Eurojazzland: Jazz and European Sources, Dynamics, and Contexts ed. by Luca Cerchiari, Laurent Cugny, Franz Kerschbaumer (review)

Abstract

JAZZ Eurojazzland: and European Sources, Dynamics, and Contexts. Edited by Luca Cerchiari, Laurent Cugny and Franz Kerschbaumer. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2012. [xviii, 484 p. ISBN 9781584658641 (hardcover), $39.95; ISBN 9781611682984 (e-book), $29.99.] Illustrations, bibliography, index.Eurojazzland, collection published by Northeastern University Press, considers the significance of European musicians and musical traditions in the development and dissemination of jazz. When first hearing of this project, I was reminded of historian Krin Gabbard's iconic discussion of the 1930 film revue, King of (John Murray Anderson and Pal Fejos, dirs. [Uni- versal Pictures]) in the introduction to Jammin' at the Margins: and the American Cinema ([Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996], 9-14). Gabbard shows how King of exhibits thorough denial of the African American role in jazz, thus reflecting an unfortunately commonly-held view of the time (p. 10). For example, the final number The Melting Pot of Music presents bandleader Paul Whiteman stir- ring cauldron containing the ingredi- ents of jazz. Said ingredients, portrayed through montage of musical perfor- mances, are decidedly not African American, but rather stereotypically Euro- pean, and include Scottish bagpipes, fla- menco guitar, and Italian accordion players (p. 13). While many today would under- stand this as largely ridiculous, it nonethe- less encapsulates the whitewashing that tinged much of early-twentieth-century reception and criticism. In accordance, modern scholars invested in exploring the European influences of need not only show awareness of this history and histori- ography, but also take care not to re- inscribe white or Eurocentric biases. My mental conjuring up of Gabbard's discus- sion of King of which Eurojazzland evoked, served as warning I hoped to not be reminded of again while reading the text. As I will show, my initial concerns about Eurojazzland proved prescient. After reflecting on the contents of Eurojazzland, I concluded that while it is admirable to ac- count for Europe's role in within one massive volume, unfortunately, some of the authors fail to heed Gabbard's warning about whitewashing.Massive appropriately describes the scope and length of After an introduction by Luca Cerchiari (one of the three editors), nineteen English-language articles, totaling nearly 450 pages, follow. Cerchiari, Laurent Cugny, and Franz Kerschbaumer (the three editors), are Europe-based scholars with decades of research between them. volume's re- maining authors come from diverse geo- graphic locations. majority of the contributors are scholars, curators, and critics, many of whom are accomplished performers, from Continental Europe; few contributors hail from the U.K. and U.S. as well.In his introduction, Cerchiari stresses that Eurojazzland should not serve as comprehensive history of European jazz. Rather, the concept driving the project was to compile a series of essays dedicated to the complex, broader subject of the rela- tions between and jazz (p. vii). editors divide the contributions into three broad categories, Europe as Source of Jazz, Jazz Meets Europe, and The Circulation of Eurojazzland. Thus, the volume approaches the idea of from multitude of angles-as tradition, geographic space, set of interlocking musical communities, and as source of inspiration.The first section, Europe as Source of Jazz, examines various points of European influence on the tradition. most convincing articles in this section (and frankly, the entire text) are those that pre- sent focused scope, and that trace geo- graphically or stylistically specific threads of influence. One highlight, by Bruce Boyd Raeburn, goes Beyond the 'Spanish Tinge,' to examine Hispanics and Latinos in Early New Orleans Jazz. …