Randall Sandke is mad that there are so many racial stereotypes in jazz. In Where the Dark and the Light Folks Meet, he attacks the theory that jazz is African in origin (quoting Kid Ory: "They haven't got [jazz] now. How could it come from there?"). He also dispenses with the argument that jazz is predominantly African-American music by pointing to numerous European influences. Along the way, Sandke takes a few swipes at several jazz critics, and he's not entirely charitable to Wynton Marsalis.

I found the most interesting chapters to be those on business contracts and copyright. Jazz really inspires (and rewards) improvisation, but our property ownership laws do not. So many musicians -- black and white alike -- learned too late that adding a riff here or changing the words slightly there needed legal protection for future financial rewards. While some of those musicians held long grudges, many were pleased to have decent monetary success doing what they loved to do.

Anyone interested in the history of jazz, and specifically the racial undertones of jazz history, will enjoy this thought-provoking work.

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LT Haiku:

"Jazz history is
racially controversial" --
Music still sounds good. ( )

A fascinating account of how jazz came to be. Sandke, an acclaimed musician and jazz historian, takes an insider's look at the multiple, overlapping musical and cultural influences that shaped jazz. He takes apart common assumptions about the origins of jazz, and about the relationship between black and white musicians with insight gained of a decades-long career that has steeped him in the world of jazz and its denizens. A must-read for anyone who likes jazz and who is interested what we can learn from jazz about ourselves. ( )