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Lieutenant James Reese Europe (left) leads the 369th Infantry Band in the courtyard of a Paris hospital in 1918. (Library of Congress)
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(NewsNation) — Dubbed the “Martin Luther of music” by Eubie Blake, James Reese Europe was an early 20th century composer, musician, and bandleader who continued to make music until his life was tragically cut short. He helped pave the way for black Americans in the industry. .
Europe was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1881, the fourth of five children. In his teens, he studied piano, violin, and composition, and moved to New York City in 1904.
Once there, Europe founded the Clef Club, a labor union and contracting agency for black musicians in New York. This is his one of the first of its kind.
In 1912, the 125-piece Clef Club Symphony Orchestra made history by becoming the first proto-jazz ensemble to perform at Carnegie Hall featuring music exclusively by black performers. The concert was a great success, with The Sun reporting that the audience was “large and well mixed, but united in applause.”
Europe’s unique work was born out of his belief that black musicians should embrace their own distinct styles.
“We people of color have our own music that is part of us. It is a product of our souls. It was created by the suffering and misery of our race,” he said. said.
When the United States entered World War I, Europe was commissioned a lieutenant. He was tasked with putting together a band while fighting, and became the leader of the Harlem Hellfighters band of the 369th Infantry Regiment, introducing a previously unknown music called jazz to continental Europe. did.
The band took France by storm, wowing audiences with their unique syncopated style and helping to boost the morale of the Allies. This activity became so popular that soldiers in the trenches petitioned U.S. Army General John Pershing to keep the group stationed nearby.
“That’s the biggest problem [Europe’s] The band has always been that way,” a Philadelphia newspaper wrote. “When anyone hears this song, they want it to stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
When Europe returned to the United States in 1919, he and the Harlem Hellfighters received a hero’s welcome with a parade down New York’s Fifth Avenue. Hailed as the “King of Jazz,” Lieutenant Europe soon embarked on a tour with his own band, but the tour ended abruptly.
Just a few months after his return, Europe was stabbed in the neck by the band’s disgruntled drummer. Although it initially appeared that the bandleader suffered only minor injuries, the attack proved fatal, and Europe died in hospital several hours later. He was only 38 years old.
The loss was felt so deeply that Europe granted the first public funeral for a black American in New York City.
Although he was killed at the height of his career, Europe is remembered as someone who “brought dignity to both African American musicians and jazz,” writes jazz historian David Sager.
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