Jews and Jazz

Improvising Ethnicity

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Theory & Criticism, Ethnomusicology
Cover of the book Jews and Jazz by Charles B Hersch, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charles B Hersch ISBN: 9781317270386
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 14, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Charles B Hersch
ISBN: 9781317270386
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 14, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Jews and Jazz: Improvising Ethnicity explores the meaning of Jewish involvement in the world of American jazz. It focuses on the ways prominent jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, and Red Rodney have engaged with jazz in order to explore and construct ethnic identities.

The author looks at Jewish identity through jazz in the context of the surrounding American culture, believing that American Jews have used jazz to construct three kinds of identities: to become more American, to emphasize their minority outsider status, and to become more Jewish. From the beginning, Jewish musicians have used jazz for all three of these purposes, but the emphasis has shifted over time. In the 1920s and 1930s, when Jews were seen as foreign, Jews used jazz to make a more inclusive America, for themselves and for blacks, establishing their American identity. Beginning in the 1940s, as Jews became more accepted into the mainstream, they used jazz to "re-minoritize" and avoid over-assimilation through identification with African Americans. Finally, starting in the 1960s as ethnic assertion became more predominant in America, Jews have used jazz to explore and advance their identities as Jews in a multicultural society.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Jews and Jazz: Improvising Ethnicity explores the meaning of Jewish involvement in the world of American jazz. It focuses on the ways prominent jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, and Red Rodney have engaged with jazz in order to explore and construct ethnic identities.

The author looks at Jewish identity through jazz in the context of the surrounding American culture, believing that American Jews have used jazz to construct three kinds of identities: to become more American, to emphasize their minority outsider status, and to become more Jewish. From the beginning, Jewish musicians have used jazz for all three of these purposes, but the emphasis has shifted over time. In the 1920s and 1930s, when Jews were seen as foreign, Jews used jazz to make a more inclusive America, for themselves and for blacks, establishing their American identity. Beginning in the 1940s, as Jews became more accepted into the mainstream, they used jazz to "re-minoritize" and avoid over-assimilation through identification with African Americans. Finally, starting in the 1960s as ethnic assertion became more predominant in America, Jews have used jazz to explore and advance their identities as Jews in a multicultural society.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Current Issues in Natural Resource Policy by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book The "Man" Question in International Relations by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book The Belgian Economy in the Twentieth Century by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Forests for People by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Life Course Perspectives on Military Service by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Stress, Coping, and Cardiovascular Disease by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Impediments to the Prevention and Intervention of Genocide by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Water Resources and Agricultural Development in the Tropics by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Yours Faithfully by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book The Reforming Organization by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Technology and European Overseas Enterprise by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Attachment Centered Play Therapy by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Human Rights in Europe during the Cold War by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book Corporate Sustainability Management by Charles B Hersch
Cover of the book The Social Worker Speaks by Charles B Hersch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy