In 1912 James Reese Europe made history by conducting his 125-member Clef Club Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The first concert by an African American ensemble at the esteemed venue was more than just a concert--it was a political act of desegregation, a defiant challenge to the st…
In 1912 James Reese Europe made history by conducting his 125-member Clef Club Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The first concert by an African American ensemble at the esteemed venue was more than just a concert--it was a political act of desegregation, a defiant challenge to the st…
This work explores how African American performers, at the height of Jim Crow, transformed their racial difference into the mass-market commodity known as 'black music'. David Gilbert shows how they used the rhythmic sounds of ragtime, blues, and jazz to construct new representa…