East Coast vs West Coast:
Why were all the East Coast guys black and all the West Coast guys white?
Answer:
The East, primarily NYC, was Mecca for all musicians, esp those coming from the Mid-West and the South. NYC was the final destination for the arts long before LA and the West Coast.
So, if I were a second rate horn player where would I go to earn fame and fortune? I could go to NYC and butt heads with Miles, Hubbard, Morgan, Dizzy, sticking with trumpets, but the same applies to all instruments and musicians.
OR
I could go to LA where Jazz had no history or establishment and try my luck there. Also no large Black audiences to please. It being the land of the movies, most folks there were air heads anyway. Or course we know that "genres" are created to fit players. How else do we explain a guy like Brubeck playing 'West Coast jazz'? I think he would have liked nothing better than to be top dog with the East Coast, or 'Real Jazz' crowd, but everyone has to eat.
At one time the Jazz scene in Southwest Idaho was jumping. I think it was called no-coast Jazz. Don't get me started on Nebraska Bop!
The logical, or illogical, extension of this is Benny Goodman being crowned "The King Of Jazz." This at a time when almost any Jazz giant you can name was alive and playing.
One Frenchman's opinion.
Cheers
Why were all the East Coast guys black and all the West Coast guys white?
Answer:
The East, primarily NYC, was Mecca for all musicians, esp those coming from the Mid-West and the South. NYC was the final destination for the arts long before LA and the West Coast.
So, if I were a second rate horn player where would I go to earn fame and fortune? I could go to NYC and butt heads with Miles, Hubbard, Morgan, Dizzy, sticking with trumpets, but the same applies to all instruments and musicians.
OR
I could go to LA where Jazz had no history or establishment and try my luck there. Also no large Black audiences to please. It being the land of the movies, most folks there were air heads anyway. Or course we know that "genres" are created to fit players. How else do we explain a guy like Brubeck playing 'West Coast jazz'? I think he would have liked nothing better than to be top dog with the East Coast, or 'Real Jazz' crowd, but everyone has to eat.
At one time the Jazz scene in Southwest Idaho was jumping. I think it was called no-coast Jazz. Don't get me started on Nebraska Bop!
The logical, or illogical, extension of this is Benny Goodman being crowned "The King Of Jazz." This at a time when almost any Jazz giant you can name was alive and playing.
One Frenchman's opinion.
Cheers