Summary
During the civil rights movement, jazz music took a decidedly political tone to undertake an active role in the fight for civil rights. Jazz music provided soundtracks used in most liberation movements by utilizing vocal arrangements to create sound expressing injustices against marginalized African Americans, acting as a force of social change. Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday are Jazz musicians who dedicated their musical careers to addressing social injustices, particularly regarding race and ethnicity.
First, Duke Ellington was essential to the civil rights movement and the jazz music fraternity due to his ability to address social injustices in an American Orchestra. Though not an active participant in the civil rights movement, Ellington hinted at the segregation of black jazz artists in the 1950s. Moreover, Ellington resented performing for segregated audiences and demanded that black youths have equal entrance rights to jazz concerts. Ellington expressed his stand against black segregation by fusing art and social activism.
Benny Goodman was elemental in breaking racial barriers through jazz during the civil rights movement despite being a white artist. In his orchestra, Goodman included black Jazz musicians of the time, setting an example of racial equality and empowering marginalized groups. For instance, Goodman collaborated with Mary Lou Williams, a black female artist, to produce the song Roll Em’ in 1937, which has remained part of his repertory. Finally, legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday played a substantial role in the CRM (Bonnell, 2020). Known for her famous track “Strange Fruit” of 1939 about racist lynching, Billie Holiday set the momentum for the CRM and was targeted by the FBI. Strange Fruit became a significant anthem tone used by the anti-lynching movement that confronted the brutality of lynching.
To conclude, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday were jazz musicians who protested social injustices. While Ellington fused art and social activism by hinting at the segregation of black jazz artists while presenting performing to a segregated audience, Goodman broke the racial barriers by collaborating with black artists. Billie Holiday was an active participant in the CRM, credited for her song Strange Fruit, which set the momentum for the anti-lynching movement. Ultimately, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday are jazz musicians who substantially contributed in addressing social injustices.
Evidence-Based Opinion
In my opinion, Benny Goodman’s recording, Roll Em’, is the most relevant to the current issues of gender inequality. Goodman initiated the shift from the constrained and constrained large bands to swing music that championed freedom to be musically expressive. Roll Em’ is a swing jazz by Goodman in collaboration with Mary Lou Williams that is relatively simple, easy listening, simple, and can facilitate women’s inclusivity. Moreover, Goodman’s band demonstrated social activism through integration to develop a unique American Orchestra that garnered tremendous enthusiasm (Griffin, 2021). The piano solo passages in Roll Em’ have been written in the conventional 12-bar form and are individually expressive, with the melody leaning more on the group dynamic. Jazz artists can leverage the individual expression approach utilized in Roll Em’ to resolve the present issue of gender inequality.
The swing in Roll Em’ uses simple chords with a clear homophobic texture elemental when expressing the current issue of gender inequality. Uncomplicated chord progressions characterize faith harmony in Roll Em’. Although the subject of the song Roll Em is love, and utilizes an unadorned tone and allows players to improvise the chords. Simple chord progressions to facilitate women’s integration demonstrated in Roll Em’ would be elemental in confronting the current issue of gender inequality.
References
Bonnell, E. (2020). Benny Goodman broke down racial barriers through jazz. JAZZ.FM91. Web.
Griffin, G. (2021). Defining Success: African American Women in the Jazz Industry, 1935-1965. Web.