Albemarle Tradewinds February 2020 Web Final
February edition of the Tradewinds now online
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Black History: The Harlem Renaissance<br />
This month we celebrate Black History. Among the many<br />
achievements made by Blacks, jazz is one of my favorites.<br />
I was asked to write about The Harlem Renaissance,<br />
especially two men, one that have seared a lasting footprint<br />
in poetry, James Mercer Langston Hughes (<strong>February</strong> 1,<br />
1902-May 22, 1967) and in jazz, Thelonious Sphere Monk<br />
(October 10, 1917-<strong>February</strong> 17, 1982).<br />
The Harlem Renaissance (1918-mid 1930s) was important<br />
because it inspired an explosion of cultural pride and was<br />
perceived as a new beginning for African Americans. Black<br />
Americans were inspired to create works rooted in their own<br />
culture instead of imitating the styles of White Americans.<br />
The mass migration from the south to the north started because<br />
of several reasons, first was the need by northern employers<br />
for laborers to work supporting the war effort (WWI).<br />
Then there were the other reasons, such as segregation,<br />
an increase in the spread of racist ideology and widespread<br />
lynching. The Harlem Renaissance ended during The Great<br />
Depression, but its influences continued.<br />
Harlem has long been synonymous with Black culture. In<br />
the early 20th century the neighborhood was the setting for<br />
African American-led movements in music, literature, dance<br />
and art – collectively known as The Harlem Renaissance.<br />
The area was developed for White residents but became<br />
overdeveloped. Because of the vacant residencies, coupled<br />
with the migration of Blacks from the south, Harlem began<br />
seeing the vacant residencies being filled with Blacks. Because<br />
of the Black migration into Harlem, the White occupants<br />
began to move out and Harlem became influenced<br />
with the Black culture.<br />
Although Langston Hughes is usually known as a poet, he<br />
should be called a jazz poet. Born in Joplin, Missouri he<br />
grew-up, as his family moved, all over the mid-west under<br />
strict racial separation laws. This formulated his deep racial<br />
pride and his purely African American poetry. He started writ-<br />
by: Robert Threatt<br />
ing poetry at a young age and his most famous poem was<br />
written when he was only seventeen years old.<br />
He finally went to New York City and his poetry morphed into<br />
a jazz like rhythm. His poetry took on jazz music, musicians,<br />
or the jazz milieu as its subject. As a member of the ‘beat’<br />
generation he embraced aspects of African American culture<br />
during the 1950s, then shifted Its focus from racial pride and<br />
individuality to spontaneity and freedom. Both jazz music<br />
and jazz poetry were seen as powerful statements against<br />
the status quo.<br />
The reason I refer to him in the jazz genre is the accompaniment<br />
of background bongo drum(s) or a piano. Langston<br />
Hughes was the first to do this and it is still done today and<br />
hip-hop (rap) have its beginning here. Many times, he would<br />
improvise his poetry, but the background music never overshadowed<br />
him, it rather complemented him. He died in New<br />
York City at the age of 65.<br />
Thelonious Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina<br />
and he became a musician/composer. In 1922, the Monk<br />
family moved to San Juan Hill, Phipps Houses, Manhattan,<br />
New York when he was five years old. He started playing<br />
the piano at six and was largely self-taught. At 17 he toured<br />
with an evangelist, playing the church organ and in his late<br />
teens he began to find work playing jazz. In the early to<br />
mid-1940s, he was the house pianist at Minton’s Playhouse,<br />
a Manhattan nightclub.<br />
Monk played for and recorded with many holdovers from the<br />
Harlem Renaissance era. He also played for the many poets<br />
in the area. Which poets he played for is not revealed but<br />
Langston Hughes may have been associated with Monk.<br />
Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after<br />
Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington<br />
composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk<br />
wrote about seventy. Monk played piano in the improvisational<br />
style and made numerous contributions to standard<br />
jazz, was very choppy when playing, had many pauses<br />
when he improvised and played some keys with two fingers<br />
instead of one finger.<br />
Monk lead (fronted) and complemented many well-known<br />
bands although his record sales were sparse. Because he<br />
was well known, among his many awards and accolades<br />
was his induction in 2009 into The North Carolina Music Hall<br />
of Fame.<br />
Harlem have changed superficially since The Great Depression.<br />
The many arts are still there but Harlem is now interracial.<br />
If there were more Blacks accepted into the military<br />
during WWI, if the south had not been harsh toward Blacks<br />
in that era, and if there was not a need for laborers in the<br />
north because of WWI, there would not have been a Harlem<br />
Renaissance. Monk and Hughes was among those that<br />
proved Black arts would continue after The Harlem Renaissance<br />
era, think about The Apollo Theater.<br />
Robert is retired from the Air<br />
Force and currently is a freelance<br />
writer and Short Wave Radio enthusiast.<br />
He also loves to channel<br />
and play Sudoku.<br />
Elizabeth City<br />
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<strong>February</strong> is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian<br />
calendars, with 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years,<br />
with the quadrennial 29th day being called the leap day. It is the first<br />
of five months to have fewer than 31 days (the other four being April,<br />
June, September, and November) and the only one to have fewer than<br />
30 days. The other seven months have 31 days. In <strong>2020</strong>, <strong>February</strong><br />
has 29 days.<br />
<strong>February</strong> is the third and last month of meteorological winter in the<br />
Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, <strong>February</strong> is the<br />
third and last month of summer (the seasonal equivalent of August in<br />
the Northern Hemisphere, in meteorological reckoning).<br />
Godwin Umozurikee, Accountant<br />
1502 W.Ehringhaus Street, Suite B- Elizabeth City, NC 27909<br />
GAATS, LLC<br />
facebook.com/<strong>Albemarle</strong>TradingPost <strong>Albemarle</strong> <strong>Tradewinds</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2020</strong> 39