Another distinguished European composer Darius Milhaud was also inspired by jazz, and he toured Harlem in 1922, returning with a collection of race recordings which became the foundations for his ballet ‘La Creation Du Monde’. Race recordings were blues, jazz or gospel records by black musicians that were marketed to a black audience. The recordings available to him gave him a fairly detailed and sophisticated approach to jazz, and he aimed to capture the spontaneous, improvised elements of the music within his own. The dominant use of drum in jazz also fascinated the composer, and this, combined with the vocal quality in the sound, led him to the music to African culture. This helped jazz to gain acceptability and intellectuality, as people began to view it as a deep representation of ancient culture, not just pop music. The ballet is based on African legend and the music contains many jazz influenced features such as sharpened thirds; in the opening, rhythms taken from ragtime, the famous Blue Fugue theme, containing flattened thirds and sevenths, and the popular jazz chords sequence I-II-V7-I.
Jazz spread quickly through Europe as Ragtime had. Several American jazz artists and groups began performing in Europe, promoting an interest in jazz throughout many countries. Will Marion Cooke and his ‘Syncopated Southern Orchestra’ were a particularly significant group to tour Europe, and even after Cooke returned to America in 1920 and the group broke up, the members formed new groups which continued to gig around Europe. Following Cook’s lead, other jazz orchestras began to tour Europe in the 20s, such as the Art Hickman ensemble, the Paul Whiteman ensemble, and the Sam Wooding group, who interested Germany in particular. The ‘Original Dixieland Jazz Band’ was the model most early European jazz groups chose to follow, especially in England. Trombonist Lew Davis took up his instrument when he first heard the O.D.J.B, and subsequently formed a quartet called ‘The Lyricals’. He was significant in spreading the influence of jazz on mainstream European music, and took European jazz groups on tour to Scandinavia and Belgium as early as 1921. The ‘Quinquaginta Ramblers’ were one of the first native British Jazz bands, formed in 1926 by pianist Fred Elizade. By 1927 Elizade was leading a British/American band at the Savoy Hotel in London, and his music became a popular form of entertainment for Europeans.
Jazz achieved great mainstream success in Germany, as well as England. Both American and native jazz groups toured the country, and many German concert musicians were influence by the trend. Alan Berg, one of the finest concert composers of the 20th century called for an offstage jazz band for his opera ‘Lulu’. A successful German jazz band were the ‘Weintraub Syncopaters’ led by Stefan Weintraub. They recorded popular tunes such as ‘Up and at ‘Em’ and ‘Jackass Blues’, and appeared in the 1930s film ‘The Blue Angel’, further illustrating the influence of jazz on European popular culture. Jazz in Germany was compromised however by the rise of Hitler’s leadership in 1933. His party wanted to promote music and art that reflected Aryan associations and any other culture that did not qualify was labelled as degenerate. Jazz of course did not qualify, with its African American roots and links to Jewish culture; Gershwin, a popular Jewish songwriter was living in Berlin. Russia warmed to ragtime more slowly than the rest of Europe. On one hand, jazz was compatible with communist ideals, as it was music of the people that arose from the folk culture of African American victims of discrimination in a society built around race and class. At the same time it was a product of Western capitalism and mass marketing, and soviet officials were only interested in cultivating arts more in keeping with Russian folk history. One of the best known Soviet jazz musicians before World War 2 was bandleader and pianist Alexander Tsfasman with a style reminiscent of James P. Johnson. It was difficult for bands to acquire many jazz instruments in the USSR, particularly saxophones, but jazz still continued to thrive there, mainly as an underground activity.
Paris was one of the most responsive European cities to jazz, and quickly built its own scene. Jazz hit the top of Parisian political agenda, in the hope of developing a more accessible, small scale music tradition, and aiming to avoid pomposity. African singer and dancer had a hit show called ‘La Reve Negre’, which opened in 1925. Jazz based accompanying music was provided by an orchestra led by Claude Hopkins; a pianist who went on to direct a very popular jazz group in the 1930s. Her show was a sensation, and its sensual dancing and jungle motifs were forerunners of Ellington’s Cotton Club floorshow two years later. The most significant Parisian jazz band were ‘Quintette du Hot Club de France’. The ‘Hot Club’ formed in 1932 as a place for jazz enthusiasts to gather, and later began presenting concerts; initially just of American musicians, and then eventually French as well. Violinist Stephane Grappelli and guitarist Jean Baptiste Django Reinhardt, both well renowned French jazz musicians, started performing at the Hot Club. Django Reinhardt went on to become a phenomenon. He had a Frech gypsy background and worked commercially in Paris during the 20s, quickly gathering a reputation for his technique and style. He had amazing skill and control, even after burning two of his left hand fingers which stopped him from using them. He was Europe’s first outstanding jazz musician with his own identifiable style that had a large impact on other guitarists.
In ‘Tiger Rag’, performed by the ‘Quintet du Hot Club de France’ he and Grappelli display highly nimble virtuosity, and it is clear both musicians have deeply absorbed the jazz style. The strings only group of violin, guitars and bass highlights a key difference between this 1930s European jazz ensemble, and that of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and their typical New Orleans line up of cornet, clarinet, trombone, piano and drums, in their previous recording of ‘Tiger Rag’. The performance is also much faster than that of the O.D.J.B.’s. The effect of the stop time in the second strain of the O.D.J.B. recording is heard in this version; although the bass continues to walk, the ensemble strongly accents the measure’s downbeats. In the third strain, Grappelli’s melodic line contains the piece’s first blue notes, and there are instrumental breaks for both Reinhardt and the bassist; other typical jazz features which have been adopted by European musicians. Reinhardt’s solo in the fourth strain provide bluesy bent and held notes which create effective contrast with the energetic virtuosity of the previous strain, and again provide evidence of jazz and blues traditions merging wit European styles.
The success of ragtime in the United States, and the fact that it was the only early jazz form written down, meant that it was the first form of jazz to reach Europe and have significant impact on composers there. Dixieland also went on to have a considerable effect on European music, and jazz quickly gained respect in the continent, influencing the work of established concert composers. American musicians also began touring Europe and spreading the impact of jazz. Paris was one of the most receptive cities to the style, and bands would model themselves on the Original Dixieland Jazz Band; the first group to make a jazz recording, and cover their songs such as ‘Tiger Rag’, recorded by both the O.D.J.B, and Parisian band ‘Quintet du Hot Club de France’.
