As the American Negro population began to realize its invaluable contribution to the United States as it stood, the fight for equality began. Even acclaimed black young men and women suffered the degradation of racism. Sonny Rollins, one of the best tenor saxophonists known to the jazz world, was still unable to buy the apartment he desired in New York City due to the color of his skin. To this he commented: “Here I had all these reviews, newspaper articles and pictures. At the time it struck me, what did it all mean if you were still a nigger, so to speak?” In response, Rollins chose music as his weapon, and composed ‘the suite’ as he calls it.

‘The Suite’ refers to a twenty minute long jazz piece featuring Rollins alongside bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Max Roach, and also the title piece of his later album. Protest pieces were common of the era, such as Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam and other such musical social commentary. But Freedom Suite would be the first instrumental extended instrumental protest piece.  Rollin’s piece represented what freedom meant to him, but more importantly what it meant to him at that time, in that place. His piece portrayed what freedom was for a black man of his status in specifically in New York in the 1960s.

The first point many critics make when analyzing the significance of the Freedom Suite is the obviously apparent length of the piece. Some say the shocking length of the piece is meant to represent the long-standing suffering of the black people in the U.S. Secondly, the composition and improvisation is thought to portray the freedom that Rollins would ideally like to live in.

In other words, musical freedom is a portrayal of physical and moral freedom. Ironically however, Rollins’s label Riverside Records initially deemed the piece and its intentions too provocative and controversial, and attempted to change the content. America wanted to hear the black music, but not the black story, and this is exactly the mentality the civil rights movement aimed to overturn, and the fight that ‘Freedom Suite’ aimed to express.

Another notable point is the style of improvisation Sonny employs throughout his piece.  Through his many themes, the melody line is never lost despite complex improvisations going on above it, and additionally, by the end of the piece the listener can see that the seemingly different themes are in reality all connected and held together by a larger musical idea.

Furthermore when listening to the 20 minute masterpiece, strands of joy can distinctly be heard, versus strands of anger and strands of struggle. Though analysis on this aspect of the work is not quite as widely accepted, it is said that this fact alone represents the many sides of the African American effort for equality.  The constant melody represents the African Americans constant strength despite the oppression, hardship and constant change going on around them (ie the improvisation.)

Without lyrics, the debate on the intent of Rollin’s piece can go on and on without ever reaching a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ conclusion.  However with Rollin’s own comments on his piece we know that his work was clearly a political statement. The title itself, ‘Freedom Suite’ does not refer to musical freedom alone.  He sought to portray the liberation of his people, as well as the liberation of jazz (as the era moved towards free jazz) in one combined effort. Rollins also opened the door for others to follow in his path, for example his drummer Max Roach went on to compose his own Freedom Suite entitled We Insist. Doors also opened up for females to take their stand, and in fact Max Roach recorded his work alongside his wife Abbey Lincoln.

Sonny Rollins took a bold step for his time, and of course his music was met with much opposition.  Yet he, as well as many others in his community, saw it fit to let their voice, and their views be heard.  Through his music he put forward the change he wished to see around him, and let the world know that his people were finally prepared to fight for the racial equality they long deserved.  The Freedom Suite was not meant to represent specifically the Little Rock Nine story, or specifically Brown vs. Board of Education. Instead it represented the change that would soon come, and the freedom that the African American population was battling for nationwide.

For more about Sonny Rollins and to listen to The Freedom Suite, check out NPR Music’s entry on the piece by clicking here.

ENITAN MARCELLE

Charles Mingus – The Original Fables of Faubus

After Arkansas governor Orval Faubus decided to bar the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957, jazz bassist Charles Mingus wrote the tune “The Original Fables of Faubus” for his 1959 album “Mingus Ah Um.”  The controversial lyrics of the original version were left off the release by Columbia records.  Though the liner notes to the 1998 re-release of the album state that the piece started life as an instrumental and didn’t gain lyrics until 1960, when it was released in full form, with lyrics, on the album “Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus,” it seems entirely possible that Columbia records barred the lyrical version from being released on “Mingus Ah Um”.  “Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus” was released on a smaller independent label.  The fact that the song caused such controversy in its initial release shows what turbulent times these were and what touchy issues race relations and school integration were.

 The purity of the song’s form is striking.  It is a distinctly jazzy protest, in that it incorporates many of the ring shout tropes that make jazz music what it is.  The exhortation of Mingus and his drummer Dannie Richmond are shouted back and forth, with Mingus asking a question and Richmond responding with raspy exclamations.  There is no argument clearly laid out and broken down.  It is not an analytical study, but an exclamation of passionate anger.  Yet the lyrics themselves are thoughtful and thought provoking, dismissing the notion that jazz is a bunch of scattered sporadic noise.  This is clearly the work of men who value both inspiration and improvisation and deep thought, attacking taboo social issues and pushing the boundaries of jazz while remaining true to a jazz ethos.  He is not afraid to call out men of power (Eisenhower, Faubus, Rockefeller), forcing us to think of the struggle in terms that are less simple than Faubus defying Eisenhower and Eisenhower championing integration.  Both men got caught in a power struggle that made the whole ordeal about them instead of about the kids who were simply trying to attend school.  

As for the instrumentals, the main melodic line played by the trumpet is catchy and dissonant at the same time, never really resolving and leaving the listener with a feeling of unrest, fitting for a song that is meant to inspire indignation in its audience.  The vocals follow this line, until Mingus declares Faubus a fool and the melody spins into a wild hard bop run, only to straighten out and return to the original melody, marking the social confusion of the time, especially the confusion that must have been felt by the nine young black students that weren’t allowed to go to Little Rock Central.  Here they were told to integrate (which Mingus marks with the opening melody, stable but a bit wary) and then the chaos of being stopped by the National Guard (the part that follows). The Original Fables of Faubus is a 1960’s jazz protest in its rawest form, as it is also a defining contribution by Charles Mingus to the Civil Rights Movement.

Steven Waye

Sam Cooke

The 1960’s was an era categorized by vast political and cultural change. America had elected its first Catholic President, succeeded in launching a revolutionary expedition to the moon, experienced vast racial strife, and was plagued by the most unpopular war in domestic history. From a peripheral view, it may seem that these paramount events define 1960’s America.

Looking back on this decade, it is important to note how the artistic and political advancements of the era were very much intertwine with one another. The Civil Rights Movement, in particular, sparked vast musical and artistic creativity. Talented musicians from all over the nation told their stories of grief and struggle through the powerful tool of song. African-Americans of the era hoped that these ballads would raise awareness of their cause, and ultimately eradicate the proverbial racial fissure that existed in American society. One man who embraced this philosophy wholeheartedly was R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke.

In Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” Cooke expresses the hardships that he must bear as a black man in 1960’s American society. He indicates that even though he has been struggling since he was “born by the river in a little tent,” he is optimistic about the future and “a change is gonna come.” In the third stanza he yells, “I go to the movie and I go downtown…somebody keep tellin’ me, don’t ‘hang’ around.” This line portrays how he not only cannot even enjoy simple pleasures in life such as going to the movies or walking down town, without the constant fear of being lynched. In the fourth stanza, his story continues with the phrase “Then I go to my brother and I say brother help me please. But he wind up knocking me back down on my knees.” This statement could symbolize how blacks are constantly trying to earn their equality from whites but the African-American community is perpetually forced into this inferior social status.

Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come

Through the lyrics, Cooke is able to unveil his story, and the shared story of blacks in America to the world. The musical qualities of the song not only supplement the story Cooke is telling, but also humanizes it. The beginning of the song starts off with a string section soli that radiates a pessimistic mood, however by the end of the section, the song lightens up. This transition is symbolic of the entire piece, as Cooke describes the hardships that blacks must endure but ends with the sentiment of hope and optimism. Throughout the song, the listener can hear the sheer emotion in Cooke’s voice. When talking about his life, his timbre is dark and full of anguish. The accompanying string and horn sections supplement his voice with many minor chords, which illuminate the sense of pain and hardship.

When Cooke reaches his prominent phrase that “A Change is Gonna Come,” however, the darkness that encompasses his voice is replaced by a confident and bright timbre. In addition, Cooke uses an array of instruments to illustrate the different sentiments that he is trying to convey. When portraying sadness and grief, he is accompanied by a single violin that seems to trail of into the background. When portraying anger and determination, he is accompanied by the loud riffs of the horn section.

Cooke uses a variety of accompanying instruments and an impressive range of timbre to evoke the many emotions that defined the Civil Rights Movement. “A Change is Gonna Come” has been featured in venues ranging from Malcolm X’s funeral, to Seal concerts, to American Idol. The song was even used as one of the theme songs for Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. Even though this piece was written in 1964, today it continues to serve as a paradigm of musical achievement.

President Barack Obama refers to the lyrics of “A Change is Gonna Come” in his presidential acceptance speech in which he mentions “…it’s been a long time coming”, culminating with his statement “Change has come to America”.

Adam Lambert – “A Change is Gonna Come” Live on American Idol Finale

Colin Zelicof

Nina Simone – Backlash Blues

One example is Nina Simone’s Backlash Blues. This 12-bar blues piece opens with an instrumental introduction and includes Nina posing questions to “Mr. Backlash.” This exchange is characterized by a call and response between her and a guitar. In addition to the steady rhythm provided by a guitar, drum, harmonica, and piano, the song has an instrumental solo in the third verse. By returning to the 12-bar blue style, Nina is appealing to the entire African American community to create a united front. She is also implicitly suggesting that the community should draw strength from its rich heritage.

Nina passionately uses blues elements to paint a frustrating picture of racism: “You give me second class houses,/ And second class schools/ Do you think all colored folks/ Are just second class fools?” Yet while she describes her lack of opportunity and her victimization, she raises a civil rights warning: “But the World is Big/ Big and Bright and Round/ And it’s full of folks like me/ Who are Black, Yellow, Beige and Brown,” and ends the song with resonating hope for Civil Rights: “Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash,/ Just What do you think I got to lose/ I’m gonna leave you/ With the backlash blues. You’re the one will have the blues not me/ Just wait and see.”

This song is an example of the Civil Rights blues movement that fought against the hegemony of a white, segregated America. The bluesy feel of the song captures the sadness and the pain of inequality, while the African American roots of the genre further empower the message. To this day, there is a struggle to create a more egalitarian world and the work of Nina Simone, as well as other blues and soul artists, has continued to serve as a source of inspiration for modern artists everywhere.

For more examples of the blues, check out the following videos by some blues greats from Sam Cooke to Curtis Mayfield.

Zach Zwarenstein

Nina Simone – Why

Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come

Langston Hughes – The Weary Blues

Curtis Mayfield – Movin’ On Up