Jews in jazz



Jewish Americans have played a significant role in jazz, a music genre created and developed by African Americans. As jazz spread, it developed to encompass many different cultures, and the work of Jewish composers in Tin Pan Alley helped shape the many different sounds that jazz came to incorporate. Tunes by Jewish composers such as George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin and many others predominate among the 'Great American Songbook' compositions that have become jazz standards. Jazz musicians, besides playing renditions of the melodies, often deployed the chord changes of many of these songs to construct their own compositions.

Background
Jazz music is a multicultural music, created and developed by African Americans using European instruments with Jewish Americans and others mixing in to further diversify the music. Jazz music was invented in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Originating in New Orleans, the music gained its momentum by getting a start in the red light districts. African Americans playing ragtime in the red light districts were the precursor to what was soon to become jazz. As World War I came to a close jazz started to enter the public arena. Two years later the prohibition of alcohol went into effect. This resulted in the creation of speakeasies, which allowed for jazz music to flourish.

Jewish American contributions
Jewish Americans were able to thrive in jazz because of the probationary whiteness that they were allotted at the time. George Bornstein wrote that African Americans were sympathetic to the plight of the Jewish American and vice versa. As disenfranchised minorities themselves, Jewish composers of popular music saw themselves as natural allies with African-Americans. This enabled them to make music that was promoted and heard as "black music".

In the 1920s and 1930s, George Gershwin and others deliberately minimized their Jewish identity at a time when Jews were not fully accepted as Americans, instead attempting to create musical version of an inclusive America. They saw their music as an example of an America without prejudice.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Mezz Mezzrow, Symphony Sid, Red Rodney, and Roz Cron experimented with black identity in various ways. Some contend that, in varying degrees, this was in order to "re-minoritize" Jewishness. Symphony Sid won several awards from black organizations, including an award for Disc Jockey of the Year presented to him in 1949 by the Global News Syndicate, for his "continuous promotion of negro artists".

Louis Armstrong was willing to show his sympathy in an outspoken manner, going as far as being photographed wearing a Star of David necklace. Willie "The Lion" Smith grew up alongside Jewish Americans and later discovering he had a Jewish ancestor of his own, ultimately converting to the religion. The adoption of ideas and music wasn't solely one-directional; Black musicians also adopted Jewish music. Willie "The Lion" Smith, Slim Gaillard, Cab Calloway, and other black musicians played Jewish and Jewish themed songs.

In the 1930s, some Jewish musicians actively worked with black musicians at a time when such interactions were taboo. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and others fought for integration. Concert promoter and record producer Norman Granz and Barney Josephson, who opened the first integrated night club Café Society, broke down barriers of segregation.

The 1927 film The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson is one example of how Jewish Americans were able to bring jazz, music that African Americans developed, and into popular culture. Ted Merwin wrote that the film was seen as a glorification of Jewish assimilation into American culture.

Benny Goodman was a vital Jewish American to the progression of jazz. Goodman was the leader of a racially integrated band named King of Swing. His jazz concert in the Carnegie Hall in 1938 was the first ever to be played there. The concert was described by Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music.". Another Jewish contemporary, Artie Shaw, like Goodman a superlative clarinetist, was also prominent in integrating his bands.

Shep Fields was also highly regarded throughout the nation as the conductor of his Rippling Rhythm  "Sweet" big-band. His appearances and big band remote radio broadcasts from such landmark venues as Chicago's Palmer House, Broadway's Paramount Theater, the Copacabana nightclub  and the Starlight Roof at the famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel entertained audiences with a uniquely elegant musical style which remained popular with audiences for nearly three decades from the 1930s until the late 1950s. Many Jews became successful in the jazz industry through performing or promoting jazz music. Mike Gerber has written extensively on this, covering such figures as Barney Josephson, Irving Mills, Joe Glaser, Milt Gabler, Alfred Lion, Francis Wolff, Milt Gabler, Herman Lubinsky, Teddy Reig, Orrin Keepnews, Lester Koenig, Max and Lorraine Gordon, Norman Granz and George Wein. This raised accusations of exploitation of black musicians. These accusations were sometimes rooted in stereotypes.

"Jewish jazz" was an attempt to combine Jewish music and jazz into a new genre. It began in the 1930s with "Jewish Swing". It continued in the 1960s with albums by Shelly Manne and Terry Gibbs. It had a resurgence in the 1990s, with albums by John Zorn, Steven Bernstein, Paul Shapiro, and others. According to Charles Hersch, at its best Jewish jazz both affirmed Jewishness and reveled connections to African American culture.

Swing Era
Jewish women played influential roles as big band singers in the swing era. Helen Forrest, praised by Artie Shaw, was a standout with bands like Shaw's, Benny Goodman's, and Harry James's. Kitty Kallen, of Russian Jewish descent, excelled in big band jazz and pop, earning the 1954 title of most popular female singer. Fran Warren, known for "A Sunday Kind of Love," collaborated with white and black ensembles. Georgia Gibbs, criticized for cultural appropriation, found success in big bands and ventured into rock and rhythm and blues. The Barry sisters, Merna and Claire, achieved fame by blending jazz with Jewish music. Drummer Florence Liebman briefly passed as black with The International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

1940s - 1950s
In the late 1940s and 1950s, Jewish women continued to make significant contributions to jazz during the bebop era. Barbara Carroll, recognized by critic Leonard Feather as the first female bebop pianist, played piano and sang in trios. Sylvia Syms, influenced by jazz legends like Billie Holiday and Art Tatum, became a praised vocalist in New York clubs, earning acclaim from Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Duke Ellington. Teddi King, known for her sensitive lyric interpretation, collaborated with prominent musicians like Beryl Booker and Nat Pierce. Corky Hale, celebrated for her dynamic piano skills, gained unique recognition as one of the few jazz harpists, emphasizing the challenges for women in jazz.

1960s - Today
In the 1960s and beyond, Jewish women continued to make significant contributions to jazz. For example vocalist and pianist Judy Roberts, with over twenty albums and Grammy nominations, stood out. Janis Siegel, a member of the Manhattan Transfer, won Grammies and was known for innovative vocal harmonies and "vocalese." Second-wave feminism prompted economic control, as seen with Madeline Eastman and Kitty Margolis founding Mad Kat Records. Woodwind players like Jane Ira Bloom, a soprano saxophonist, and Lena Bloch, a saxophonist, gained prominence, breaking traditional gender roles. Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen explored diverse styles. Jazz guitarist Emily Remler, named Guitarist of the Year, challenged norms. Pianists Myra Melford, Michele Rosewoman, Marilyn Crispell, and Annette Peacock pushed boundaries with avant-garde and free-form jazz. Internationally, Flora Purim, born in Brazil, recorded with jazz legends, while Russian-born Israeli artists Julia Feldman and Sophie Milman garnered acclaim in various music styles. The contributions of these Jewish women expanded the global reach and diversity of jazz in the contemporary era.<ref name=":1"

Notable figures

 * Willie "The Lion" Smith
 * Teddy Charles
 * Irving Berlin
 * Ziggy Elman
 * Shep Fields
 * George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
 * Benny Goodman
 * Joe Glasser
 * Herbie Mann
 * Stan Getz
 * Lee Konitz
 * Al Jolson
 * Buddy Rich
 * Artie Shaw
 * John Zorn
 * Kurt Weilly