Media release: Only Scottish date – Serious presents Jason Moran – the Harlem Hellfighters, at Paisley Town Hall

James Reese – Europe and The Absence of Ruin

Bravery, race and the explosive arrival of jazz in war-torn Europe, as Jason Moran creates an original response to the extraordinary story of James Reese Europe and the Harlem Hellfighters.

“We won France by playing music which was ours and not a pale imitation of others, and if we are to develop in America we must develop along our own lines.” James Reese Europe (1919)

THE renowned composer, pianist and visual artist, Jason Moran – “shaping up to be the most provocative thinker in current jazz” (Rolling Stone) – celebrates and reflects on the legacy of James Reese Europe (1880-1919), an iconic figure in the evolution of African-American music who introduced France to the sound of jazz in the closing year of World War 1.

Jointly commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the Kennedy Center, Washington; and Serious, the performance will take place on Sunday 4 November at Paisley Town Hall, 7.30pm.

In this multi-dimensional performance, members of Moran’s long-established trio, The Bandwagon (described by the NY Times as “the best rhythm section in jazz”) and a highly talented group of young British players, will perform new music by Jason Moran inspired by James Reese Europe’s original compositions. In this new commission for the final year of 14-18 NOW, the performance will also include contributions from filmmaker, John Akomfrah, and cinematographer, Bradford Young,

The musicians include talented young players from the extraordinary pool of talent that marks today’s British jazz scene.

The UK musicians are all young British players from the Tomorrow’s Warriors stable – Ife Ogunjobi (trumpet); Joe Bristow (trombone); Hanna Mubya (bass trombone, tuba); Mebrakh Johnson, Kaidi Akinnibi, Alam Nathan (reeds) plus the long-established tuba player Andy Grappy; and the rhythm team that has been at the heart of Jason Moran’s music for many years, Tarus Mateen (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums).

James Reese Europe and The Absence of Ruin follows other recent projects, created by Moran, that have offered a profound and entirely contemporary insight into the creative world of key figures in jazz history, including Fats Waller and Thelonious Monk.

His most recent UK performances included a two-night residency at Tate Modern with his long-term collaborator, performance artist, Joan Jonas, and a duet with fellow pianist, Robert Glasper, at a sold-out Royal Festival Hall.

Alongside the concert performances, UK teacher and tuba player, Andy Grappy, is creating new arrangements of Europe’s music to be played by locally recruited ensembles of young people, playing before each concert.

The project also links into the British Library’s symposium, ‘Revisiting the Black Parisian Moment: transnational black military, musical and intellectual histories, 1918-19’ on October 26; and the project is developing a dedicated website/blog – jasonmoranharlemhellfighters.com.

Background

On New Year’s Day 1918, James Reese Europe – an iconic figure in the evolution of African-American music – landed in Brest with the 93d Division’s 369th Infantry Regiment. Alongside their achievements in combat, Europe’s crack military music ensemble popularised the new spirit of jazz to a war-torn French nation fascinated with black culture. Nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, the 93rd Division’s 369th Infantry Regiment from New York first garnered notoriety for its world-class band, led by acclaimed composer and bandleader, James Reese Europe.

Made up of top musicians from the United States and Puerto Rico, the band famously played a swinging, yet initially unrecognisable, version of the Marseillaise upon disembarking for the first time on French soil. Documented as marching across No Man’s Land playing Memphis Blues, Europe’s band – along with other black regimental ensembles – toured France in between tours of the Western Front, sparking an enduring fascination with black culture.

The 369th received equal acclaim for its performance on the field of battle. Two soldiers of the 369th, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts, were the first American soldiers to receive the French Croix de Guerre. The regiment served for 191 days and ceded no ground to enemy forces.

While they returned to the United States as national heroes, The Harlem Hellfighters had not been permitted to serve under American command during their time on the Western Front. Throughout 1918, the regiment served under French command, wearing French uniforms.

Following a posthumous award of a Purple Heart in 1996, in 2015 President Obama awarded the Medal of Honour to Henry Johnson.

On the 17 February 1919, the 369th Infantry Regiment famously marched up Fifth Avenue and into Harlem before some 250,000 onlookers. A spirit of determination, inspired by the war, surged throughout black America. James Reese Europe himself came to an untimely end later that year, murdered by one of his fellow band members, widely reported across the USA.

“Jazz may be American music, but it is African American Music”, James Reese Europe

JASON MORAN – THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS is co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions,  Serious and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, with support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Producing partners are Berliner Festspiele / Jazzfest Berlin and the Federal Agency for Civic Education, Germany and Renfrewshire Leisure.

Media enquiries:

For interviews, please contact Wendy Niblock, 07961 814834 wendyjniblock@btinternet.com

Listings:

PAISLEY TOWN HALL
Sunday 4 November
7.30pm
£15/£13 conc/ £5 under 26s

Full tour:

October 30 – LONDON Barbican
October 31 – CARDIFF Royal Welsh College of Music
November 3 – BERLIN Berlin Jazz Festival
November 4 – PAISLEY Town Hall

Notes for editors:

Serious are one of the UK’s leading producers and curators of live jazz, international and new music. Serious produces events that range from major concerts, festivals and national and international tours through to learning and participation programmes, conferences and specially commissioned bespoke events. Alongside its core role as a live music events producer, and programme consultant, Serious are committed to ensuring that music is accessible to all, and that artists have opportunities needed to reach their full potential. Our charity Serious Trust is crucial in enabling this ambition through supporting our talent development, learning and participation and commissioning programmes. serious.org.uk

14-18 NOW is a programme of extraordinary arts experiences connecting people with the First World War, as part of the UK’s official centenary commemorations. It commissions new work by leading contemporary artists across all art forms; the programme has included over 200 artists from 35 countries, taking place in 160 locations across the UK. Over 30 million people have experienced a project so far, including 7.5 million children and young people. 16.7 million people took part in LIGHTS OUT in 2014, and 63 per cent of the population were aware of Jeremy Deller’s ‘We’re here because we’re here’.

The UK tour of the poppy sculptures by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper has been seen by over four million people to date. 14-18 NOW has won many awards for its work, including the National Lottery Heritage Award, 2017.

2018 is the final season, marking 100 years since the end of the First World War. 14-18 NOW is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, by the DCMS with additional funding from The Backstage Trust, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clore Duffield Foundation, NatWest and support from individuals. 1418now.org.uk

ENDS

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Contact: Wendy Niblock

Email: wendyjniblock@btinternet.com
Website: http://www.renfrewshireleisure.com/jason-moran-the-harlem-hellfighters/