THIS WEEK’S BOOK
"Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State" by David Meyers, Candice Watkins, Arnett Howard and James Loeffler (The History Press, 191 pages, $19.99)
When we consider places known as hotbeds of jazz music one might think of New York City or the Crescent City of New Orleans. According to the authors of “Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State,” we have substantial cause to appreciate Ohio’s stellar contributions to this American musical form.
“Ohio Jazz” opens with an overview of the historical roots of jazz: “while no one would dispute that New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, the music itself is a heady gumbo in which bits of blues, spirituals, ragtime, hymns, brass band, minstrel, work songs, and folk tunes can be seen (or, rather heard) floating about … .”
In the first chapter we learn that “ragtime is not jazz, but any discussion of early jazz begins with ragtime.” In fact a century ago the musicians who were the first ones to actually play what we now describe as jazz didn’t actually have a specific name for this new style of music.
The authors relate how “Sidney Bechet, the first important jazz soloist on record, always insisted that jazz was ‘a name the white people have given to the music’.” By 1900 there was a thriving ragtime scene in Cincinnati and Columbus.
As we proceed chronologically through this history of jazz we discover the myriad gifted jazz musicians with Ohio connections. The book contains brief biographies of 60 musicians with Ohio roots. There are famous names along with a multitude of relative unknowns listed here.
The Mills Brothers began their singing careers in church choirs in Piqua. The quartet got their big break during the 1920’s when they performed on radio station WLW in Cincinnati. They went on to make over two thousand recordings and sell over fifty million records.
Columbus native Harry “Sweets” Edison played trumpet with Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Cincinnati’s Frank Foster was a tenor saxophonist for Count Basie. He attended Wilberforce University. After Basie died he led the Basie Orchestra for a decade.
Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson hailed from Lima. He played in bands with Sonny Stitt, Jack McDuff, Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock.
“Rahsaan Roland” Kirk developed “circular breathing” so that he could play two and even three horns simultaneously. The “free jazz” legend was born in Columbus.
Springfield’s Johnny Lytle is considered to have been the greatest vibraphone player ever. “Ohio Jazz” states that Cleveland’s “Little” Jimmy Scott “is now regarded as possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time.”
Daytonian Bud Shank took his saxophone to the West Coast, where he was a leader in the “cool jazz” movement. Duke Ellington’s legendary lyricist Billy Strayhorn was born in Dayton too.
The pianist Art Tatum came from Toledo. Norris Turney, Ellington’s flute player, was from Wilmington. Vocalist Nancy Wilson was born in Chillicothe and grew up in Columbus.
Did you know that during WWII the American Federation of Musicians banned their members from making recordings? Singers were not members of the union. That is why there were suddenly records being made that featured singers performing all of the instrumental parts on songs. That is just one of many fascinating facts within this book.
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