James Reese Europe - James Reese Europe

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James Reese Europe Poster

Though he was a titanic figure--he was the first African American officer to lead men into battle and Eubie Blake called him "the savior of Negro musicians"--Europe's fame soon turned to obscurity. In 1995, Reid Bodger's thorough biography of Europe, A Life in Ragtime, appeared, rekindling widespread interest, and the following year saw the appearance of this music on two different CDs. A large band of brass, reeds, and percussion, with vocals by Noble Sissle, Europe's orchestra plays the popular music of the day with a distinctive spirit and a marked rhythmic fluency uncommon in orchestral ragtime. W.C. Handy is prominent in the repertoire ("St. Louis Blues," "Hesitating Blues," "Memphis Blues"). The songwriting team of Europe, Blake, and Sissle ranges in their subject matter from "Jazz Baby" to the wartime experiences of "No-Man's Land." Europe's associate Tom Bethel contributed "That Moaning Trombone" with its vocal effects, while "Clarinet Marmalade" comes from the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Despite the references to jazz, though, this is a band poised on the jazz era, not a jazz band, with improvisation largely limited to brief "breaks." Songs from White and African American composers alike contribute to the complex representation of black life in America, one alive with both stereotypes and new possibilities.

Another edition of these 24 recordings, James Reese Europe's 369th U.S. Infantry "Hell Fighters" Band, appeared a few months later on Memphis Archive with the tracks arranged in an order that would resemble a Europe concert rather than organized chronologically, as they are here. Both versions provide a worthwhile portrait of a major figure in American music; however, they also represent slightly different philosophies of sound restoration. The IAJRC preserves much of the static to avoid loss of detail; the Memphis Archive is much cleaner and generally far more listenable. The Memphis Archive edition also contains far more supporting material, a detailed 44-page account of Europe's life and music by Tim Gracyk. --Stuart Broomer

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