The Harlem Renaissance: Wynton Marsalis on BBC Radio3 “Composer of the Week”
Donald Macleod, in conversation with Wynton Marsalis, explores the cultural revolution that took place in Harlem after World War I.
Listen to the full episodes on BBC Radio3:
Making Strides
The Harlem Renaissance (Episode 1 of 5)
As World War I ends, an African American cultural revolution is taking place in Harlem. Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he discovers how Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith pioneered a new way to play piano.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture in the city, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In Monday’s episode, Donald explores the music of Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, who learned to play on a rotting organ in his mother’s basement, but would later help develop a new, more sophisticated way to play piano, called ‘stride’, which defined the music of the Harlem Renaissance. He got his start performing at a gangster’s club, then made a name for himself at the highly competitive ‘rent parties’, raucous affairs which took place in people’s tiny New York flats. A flamboyant performer, ‘The Lion’ was never seen without his bowler, with a cigar between his lips, and was known for dancing as he played.
Shuffle Along
The Harlem Renaissance (Episode 2 of 5)
As the Harlem Renaissance picks up steam, two composers set out to create the first all Black Broadway musical. Joined by Wynton Marsalis, Donald Macleod discovers the legacy of Shuffle Along.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers, and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In 1917, Josephine Baker was just 11 years old, not yet an icon of the Jazz Age, when she stood in terror, watching race rioters burn her hometown of East St Louis. She decided then she’d do anything to get out, and her opportunity came in the form of a new Broadway musical, composed by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle. The pair had devised a musical to be performed entirely by African-American actors, musicians and dancers – the first of its kind to feature on Broadway. It was Baker’s big break as a dancer, and some say it was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance.
Rivers
The Harlem Renaissance (Episode 3 of 5)
Donald Macleod is joined by Wynton Marsalis, as he discovers how the poetry of Langston Hughes inspired the music of the Harlem Renaissance.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
As a young man, Langston Hughes dreamed of being a poet in Harlem, a place he had come to think of as “the greatest Black city in the world” – but his father had other ideas. He wanted Langston to pursue engineering, not believing an African American man could succeed as a writer. Despite his father’s wishes, Langston did make it to Harlem, where he would become one of the defining voices of the renaissance and his writing would inspire a generation of musicians.
Symphony in Black
The Harlem Renaissance (Episode 4 of 5)
Duke Ellington was a musician who defined the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells Donald Macleod how Ellington’s music inspires him.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In the 1920s, African American musicians made their names in the segregated nightclubs of Harlem. Duke Ellington arrived in Harlem a total unknown, but his residency at the infamous Cotton Club gave him national recognition as an originator of big band jazz. But he didn’t want to play to white-only audiences forever. His composition Symphony in Black featured in one of the first films with an entirely Black cast to be widely distributed, launching the career of Billie Holiday and becoming a new landmark in the Harlem Renaissance.
Marching Out
The Harlem Renaissance (Episode 5 of 5)
Louis Armstrong gets his big break as the Harlem Renaissance comes to an end. Jazz composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells Donald Macleod how the movement changed music.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In 1924, a twenty-three-year-old Louis Armstrong arrived in New York with no classical training, hoping to make a career as a trumpeter. His playful style and charismatic ad libs made him stand out in the orchestra; soon he had a residency at Connie’s Club and Fats Waller was recruiting him to liven up his musical. But as Armstrong was getting his big break, Harlem was crumbling under the Great Depression. Louis had to make a decision: stay in Harlem where he made his name, or move back to the South…