After Leeds West Indian Carnival last weekend I was inspired to do a bit of research into how Caribbean culture might have influenced the music and dance styles of the swing era.
West Indians in Harlem
We know that in 1920 nearly a quarter of Harlem’s Black population was foreign born. This included a number of prominent writers and activists from the Caribbean including Hubert Harrison, Claude McKay, Eric Walrond, Arturo Schomburg, Wilfrid A. Domingo and of course Marcus Garvey.
These men played a key role in fostering a spirit of revolution, promoting the importance of the Black experience, and documenting the Harlem Renaissance. They created influential political and social movements, founded institutions to support Black communities, and used their literary skills to bring global attention to the rich variety of artistic and intellectual expression exploding out from Harlem during this period.
According to Wilfred A Domingo, West Indians were uniquely positioned to amplify the impact of the Harlem Renaissance because they were more comfortable speaking out against the established power structures. “West Indians were better prepared to challenge racial barriers in the United States” because they came from countries in which “Blacks had experienced no legalized segregation and limitations upon opportunity.”
Caribbean influence in jazz
Though often overlooked, Caribbean rhythms are a part of the unique sounds that make up jazz music. We often hear that jazz is a blend of European and African influences but this is a bit of an oversimplification. Jazz music originated in the music of Congo Square in New Orleans, a Sunday market where enslaved Africans and free people of colour gathered. These gatherings started decades before the area even became part of the United States and would have reflected the whole spectrum of the diverse population of New Orleans – Spanish, French, English, Native American, Caribbean, and African. Afro-Caribbean music and dance styles were prominent in Congo Square.
Pioneering jazz musician, Jelly Roll Morton, famously talked about Caribbean elements, or what he called “Spanish tinges”, as an essential “seasoning” in jazz music. Early brass bands in New Orleans played for a wide variety of functions so musicians needed to be fluent in all of the popular music styles to play for parades, celebrations and dance parties for a variety of different audiences. Their standard repertoire would have included marches, popular Latin styles and improvised syncopated rhythms for dancing. These were the musicians that went on to make up the first swing bands setting the standard those who followed.
I had always mistakenly assumed that jazz era swing bands played Latin numbers simply because dances like the rhumba were popular at the same time but clearly the connection goes much deeper from the origins of jazz, right through the swing era, and beyond. The original lindy hoppers at the Savoy Ballroom were certainly dancing to music influenced by Caribbean rhythms. Afro-Cuban trumpet player, Mario Bauza, known for combining jazz and Cuban music, was the musical director for the house band at the Savoy, Chick Webb’s band. He also played with Cab Calloway and is credited with discovering Ella Fitzgerald.
Further Reading:
- Educator highlights Caribbean contributions to the Harlem Renaissance
- Black Caribbeans in the Harlem Renaissance
- Caribbean and Latin Connections in Jazz
- The Clave of Jazz: A Caribbean Contribution to the Rhythmic Foundation of an African-American Music
Swing Dance Leeds 