The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1940-10-18

THE NEGRO AND HIS MUSIC
Without any apologies, we begin
our good neighbor column this
week by saying that the Negro
gave America its only original mu-
sic, and since the origin of Negro
spirituals we have learned to trea-
sure them, as the Negroes most
valuable inheritance. The jazz and
swing music, both of which were
taken from the original spirituals,
are more popular today than ever
before.
This jazz and swing music was
brought about by the selfishness
of many of our church leaders,
who bitterly opposed the use of
these spirituals for their children's
youthful pastimes. So the young
folks simply made slight change
in the rythm, and created other
words, which today are the worlds
most popular music. Our early
church leaders are really to blame
for our spirituals being sung and
played in other words and rythms.
Jazz and swing as they are known
today are simply spirituals dressed
up in young folks style and rhy-
thin. This is why jazz and swing
music is so very popular with our
young folks.
1t is music of their own creation,
from our original spirituals, and If
| you have any doubt as to the
facts concerning this statement,
just you attend some of the par
| ties where this music is played,
| and you will soon be convinced
that no music could make them so
happy as our spirituals, in other
words, rhythms. The only diff
ference I can see and feel, in these
| spirituals and their sisters. Jazz
and swing is that the young peo-
pie of today are reaping more joy
and happiness from our original
music than those of us who crit
icize their modern styles of enter
tainment. Speaking for myself,
say now, as I have always said,
for real soul stirring music the
Negro with his spirituals and sis
tiers of jazz and swing will take
you nearer to the gates of heaven
than any one thing I know of
on this earth. The Negro and his
music is rocking the world today,
and is the most popular of all
modern music. I must confess that
all through life, my heart has
gone out to those of the race who
have made good in the music
world. I might say that our out
standing musicians of today are
the Negroes most important am
bassadors of good will and are ac-
complishing more in the way of
a friendly relations to other races
and people of the earth than any
of our race representatives.
God has peculiarly blessed the
! Negro, in filling his soul with
theaven's own music, and believe
lit or not, our spirituals and their
Ioffsprings, jazz and swing, are the
worlds most popular music today.
believe it will remain so, because
God gave the Negro voice that
lis indeed difficult to initiate.
Our white friend, Bing Crosby
came nearer having that some
thing in the throat, that disting-
uishes the Negro singer from all
other races. But remember, Mr..
Crosby gives much of the credit
for his grooming voice to Miss Mil
|dred Baily, colored lady who
gave him his start in the music
world.
I wonder if the singing of the
Negro spirituals and its offsprings
will some day free us from the
yun-American discrimination now
Ipracticed here in the land of the
free?
Lest we forget, Miss Marion
Anderson, the angel of the Negro
race and the worlds greatest sing
Ter, was stopped at the door of
the D. A. r. Building in our ma
TONS capitol and, by the way,
just across the alley from the
white house, where the so called
good neighbor President of the
United States resides, and was