More than one way of looking at it

"It was something new for me, hard to understand" (Davis, 228). Before this class I saw jazz as a modicum of music, entertainment, and artistry. I saw its history as that of a group of historically discriminated against people coming together to create something amazing from the ashes of a horrific situation. In some ways these ideas have been reinforced for me, but in at least one way- my view has changed drastically. Throughout the course, it has been hinted at that there were many issues at play besides that of racial mistreatment and the consequences it wrought. The quote that begins this commentary is the last sentence in a paragraph from the Miles Davis Autobiography. The first sentence of that same paragraph, however, betrays a very different meaning. "We had our verbal arguments just like all couples have, but that was the first time I had hit her - though it wouldn't be the last" (Davis, 228). Before this class, I assumed that jazz and its history had its most major focus in racial prejudice and what resulted from it. This passage shows a different aspect though- it gives a story of misogyny and mistreatment of women that demonstrates another less known, though just as prevalent type of discrimination pervading jazz throughout its history.

            This prejudice spanned from its beginnings to this day. Women were rarely allowed into the jazz world and when they were, they were extremely limited. Despite making some of the largest contributions, such as Billie Holiday helping to make jazz more acceptable to mass culture and Josephine Baker introducing the tenets of jazz to an international audience, they were continually mistreated and misrepresented. Josephine Baker, for an example, was limited in America to comedy and ugliness because she was neither particularly pretty or light-skinned (Stewart), despite any talents she may have had. When she had become an international star from her dancing in France, it was not for talent but rather for the eroticism she evoked. "Baker’s success in the 1920s was predicated on her appropriation of other, more negative images of Black women" (Stewart). Simply put, the way for a woman to gain success in the jazz world was to either become a caricature or allow oneself to be objectified and eroticized.

            Beyond the ways in which female stars of jazz were portrayed, women that were even on the periphery of the jazz world were mistreated. When many male jazz musicians escaped to Paris for the freedom they were offered there (Shack, 44), they would often take on new lovers while away from their wives. Miles Davis, who admittedly abused his wife, used his music as a justification for doing so (Davis, 228). Interestingly, as jazz progressed through time to be more accepting and accepted, to be more artistic, it also progressed to be less misogynistic. Thelonious Monk is an excellent example of someone who moved away from typical mistreatment of women in the jazz world. He respected his wife (Stewart). Though as Miles Davis shows, not all of the misogyny went away with time. One of the major issues I found in the Miles Davis Autobiography was that despite being one of the best musicians in the jazz world, he openly condoned abusing his wife. This act of sexual discrimination is not alone in the history of jazz, and it was not something I was aware of prior to this course. Though I still see jazz as a beautiful form of artistry and the result of a well-known tragic history and culture, I now also see another, hidden, tragic history concealed beneath it. 

Commented on Neel Sabnis