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Soul Jazz: Jazz in the Black Community, 1945-1975
Soul Jazz is a history of jazz and its reception in the black community in the period from the end of World War II until the end of the Vietnam War. Previous histories reflect the perspective of an integrated America, yet the United States was a segregated country in 1945. The black audience had a very different take on the music and that is the perception explored in Soul Jazz.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 9, 2016
‘The drone allows the right thumb to hold a note while the rest of the right hand improvises. The left hand walks the bass.’
Bob Porter is a record producer, writer and broadcaster in the fields of Jazz and Blues. He has worked for such prominent record labels a Prestige, Savoy and Atlantic, producing more than 175 albums and several hundred reissues. He has contributed to DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazz Journal (London) and currently writes a book review column for the Journal of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors. He is a two-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Marion McPartland Award for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting and is a member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. He currently is the host of three separate radio programs on WBGO Newark.
In his opening remarks Bob states, ‘This book is about musical change: the different methods of playing the music, the differing attitudes toward the music coming from the black community, the comings and goings in the music business and media, and, finally, the adjustments of the musicians themselves. Each change in the music business, each new direction, each hot new sound, each new personnel lineup, brought fresh opportunity. These changes also meant that the old way of doing things would not be the same. The new innovations in music frequently mirrored the changes in the fight for equality. In 1948, President Truman ordered the desegregation of the American military. In 1954, the US Supreme Court reversed its separate but equal decision. In the mid-’60s would come the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. The attitudes of the American people, as a whole, changed drastically, if slowly, over the time span of this book. There was a great deal of nonmilitary, racially inspired bloodshed in America during the years between the end of WWII and the end of the Vietnam War. Some musicians manned the barricades while others sat on the sidelines in the pursuit of equality. But by 1975, the United States was a very different place.’
Bob very clearly marches through the development of jazz as perceived by the Black community and divides his areas of examination into ‘RACE MUSIC - As America emerges from twenty-five years of prohibition, depression, and war, new opportunities present themselves in the fields of radio; concert promotion; and production, distribution, and sales of phonograph records. These may prove to be a benefit to black musicians who continue to face the same social roadblocks as segregation is the rule of the day. Music is changing: danceable swing is still the most popular; yet bebop, the New Orleans revival, and a decided preference for vocal records are on the horizon. The decline of the big band and the rise of small combos seem to be inevitable: ILLINOIS JACQUET - Jacquet was the first star instrumentalist to emerge since the end of World War II. A singular stylist on the tenor saxophone, his work influenced hundreds of other musicians. His famous solo on Lionel Hampton’s “Flyin’ Home” is probably the most duplicated solo of all time. His first seven-piece band serves as a model for dozens of others: RHYTHM AND BLUES - The rise of disc jockeys, independent record companies, and a new bluesy sound serves to propel R&B to the front of the sales pack. Thus begins the separation from jazz in the mind of the music industry. There are new speeds for phonograph records, as well as new stars, new trends, and new dances. The saxophone dominates, and the jukebox gets new life. Black radio formats begin to emerge. Musical performances begin to develop regional characteristics. Count Basie folds his old band and forms a new one. Duke Ellington loses an old drummer and finds a new one. Moondog gets hot in Ohio: GENE AMMONS - The second-generation, Chicago-based jazzman was a tenor sax star who sparked black bands (Billy Eckstine) and white bands (Woody Herman) and made hit recordings in every decade covered by this book. And he did it with ballads, blues, Latin material, organ groups, and funk. Ammons was a stylist of the first rank and one whose work combined the best influences of his predecessors: THE BIG BEAT - R&B gets renamed rock ’n’ roll. Alan Freed gets to be a superstar. Count Basie gets a new singer. Duke Ellington gets a magazine cover. Norman Granz folds up the tent. Jazz festivals become a big deal. The 12” LP wins the battle of sizes, and the payola scandals are on the horizon. Jonah Jones and Cozy Cole, a couple of swing stars, still know how to do it. The Hammond organ is a part of the entertainment mix in most black neighborhoods: HANK CRAWFORD - An alto saxophonist with a unique, singing, sound, and singular approach, Crawford is also the architect of the Ray Charles sound during his (1958–1963) tenure with Charles. His arrangements with their distinctive voicings prove to be horn section sound favored by most contemporary bluesmen. Late in his career, he embraces the organ sound and finds a new audience: SOUL JAZZ - The surging popularity of the organ combo provides new life for jazz. Jimmy Smith becomes a superstar. Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Groove Holmes have big hits. The rise of FM radio and stereophonic sound means fresh listening experiences and improved audio. Saxophonists such as Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine, and Sonny Stitt prefer organ in the rhythm section. Consolidation among the independent record labels begins. The rise and fall of MGM/Verve records presages problems for the future. Rudy Van Gelder builds his new studio: GRANT GREEN - The St. Louis guitarist is brought to Blue Note Records by Lou Donaldson and quickly becomes a ubiquitous sideman. He records his own albums but appears on hit albums by Lou Donaldson, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, and others. His professional advancement is held up by a personal drug problem. After a hiatus, he returns to Blue Note with new ideas that take hold in the marketplace: FUNK AND FUSION - Jazz becomes more commercial with big hits selling like pop records. Creed Taylor, at Verve, A&M, and finally his own CTI/Kudu operation, is the man who knows his audience. Jazz stars become celebrities in the black community. Electric pianos and electric saxophones are now part of the band. Pianists manage to survive in different ways. There will be no more mono albums released, and straight-ahead jazz sales take a big dive. Label consolidation continues, and there are fewer players in the game: GROVER WASHINGTON JR. - his versatile multi-instrumentalist goes from sideman to superstar in a very short time. He makes the most of every break that comes his way. His popularity soon becomes the equal of any musician of the 1970s, while his playing is a veritable definition of the new radio format “smooth jazz,” and he is savvy enough on the business side to ensure his long-term success: The Producers - Employment details and major successes of the independent producers whose work makes up much of the subject matter of this book.’
A very readable and timely book exploring 30 years of jazz. We can only hope that Bob will continue his historical survey of one of America’s prizes.
Bob Porter is a record producer, writer and broadcaster in the fields of Jazz and Blues. He has worked for such prominent record labels a Prestige, Savoy and Atlantic, producing more than 175 albums and several hundred reissues. He has contributed to DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazz Journal (London) and currently writes a book review column for the Journal of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors. He is a two-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Marion McPartland Award for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting and is a member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. He currently is the host of three separate radio programs on WBGO Newark.
In his opening remarks Bob states, ‘This book is about musical change: the different methods of playing the music, the differing attitudes toward the music coming from the black community, the comings and goings in the music business and media, and, finally, the adjustments of the musicians themselves. Each change in the music business, each new direction, each hot new sound, each new personnel lineup, brought fresh opportunity. These changes also meant that the old way of doing things would not be the same. The new innovations in music frequently mirrored the changes in the fight for equality. In 1948, President Truman ordered the desegregation of the American military. In 1954, the US Supreme Court reversed its separate but equal decision. In the mid-’60s would come the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. The attitudes of the American people, as a whole, changed drastically, if slowly, over the time span of this book. There was a great deal of nonmilitary, racially inspired bloodshed in America during the years between the end of WWII and the end of the Vietnam War. Some musicians manned the barricades while others sat on the sidelines in the pursuit of equality. But by 1975, the United States was a very different place.’
Bob very clearly marches through the development of jazz as perceived by the Black community and divides his areas of examination into ‘RACE MUSIC - As America emerges from twenty-five years of prohibition, depression, and war, new opportunities present themselves in the fields of radio; concert promotion; and production, distribution, and sales of phonograph records. These may prove to be a benefit to black musicians who continue to face the same social roadblocks as segregation is the rule of the day. Music is changing: danceable swing is still the most popular; yet bebop, the New Orleans revival, and a decided preference for vocal records are on the horizon. The decline of the big band and the rise of small combos seem to be inevitable: ILLINOIS JACQUET - Jacquet was the first star instrumentalist to emerge since the end of World War II. A singular stylist on the tenor saxophone, his work influenced hundreds of other musicians. His famous solo on Lionel Hampton’s “Flyin’ Home” is probably the most duplicated solo of all time. His first seven-piece band serves as a model for dozens of others: RHYTHM AND BLUES - The rise of disc jockeys, independent record companies, and a new bluesy sound serves to propel R&B to the front of the sales pack. Thus begins the separation from jazz in the mind of the music industry. There are new speeds for phonograph records, as well as new stars, new trends, and new dances. The saxophone dominates, and the jukebox gets new life. Black radio formats begin to emerge. Musical performances begin to develop regional characteristics. Count Basie folds his old band and forms a new one. Duke Ellington loses an old drummer and finds a new one. Moondog gets hot in Ohio: GENE AMMONS - The second-generation, Chicago-based jazzman was a tenor sax star who sparked black bands (Billy Eckstine) and white bands (Woody Herman) and made hit recordings in every decade covered by this book. And he did it with ballads, blues, Latin material, organ groups, and funk. Ammons was a stylist of the first rank and one whose work combined the best influences of his predecessors: THE BIG BEAT - R&B gets renamed rock ’n’ roll. Alan Freed gets to be a superstar. Count Basie gets a new singer. Duke Ellington gets a magazine cover. Norman Granz folds up the tent. Jazz festivals become a big deal. The 12” LP wins the battle of sizes, and the payola scandals are on the horizon. Jonah Jones and Cozy Cole, a couple of swing stars, still know how to do it. The Hammond organ is a part of the entertainment mix in most black neighborhoods: HANK CRAWFORD - An alto saxophonist with a unique, singing, sound, and singular approach, Crawford is also the architect of the Ray Charles sound during his (1958–1963) tenure with Charles. His arrangements with their distinctive voicings prove to be horn section sound favored by most contemporary bluesmen. Late in his career, he embraces the organ sound and finds a new audience: SOUL JAZZ - The surging popularity of the organ combo provides new life for jazz. Jimmy Smith becomes a superstar. Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Groove Holmes have big hits. The rise of FM radio and stereophonic sound means fresh listening experiences and improved audio. Saxophonists such as Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine, and Sonny Stitt prefer organ in the rhythm section. Consolidation among the independent record labels begins. The rise and fall of MGM/Verve records presages problems for the future. Rudy Van Gelder builds his new studio: GRANT GREEN - The St. Louis guitarist is brought to Blue Note Records by Lou Donaldson and quickly becomes a ubiquitous sideman. He records his own albums but appears on hit albums by Lou Donaldson, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, and others. His professional advancement is held up by a personal drug problem. After a hiatus, he returns to Blue Note with new ideas that take hold in the marketplace: FUNK AND FUSION - Jazz becomes more commercial with big hits selling like pop records. Creed Taylor, at Verve, A&M, and finally his own CTI/Kudu operation, is the man who knows his audience. Jazz stars become celebrities in the black community. Electric pianos and electric saxophones are now part of the band. Pianists manage to survive in different ways. There will be no more mono albums released, and straight-ahead jazz sales take a big dive. Label consolidation continues, and there are fewer players in the game: GROVER WASHINGTON JR. - his versatile multi-instrumentalist goes from sideman to superstar in a very short time. He makes the most of every break that comes his way. His popularity soon becomes the equal of any musician of the 1970s, while his playing is a veritable definition of the new radio format “smooth jazz,” and he is savvy enough on the business side to ensure his long-term success: The Producers - Employment details and major successes of the independent producers whose work makes up much of the subject matter of this book.’
A very readable and timely book exploring 30 years of jazz. We can only hope that Bob will continue his historical survey of one of America’s prizes.
November 25, 2024
Very good addition to "jazz" history - the author looks at "jazz" music which was popular in the black community, but also add more detail about artists, bandleaders, record companies, producers, and booking agents.
August 24, 2019
Tells the story of an important era in jazz with love and understanding.
May 26, 2017
It's hard to make a book about a brief period and narrow genre in jazz history, but Bob Porter pulls it off by fleshing it out with post 1945 black jazz & r&b bands and personalities and important sociological events of the era. Most would consider Soul Jazz the organ players of the 50's thru 70's but I think he may have given short shrift to cats like Gene Harris & The Three Sounds & Junior Mance. A wonderful and insightful chapter on Grover Washington Junior and a fantastic ending anecdote to the book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews