her accompanist (Kalischer photo) The first panel on the following morning devoted much time to a technical discussion of the jazz scale, by way of identifying the nature of Negro folk cries and the general characteristic of expressiveness in jazz. It was agreed that jazz uses the diatonic scale, plus "displacements" (James) and "flexible intervals" (Waterman), which result in unique tonal patterns. Several definitions of jazz were offered by participants, but it was decided to save them until the lectures should be completed. The panel put together the following statement, however, before adjourning: "Jazz is a North American music, characterized by unique tonal and rhythmic patterns, with roots in the musical traditions of Europe and Africa." Monday's lecture, by Professor Waterman, dealt with the musics of the world in general and Africa in particular. The premise was that, setting aside academic music which covers but a fraction of the earth's surface, the similarity between European and African music is significantly close when compared to the music of the American Indian, Indonesian, Hindu, Chinese, and Arab. European and African music are at about the same level melodically, while African music has developed more rhythmic and less harmonic complexity than European music. Thus, a fusing of these two musics would be comparatively easy. Waterman concluded by pointing out that there are important elements in both European and African music that jazz does not use. The second panel, after noting the improvisational nature of jazz within certain traditional limits, went on to the key problem of how jazz absorbed various influences. How, for example, did African melodic patterns become incorporated in the "cry"? The panel found that the evolution of jazz was the result of a complicated assimilative process in which sociological factors such as African antecedents, slave status, oppression, and segregation played a large role. These factors were reserved for later discussion, but it was agreed that the general process did 1 not involve inherited characteristics. An affinity for flexible intervals, for example, cannot be preserved in the genes; it must be handed down through environmental conditioning. "Jazz is the result of a complex assimilative process — on a cultural level," the panel concluded. Tuesday's lecture was given by Professor James on the subject of Negro Folk Music. Giving his own examples orally, Professor James progressed from "cries" — as the most elemental expression of emotion — through a variety of work songs (with or without rhythm, according to whether or not they were participative), to a group of indescribably beautiful song-sermons. He included examples of the "zooning" preacher who punctuates his sermons rhythmically with guttural exhalations of breath. His examples were taken from first-hand experiences as a young teacher in the neighborhood of Baton Rouge. In closing, he emphasized the artistic merit of the melody and imagery of these early creations. The third panel concentrated upon listing characteristics found in both Waterman's description of African music and James' description of Negro folk music. Eight African qualities that occur to varying degrees in all jazz were agreed upon. They are ( 1 ) a scale with two flexible intervals around the third and seventh (blue-notes) ; (2) overlapping antiphony (the leader-andchorus pattern); (3) predominance of percussive effects (in voice and instruments) ; (4) variable accenting (on, off, and especially between the beats) ; (5) implied pulse (i.e.; during a tacit "break"); (6) polyrhythmic effects (in ensembles particularly) ; (7) hidden notes (rhythmically functional but with indefinite pitch) ; and (8) moving tones (i.e. swoops, glides, etc.). It was felt that the European qualities in jazz, notably in the melody and harmony, are easily identified and need not be described. Wednesday's lecture, by Professor Waterman, described Negro music in the New World outside the U.S.A. Religious music, r, mil.