The record changer (Jan-Dec 1953)

cditOVlflli a new era With this issue of the Record Changer, jazz research enters an entirely new era. Since the days of the first jazz fans and critics, in the mid-twenties, the study of jazz has been almost entirely limited to historical documentation. This level of research was — and still is — a highly important one. It has provided the raw materials so necessary to any scholarly evaluation of the many factors that went into making up the music as we now know it. But merely dipping into the history of jazz is not enough, as many students and enthusiasts have increasingly come to realize in the past few years. The whys and wherefores of jazz, the relationship of jazz to other musics and to the whole of American society — such subjects as these demand to be explored. During the past two decades there have been a few attempts at this sort of approach to jazz and its backgrounds. But these have been, at best, amateurish efforts, and severely handicapped by the fact that those people sufficiently interested in such work, although knowledgeable about jazz, have not had more than superficial knowledge in the fields from whose viewpoint any wider study of jazz must be approached — musicology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and the like. For most of these last two decades, there have been flurries of talk about organizing jazz students and enthusiasts in a manner that could make this dream of a fuller, wider, deeper study of jazz come true. But, in addition to the lack of the necessary specific academic training and disciplines, lack of time and money have helped frustrate these ambitions. It is true that there have been several commendable efforts in various local areas. Some turned out to be little more than glorified fan clubs. Others did bring together groups of sincere (if academically untrained) jazz record collectors, who usually published their own little magazines or news-sheets and sometimes did important work in the field of historical documentation. But there was no central organization ; there was actually no awareness of a central goal, and the average group of this sort was extremely short-lived. Enthusiasm waned ; or a limited research project was completed ; and the club drifted out of existence. But, about a half dozen years ago, a man had an idea. Like most important ideas, it now seems so obvious — in retrospect — that someone should have thought of it long before, but no one did, until Marshall Stearns. Professor Stearns, who had been one of the pioneer jazz critics, was teaching at Cornell when he came up with his all-important concept, the first idea to make any real sense in the field of jazz study. Briefly, Stearns envisioned a Jazz Institute, a completely non-profit organization to be made up of jazz fans, critics, musicians, plus leaders in all those social sciences that have any bearing on the development of jazz. The aim of the Institute would be the establishment of a continuing series of long-term research projects designed to answer the hundreds of previously unanswered or vaguely guessed-at questions that have important bearing on the background, the function, the impact, the meanings of jazz in our society. It's one thing for a man to have a good idea, and another thing entirely to be able to implement it. It would not have been surprising if Marshall Stearns had, on any one of many occasions, given the whole thing up in disgust and frustration. No money was forthcoming; few people would help, although there were some who did lend moral support. Virtually alone, he kept plugging for years to convince jazz critics of the importance of his idea. Even more importantly, he combed the ranks of university professors and highly trained specialists, interesting them in the merits of the project. By means of conferences, meetings, correspondence and other assorted explanation and persuasion, he finally gathered about him a superb group of trained men who at least began to share his enthusiasm for the Institute idea. What he has accomplished in the past four years of pre-Institute work and discussion is told elsewhere in the book by Professor Stearns himself, and it has been a considerable accomplishment. But, knowing of his efforts, it had become our feeling that the Institute idea had been trapped — just short of actually coming concretely into being — in something of a vicious circle. The trap was a simple one. There was the purpose, the idea, and finally there were people ready to carry it out. But there was still no money and no real organizational set-up. With no money, the institute could not even begin the most basic sort of correspondence or printing, could not publicize itself or inform even the jazz public of its intentions and existence. Once in operation, the Institute could proceed with a program and an outlining of projected activities designed to lead to the acquiring of a grant from one of the major foundations that now exist for the purpose of supplying the money needed to enable qualified groups to carry on research in specialized fields. (For the Institute to do the job at hand — to get to work on the many needed projects in the fields of anthropology, musicology, sociology, history, folklore, psychology and a half-dozen other allied areas — it has been estimated that an endowment of anywhere from a quarter million to a million dollars would be required. The interest accruing from so large a grant would be required to underwrite the hoped-for operations of the Institute.) But it is necessary for an organization to be properly operating, to have its soundness and intentions fully demonstrated, before "any such grant can be forthcoming. This is particularly true in the field of jazz, since it must be taken into consideration that jazz still retains unsavory and unrespectable connotations in many academic circles. Finally, it became clear that the only way out of this "trap" was through bold, immediate action. Stearns had enlisted the support of enough scholars of unquestioned competence and stature to demonstrate the soundness of his belief that the field of jazz is worthy of serious study. A Board of Directors was formed ; the Institute is now being formally launched; and is beginning by turning for help to those who should be most interested in giving help — jazz enthusiasts you, our readers. This is where the Record Changer comes into the picture. We have had many meetings with Marshall Stearns and his associates. We know his aims and the aims of the Institute. We know that all concerned have a deep, sincere, intelligent interest in jazz music and in the advancement of knowledge about it. All are willing to give their time to the furthering of these aims with no thought of remuneration. All are willing to work together towards the ultimate goals. Because we of the Record Changer share the belief in this music and its importance that is felt by Marshall Stearns and the founding members of the Institute, we have made the following suggestions and proposals, which have been accepted by the Institute's Board of Directors. ( 1 ) Our first suggestion was that the pages of the Record Changer could provide the Institute with a means of communication with the jazz world. It is our belief that the Institute must have its own journal, in which can be published news of the activities of scholars and critics who are at work on projects, reports of their findings, and the like. Until such time as funds are available for such" a journal, we have offered to set aside a section of this magazine at intervals during the year, to serve as the temporary journal of the Institute. (2) The next suggestion is one that resulted in the major portion of this special issue. We have felt very strongly that preliminary dis (Continued on Page 51 )