In 1919, the world stood at the threshold of the Jazz Age. The man
who had ushered it there, however, lay murdered - and would soon
plunge from international fame to historical obscurity. It was a
fate few would have predicted for James Reese Europe; he was then
at the pinnacle of his career as a composer, conductor, and
organizer in the black community, with the promise of even greater
heights to come. "People don't realize yet today what we lost when
we lost Jim Europe," said pianist Eubie Blake. "He was the savior
of Negro musiciansin a class with Booker T. Washington and Martin
Luther King." In A Life in Ragtime , Reid Badger brilliantly
captures this fascinating life, tracing a critical chapter in the
emergence of jazz through one man's remarkable odyssey. After an
early start in Washington, Europe found his fame in New York, the
entertainment capital of turn-of-the-century America. In the decade
before the First World War, he emerged as an acknowledged leader in
African-American musical theater, both as a conductor and an
astonishingly prolific composer. Badger reveals a man of tremendous
depths and ambitions, constantly aspiring to win recognition for
black musicians and wider acceptance for their music. He toiled
constantly, working on benefit concerts, joining hands with W.E.B.
Du Bois, and helping to found a black music school-all the while
winning commercial and critical success with his chosen art. In
1910, he helped create the Clef Club, making it the premiere
African-American musical organization in the country during his
presidency. Every year from 1912 to 1914, Europe led the Clef Club
orchestra in triumphant concerts at Carnegie Hall, winning new
respectability and popularity for ragtime. He went on to a
tremendously successful collaboration with Vernon and Irene Castle,
the international stars who made social dancing a world-wide rage.
Along the way, Europe helped to revolutionize American music-and
Badger provides fascinating details of his innovations and wide
influence. In World War I, the musical pioneer won new fame as the
first African-American officer to lead men into combat in that
conflict-but he was best known as band leader for the all-black
15th Infantry Regiment. As the "Hellfighters" of the 15th racked up
successes on the battlefield, Europe's band took France by storm
with the new sounds of jazz. In 1919, the soldiers returned to New
York in triumph, and Europe was the toast of the city. Then, just a
few months later, he was dead-stabbed to death by a drummer in his
own orchestra. From humble beginnings to tragic end, the story of
Jim Europe comes alive in Reid Badger's account. Weaving in the
wider story of our changing culture, music, and racial conflict,
Badger deftly captures the turbulent, promising age of ragtime, and
the drama of a triumphant life cut short.
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