Klarinet Archive - Posting 000918.txt from 1999/05

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Fillmore and the dark side
Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 18:03:57 -0400

Yes, there is no doubt that the racial viewpoints of an earlier age are
reflected in much of the culture that has survived, and that some of it is
being lost as people become more sensitive to racism and bigotry. One
example is in a musical genre of the late 19th century, known as "coon
songs." The characters in these songs were depicted with all the
undesirable traits and racial sterotypes which at least some of the white
populaton wanted to attribute to all non-whites.

One of the earliest and best books in the field of the history of jazz was
"Jazz: A History" by Frank Tirro, for a long time dean of the school of
music at Yale University. In the first edition of this book, Tirro not
only refers to the so-called "coon songs," but he also devoted quite a bit
a space and emphasis to them. In fact, he ran the point into the ground.
There is no point in denying that the category of music existed, and it
may be useful to illustrate shifts in attitudes toward racial minorities,
but it is very embarrassing and irritating to go on page after page about
it, with the inclusion of insulting illustrations, song texts, etc. After
all is said and done, I'm still not convinced that these songs were as
influential in the history of the origins of jazz as the book implied.
Later editions of Tirro's book have either pared down or completely
eliminated these references, and in my opinion the book is better for his
having done so.

> "Lassus Trombone" which is a musical depiction of the happy,
> shiftless, Jim Crow.

Now, with regard to this particular composition of Fillmore, I have played
it, conducted it, listened to it for about 50 years, and I use it in my
jazz history class as an illustration of the syncopated patterns which
made their way into the syntax of jazz. However, until I read Dan's note,
I had never detected or suspected that it had any racial or ethnic
overtones. Lassus Trombone is one of the compositions recorded by the
University of Illinois Symphonic Band on an album of the music of Fillmore
which I mentioned yesterday.

I have always assumed that the implication of the title was quite
different. In the southern United States, there is a food substance which
may be largely unknown in other regions, called molasses. This is a
thick, pungent, sugary syrup, usually a by-product of the process of
extracting sugar from sugar cane. The syrup is thick under any
circumstances, and much more so when it is cold. A favorite saying in
this part of the world is "slow as molasses in January." In the southern
dialects, the first syllable is sometimes elided, producing "'lasses." I
speculate that might be the origin of the "Lassus" in "Lassus Trombone."
In this sense, it would refer to the slides and glissandos (smears) which
are required of the trombonists who perform it. Pure speculation on my
part, I admit, but it seems as likely to me as to read racism into the
composition.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

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