TT 377: Jason Moran, James Reese Europe, and the Harlem Renaissance at the Met

Black New York, Yesterday and Today

Two weeks ago I went to see the impressive exhibit The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Featured artists include Charles Alston, Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, William H. Johnson, Archibald Motley, Winold Reiss, Augusta Savage, James Van Der Zee, and Laura Wheeler Waring. These artists are shown in direct juxtaposition with portrayals of international African diasporan subjects by European counterparts ranging from Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, and Pablo Picasso to Germaine Casse, Jacob Epstein, and Ronald Moody.

It’s a significant showing, at times even breathtaking. Many of the artists were new to me; I noted a few names for further exploration.

Jacob Lawrence, “Pool Parlor”:

The exhibit included a photo of James Reese Europe conducting in Paris, photographer unknown. I zoomed in and took a crude camera pic:

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James Reese Europe was a major figure in New York City before going off to fight in World War I, but he died unexpectedly upon his return. Little of his music was recorded or published, but reports from his contemporaries suggest the James Reese Europe band at full throttle was absolutely a foundational element of jazz and American music.

Europe has traditionally remained just a footnote in jazz history books, but Jason Moran might be changing that status, for Moran has made Europe the subject of an important album and a touring production, From the Dancehall to the Battlefield. I enjoyed the record, but was curious to see the full concert version live at Zankel Hall.

The music is an unqualified success. The key is the longstanding core trio, the Bandwagon with Taurus Mateen and Nasheet Waits. From the beginning of their time together over twenty years ago, Moran, Mateen, and Waits played the whole history at once: Modern jazz, of course, but also hip hop, soul, avant noise, and earlier references like Duke Ellington and Fats Waller. As the Art Ensemble of Chicago explained, “Black Music: Ancient to the Future.”

Today, when the Bandwagon essays frankly somewhat dated repertoire for the Europe project like “Ballin’ the Jack” (1913) or “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917), the selections work because the trio already has already constructed a worthy personal idiom to invest these corny old tunes with fresh moxie. Nasheet Waits even breaks out woodblocks for “Darktown Strutters’ Ball.” It’s fun, ironic, and seriously grooving all at the same time.

The larger group for From the Dancehall to the Battlefield is billed as The Big Bandwagon. Among the excellent featured horn soloists were trumpeter David Adewumi, alto saxophonist Logan Richardson, and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles. The improvised melodic content from the horns was modern and exciting, and the rhythm section delivered an engaging churn beneath.

At first blush, it seems like a forbidding challenge to create repertory project based around James Reese Europe, for there just isn’t that much to go on in terms of source material. However, Jason Moran has found a smart and inspiring way to present a contemporary aesthetic through the prism of a mysterious forefather.. The final music at Zankel was a full audience sing-along with a wonderful melody, a mixture of Europe and Moran melodic ideas, accompanied by a kind of gentle soul feel in the rhythm section. It was an indelible and heartwarming moment.