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Music has been a vehicle for our individual and collective expression of joy, grief, rage, and even defiance. From somniferous lullabies to thunderous battle cries against oppression, music flows through the veins of our very existence. Such metaphors do bear the risk of sounding too abstract, however, the genesis and evolution of blues and jazz, as musical genres, paint a different picture. Blues and jazz are way more than forms of mere entertainment. They powerfully symbolize cultural tenacity, as both genres emerged from the struggles and experiences of African Americans and reflect the history of slavery as well as segregation. This article explores how blues and jazz contributed to the roots of Black resistance and offered a means of escape and self-expression.
The Birth of Blues: A Sound Born from Struggle
Blues is deeply intertwined with the experiences of Black Americans, particularly in the South. The origin can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the enslavement of Africans. Most of the blues musicians had predecessors from Africa who were brought to America in the slave trade and were forced to work on plantations in the southern states of America, and factories in the northern ones. Many of the best-known blues musicians were from the South, and for this reason, it is argued that the Mississippi Delta was the birthplace of the blues.
In his book "The History of Jazz," music historian Ted Gioia writes,
"Blues was a way for African Americans to express their pain and frustrations in a world that often ignored their humanity."
The distinctive use of the 12-bar structure and “blue notes” carry the emotional weight of the genre and the lyrics dealt with personal and societal hardships, such as love, betrayal, poverty, and injustice.
Blues singers like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters were not only skilled musicians but also remarkable storytellers who documented the realities of Black life in a segregated America. In a broader sense, blues was tantamount to a passive resistance.
Jazz: The Soundtrack of Black Liberation
Another crucial form of Black resistance jazz emerged from ragtime, blues, and other musical influences such as European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, and work songs with a bigger ensemble of instruments. It developed in the early 20th century in New Orleans before spreading across the country. Being nurtured in the multicultural setting of New Orleans and a blend of a multitude of familiar and famous genres, it was the first true American genre that achieved global recognition.
Jazz was a more improvisational form of protest in contrast to blues, where the latter was often focused more on personal expression of pain and survival. A myriad of subgenres were developed over the following decades after its inception ( Kansas City jazz, gypsy jazz, bebop, modal jazz, and free jazz, for example), and all these eventually led to jazz fusion and Afro-Cuban jazz. By the mid-20th century, jazz had become way more inclusive than anyone could have ever imagined.
Jazz stands as a stark contrast to the structured forms of Western music with its improvisation as a form of self-expression. In one way, improvisation can be seen as a metaphor for Black resistance. In the 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance, jazz became a symbol of Black intellectual and cultural empowerment. Figures like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday used jazz to convey both personal and collective experiences.
Blues, Jazz, and Resistance to White Supremacy
Martin Luther King Jr. said that “jazz speaks for life. The blues tells the story of life’s difficulties…This is triumphant music.”
Black people were marginalized and dehumanized by the society which was dominated by white people. Both blues and jazz were the counterpoints to the narratives of white supremacy. These provided a pathway to reclaim their humanity and burst out of the racist structures that were there to limit their opportunities.
One among many bold ways in which blues and jazz musicians upheld their resistance was through their presence in the entertainment industry. The early 20th century was a time when Black artists were often downplayed for their "race music." It was a way of keeping them and their art away from mainstream media. However, jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington severed these barriers by their musical genius, and also by the cultural significance they had at that time.
Of course, this was not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. According to biographer Allan Keiler, contralto Marian Anderson was invited to sing in Washington by Howard University as part of its concert series due to her international reputation. But the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a lineage-based membership service organization for women, owned the hall and they refused to allow her to use the hall because she was black. Moreover, there was a white-artist-only clause printed in every contract issued by the DAR.
Moreover, both blues and jazz had strong ties to the civil rights struggles of the 20th century. Artists like Nina Simone, John Coltrane, and Sam Cooke used their music and voiced the demands for equality, justice, and freedom. Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" was her "first civil rights song" which was banned in several Southern states. Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" is another example of how music serves as a much needed tool for protest and activism. Such revolutionary songs had directly addressed the frustrations and hopes of the Civil Rights movement.
The Enduring Legacy of Blues and Jazz in Black Resistance
The search for identity among African Americans was taken upon by Jazz musicians before any modern essayists and scholars wrote the racial identity as a problem. Today, blues and jazz continue to remind us of the unabated and ongoing struggle for racial justice and freedom. It can be said without a doubt that the civil rights movement achieved significant victories. However, the cessation of systemic racism still remains elusive in many aspects of society.
In the 21st century, blues and jazz have morphed into something more complex and widespread yet they retain the essence of their true purpose. On top of that, genres like hip-hop have inherited this raging desire of liberation from blues and jazz aiding in the pursuit of pushing the boundaries of Black artistic expression and social commentary.
Final Words
I cannot imagine a future where music has ceased to play a crucial role in resistance movements. Blues, jazz, or anything derived from these will serve as integral cogs that run the story of Black resistance forward. These genres will continue to inspire and influence artists today as beacons of hope and courage and signify that the ongoing struggle for freedom shall be fought with music.