Evening star., 1923-06-10
BY RHETA .CHILDE DoRR.

Il
Especial Correspondence OF The Star and
| Chicago Daily News.)
| PARIS, France. May 10-The thou
sands OF Americans who will visit
Paris this summer for the first time
since the world war will find the town
| changed in many respects. To those
| who think Montmartre the paradise
| they wish Greenwich village were,
| the change will easily be apparent.
| Walk across the Place Pigalle. where
the Dead Rat" and the RAT Who Is
! Not Dead" glare across corners at
each other in the night hours; walk
down the Boulevard de Clinehy past
| the Moulin Rouge and the Lune
| Rousse; wander down what side
streets you will, and you will see
| strange signs picked out with cleo
| trio lights. and floating from shut
tered windows will come the sound
\ or music never heard in the quarter
| before 1914. The whizz bang and ma
heard of jazz in the Nfontmartre of
yore, or anywhere in the Paris of
yore. for that matter?
| NOBODY did until early in 1917.
| when the Casino de Paris put on as
| novelty an act described as lie
| marvelleux Jazz Band du Mitchell
| Seven Spades" Paris was yery sad
early in 1917. and the manager Of the
casino thought little ragtime by
| american negro musicians might
| help to cheer things up The Seven
spades made their debut at a matinee
performances, and, to tell the truth.
| they didn't cheer anybody. The
strange cacophony emitted by ban
JOS, guitars, saxophones and drums
| simply rasped the nerves Of the sore
| ~ tried Parisians. The Mitchell Seven
Spaoes were virtually hissed OFF the
pUaTo But the manager, going be-
! mind, where the musicians were look
| ing very gloomy. told them not to he
discouraged. Their act needed short
| eIilns, tonlng down a little, perhaps.
put as soon as 1t was adapted TO
| rrench comprehension it would cer-
| talnly become popular
! Prosram Quickly Wins Favor.
| me French have little to teach the
american colored man In the wav OF
uptlinisnl' SO the jazzers spent what
| was left or the afternoon trimming
their act. They went on again tha
nisht' and. In the words of Mitchell
nlnself' they were riot Poilus
nome nome on leave. Tommies back from
| FLANDERS, French mothers and sweet
| hearts. anxious-eyed. hailed tazz as
tne pest distraction they had known
| Ior tnree long years. All Paris flock
ed 10 the casino to laugh and ap-
plaud and cheer and call for more.
| me tWo-week contract was stretched
| 10 SIX, and then the seven spades
| moved to another hall But they
| never moved out of Paris. with one
or Two changes of personnel and un-
ger a new name-"Mitchells Jazz
Rhings"-they have been "a riot" in
| After the armistice more and more
| cares and music halls put in Jazz
| pands, and now, in Montmartre alone
100 dark expatriates make enviable
| incomes banging out the latest hits
| from Tin Pan alley, or wherever Jazz
is manufactured. Almost any enter
| prising and talented American col
ored boy can make living in Paris
| In fact, he need not be too talented
for the French believe that any noise
| from an American negro, is perfect
! jazz.
Some OF the music floating from
| shuttered indowS in the neighborhood
of Place Pigalle will urge the tourist
| to move on rather than to go in. On
the other hand some of the bands are
excellent, and the best are so popular
that the performers need never go
back to the dry place unless they get
homestek. With amazing ease the
american colored boy acquires
French, and, miraculously. it seems to
him. he makes friends in Paris. But
that is because Mitchell and his Jazz
kings came before him and paved the
way.
Musicians Get Higher Pay.
Mitchelrs path was thorny, even
after his great success in war time.
The musicians union, an even close
corporation than it's prototype in the
United States, made things as dis
agreeable as possible. In the first
place. the musicien negre was an out
lander, and, in the second place. he
was disturber of the peace, as far
as salaries and salary schedules were
concerned. A French saxophone tor
mentor. previous to the advent of
Mitchell, thought himself well paid at
1S francs a day. The Americans de-