Responding to Claudia Jones

Teuta, do mean cultural identity or identity as in one's self? Anyway, I don't think that a person's identity changes when one moves from one place to another. Culturally, they assimilated into the desired country. The person can either transforms or rejects the norms of the new country. Personally, it all depends on the individual.

Eddie Lang & Lonnie Johnson Guitar Duets 1928-1929

Hello class,

As we all are nestled away hard at work on our final papers I thought some music might be called for... Specifically, the guitar duets of Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson of which I spoke in class earlier this semester. I meant to post these at the time, but cruel fate had other plans for my efforts.

Anyhow, to refresh your memories, I brought up these recordings during our class discussion on Claude McKay's Banjo. The decade of the 1920s was a period of transition for the guitar. Amplification and electric guitars were not yet on the scene, rendering the guitar useless in the jazz bands of the day. The guitar simply could not be heard over the horns and percussion prevalent in the bands and orchestras of the day. As such, most jazz outfits contained a banjo player amongst their midst. The percussive sound of the banjo was able to cut through the din of the band unamplified, and as a result the banjo was much more common throughout the jazz world in the 1920s than we might suppose based on the jazz bands of the last eighty or so years.

Technology played its part in the rise of the guitar through the medium of records and the introduction of the microphone to the recording process. As the 78rpm record began to be seen as the standard format of the day, guitar players began to make recordings solely featuring the guitar. Many of the early jazz guitar players were skilled banjo players (as was necessary in making one's living at the time) who, as technology allowed, began to feature the guitar over the banjo.

Eddie Lang

Pick almost any thread of modern guitar playing and begin tracing it backwards and one inevitably arrives at two names: Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson. There were other players at the time making guitar recordings, but none elevated the guitar in prominence as Lang and Johnson did. When they came together at the end of 1928 to record together they were unknowingly making history. The recordings they made would go on to become much treasured documents of guitar artistry - the roots of many, many fruits.

The recordings were also among the first integrated jazz recordings ever made. Society not being quite ready for such a thing, however, the recordings were credited to "Lonnie Johnson and Blind Willie Dunn."


I've probably gone on too much already, but I wanted to attempt some context for the recordings presented here. Feel free, however, to cast context aside and simply enjoy the recordings on your own terms. Wherever you are, however you take it, I hope you enjoy! A little slice of heaven from my world to yours.

Lonnie Johnson

Lonnie Johnson and Blind Willie Dunn:

Two Tone Stomp b/w Have To Change Keys To Play These Blues (Okeh 8637, recorded 1928)

A Handful Of Riffs b/w Bull Frog Moan (Okeh 8695, recorded 1929)

Guitar Blues b/w Blue Guitars (Okeh 8711, recorded 1929)

Hot Fingers b/w Deep Minor Rhythm Stomp (Okeh 8743, recorded 1929)

Midnight Call Blues b/w Blue Room Blues (Okeh 8818, recorded 1929)

Claudia Jones

1. Although this work is paying tribute to Claudia Jones, I find the absurdity of America’s response to communism and immigrants overwhelming Claudia’s biography. This is because it’s pretty much the same approach to our present day ‘war on terror’. Another striking similarity between then and now is that the Caribbean Carnival took place in Notting Hill where a bloody riot took place against blacks immigrants, and now there is speculation that a mosque will be built in the place of the twin towers. What do we make of this? Are we that forgiving to take an ill-remembered place and turn it into a new forgiving one?  

2. The newest “undesirables” are the Muslims (235 reader)". I think it’s safe to say, that from the hype and the unifying fear of terrorists that claim to terrorize in the name of Allah, New Yorkers and Americans in general had their guards up. Our behavior was driven from fear and patriotism, so our actions felt justified then especially since our government was on high alert and encouraged Americans to do the same. Are we justified now after 10 years and an ongoing war? 

3. “Jones’s writings reveal that she was very clear about her membership in the Caribbean diaspora, as she was clear about her identification as an African American…” (230). Claudia strongly takes the identity of a "Negro Woman Communist" (232)  in the states, but she seems to have shifted her primary identity when she "voluntarily leaves" for London to a Caribbean African American. Do identities change or shift from place to place? Or do some parts of one's identity outshine the others depending on location and people? 

4.  "One way of seeing deportation is as the limbo-like existence of unbelonging." (242) If deportation is like a limbo-like existence of unbelonging, than being refused for citizenship must be a sort of judgment to hell. London and New York alike refused to make room for Claudia, but as Claudia says "taking space" (250) was what needed to be done. Is there a space or a place for the "deportee's" such as Claudia in the diaspora?

Richard Wright Discussion Questions

Hi all,

Apologies, but I only just connected to the class blog. Here are the discussion questions I should have posted before last week's class:

1) Richard Wright posits in White Man, Listen! that “the Negro American is the only American in America who says: ‘I want to be an American.’” Has this shifted since the time of Wright’s writing? Are there now other groups who see America as “something outside of him and he wishes to become part of that America”?

2) Wright speaks in broad terms concerning the elites of Asian and African countries - are Wright’s comments too removed from “everyday people” to have an impact? Similarly, are Wright’s thoughts expressed too broadly to have impact? Wright’s audience seems to be those in positions of power on both sides of the discussion (white Europe/colored Asia and Africa).

3) While reading Wright, I thought of James Baldwin’s David in Giovanni’s Room. I thought that David’s behavior reflected in a sense a psychological reaction of an oppressed person. Through this lens, Giovanni’s Room becomes not an anti-gay piece of literature, but rather a portrait of the result of a type of oppression and thus a criticism of the oppression rather than the oppressed. Would you agree or disagree with these thoughts?


Again, apologies! No disrespect intended.

Eric

Richard Wright

1. Richard Wright seems to have appointed himself as a crusader for Asians, Africans, and African Americans, and my question is was his quest to ambitious? His tone too angry and not focused?

He left America due to racism he encountered, which he recorded brilliantly in Black Boy and Native Son. However, his post writings weren't as successful as his previous writings. My assumption is he lost touch with his African-American audience by taking on a task that was less familiar to him. James Baldwin had eulogized him by saying "Africa and Europe had failed him" but Richard Wright in some ways failed his African-American audience. Ebony magazine had refused to print his "I Choose Exile", believing it would not resonate with his African American audience.

2. Richard Wright wanted to get away from being a Black man in America but he was consumed with being a black man in France. Richard Wright does marry a white woman while ranting about the injustices of the white man. Wright's wife, surely had a white father and how did he reconcile the two? Was he looking for acceptance? Was Richard Wright running to find himself or running to get away from himself?

3.According to Tyler Stovall, Richard Wright traveled to Africa and felt a disconnect. He was unable to relate to their customs or way of life. In fact, he was disappointed that he was regarded as a mere Westerner or American. Was it a contradiction for Wright to speak about or for the African?

4. It is mentioned that Wright's writings suffered while overseas, and James Baldwin's writing flourished. Why do you think these two writers had contrasting experiences? My assumption is James Baldwin stayed in his lane and wrote what he was well versed. He also wrote about the human condition as well as racism. Wright was too political and angry and it get in the way of his writing. He changed political parties several times: he was a communist and later a marxist. Baldwin explored ways to bring black and white together through compassion and empathy through Giovanni's Room and Another Country, while Wright just remained angry.

White Man, Listen!

Okay, here we go:

1) It seems that Wright does not hold the traditional beliefs of the Asian and African people in very high regard, instead thinking that the way forward for them has more to do with following the ways of the Western educated elites. Early on in the piece he states, in reference to those who still believe in the traditional ideas, "they are the doomed ones, men in a tragic trap. Any attempt on their part to wage a battle to protect their outmoded traditions and religions is a battle that is lost before it starts." (652) Do you think Wright is being too harsh in essentially tossing out these traditions and values? Can't there be something of use within these traditions that Wright is missing? What about his use of the word "outmoded" in discussing these traditions?

2) "The more Westernized the native heart became, the more anti-Western it had to be, for the heart was now weighing itself in terms of white Western values that made it feel degraded." (656) This quote makes me again think of my previous question and Wright's ideas on the outmoded nature of traditional beliefs because in many ways by rejecting them is he not becoming that which he seems to speak of in the quote? How do you come to terms with this contradiction?

3) Wright's notion of Acting was something I found rather interesting, particularly the way in which Wright talks about the elite of Asia and Africa joining forces with the minority section of white society if only for a means of "climbing out of its ghetto." Essentially using these groups as a means of rising in society. Do you find this troubling? The way in which these people must forever be two different people depending on who they are around. And also do you see this as an effective way of creating change? Wright also points out a similar form of Acting occurring within the religions brought to these people from Europe. How do you come to terms with that as well?

4) Communism is mentioned fairly often within the text and I wonder if this is something that on some level dates the work, giving it over to a particular time and place in history. Do you agree or can you see Communism as standing in for something that will always be present within this struggle? A presence that will always seem to exist in opposition to traditional Western beliefs.

Encore Une Chose

I was fascinated by the religious references in part two of the novel. They were not only vivid but increased with intensity and repetition as the conclusion of the novel came closer. Does anyone have any opinions in this matter?