Recently, I did a ZOOM presentation sponsored by I AM Books in Boston on my 2015 book, Bebop, Swing and Bella Musica: Jazz and the Italian American Experience.
The book, to which local Chicago writer David Anthony Witter also contributed, documents the amazing, untold story of how Americans of Italian descent blended their specific musical talents ̶ via folk, classical, and opera – to this uniquely American art form, which sprang from African American genius. That said, please note these two quotes:
1) “No other European country has produced such a significant number of American jazz musicians as Italy.” Joachim Ernst-Berendt, jazz scholar.
2) “Jazz has a specific root ̶ the African American experience – but it’s also about the branches of the tree.” Grammy-winning saxophonist t Joe Lovano.
The owner of I AM Books, Nicola Orichuia, has given me permission to post the link of the taped ZOOM session. It runs close to an hour, but you can always stop-and-revisit it at any time depending on your time frame.
If jazz music be the food of love, these Italian greats were both great chefs and Romeos and Giulliettas.
Play on and enjoy! -BDC
Wow, thank you Bill, this Italian influence hardly ever comes up so you have done a great service.
I learned recently that Nick LaRocca of New Orleans jazz fame was the first jazz recording .
Also read that the Jazz funerals originate in the Sicilian Marching band funerals.
GLORIA: Thanks!
Thank YOU Bill for reminding us of Yet Another contribution we’ve made and are not credited with!
Bill would love to do a program at the IAH on zoom with you…I have the book and I think its really a classic on Italian Americana……sadly Dan Burns when he did his program on Jazz had very little to say about the great American fusion and the role of Italian Americans in New Orleans….they were directly linked to the New Orleans Jazz Marching bands and Dixieland…… North Beach in San Francisco also had similar bands and impacted local Chinese ceremonial bands.(both communities are in proximity to each other) and interconnected. Can go on and on but your book says it all…..as a point of information…..one of our members Shorty Joe Quartuccio and the Redrock Canyon Cowboys…., from Palermo, was elected to the country-western swing music hall of swing….on the local radio…in the 30′ to 60s . He linked country-western to swing and dance music…… Recently died but his music is online…….
I knew about Burns’s project and sent him materials even before he and his staff started working on it. It coincided with our initial research for the book. Nothing.
All he did was reference Nick LaRocca (rather curtly). And he interviewed no Italian Americans of note until Joe Lovano in the very last episode (the Modern Era).
Louis Bellson alone, who was a major barrier-breaker no matter how you look at him (via drumming, racial progress, and even inventing a new type of drum), got zip.
Anti-Italian disdain runs deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Will Bill be doing a program?
Online?
Gloria
hope we can work out one…with the IAHF in San Jose…Ken Borelli.