THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS OF working on this book, I have benefited greatly from the wisdom and generosity of others. The first debt of gratitude must go to my dissertation advisor, Mark Tucker, a great scholar and a good man who was taken from us well before his time. Mark introduced me to a way of thinking about early jazz that took seriously the views of those who created it without dismissing the insights of critics who approached the music from a different perspective—Gunther Schuller, André Hodeir, Lawrence Gushee, and Martin Williams, among others. The dissertation I wrote under Mark’s direction laid the conceptual foundation for this book. I only wish he were here to see (and help improve) the final result.
A fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, together with grants from the Jean-Claude Baker Foundation and the School of Music and the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University, made it possible to conduct research in the New York City and Chicago areas. I am grateful to the many specialists and curators who guided me through their collections: Dan Morgenstern and the staff at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark; Michael Cogswell and the staff at the Louis Armstrong House and Archives at Queens College; the staff members of the New York Public Library, Performing Arts Division, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the staff members of the Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional location.
While investigating the realm of dance, a field foreign to me, I relied heavily on a number of experts. Again, Mark Tucker pointed the way many years ago, when in the course of advising me on my dissertation he suggested that I watch for connections between trumpet players and dancers. At the time I had no idea what he was talking about. When I finally figured it out and needed guidance, I received help from several remarkable individuals, some of whom performed small miracles on my behalf. Margo Jefferson offered valuable advice at a crucial moment. One of her tips led me to Jean-Claude Baker, who shared so much, including period photographs, financial support (through a grant from the Jean-Claude Baker Foundation), and delicious meals at his restaurant, Chez Josephine. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Pryor Dodge, the son of Roger Pryor Dodge, early jazz critic and eccentric dancer extraordinaire. Pryor was most generous in sharing knowledge and artifacts of his father’s legacy. For their help in tracking down information on Brown and McGraw, I am grateful to my friends Mark and Tory Perry, Erlon Hodge of the New York Supreme Court, Margaret Hyson of the Brigham Young University Family History Center, Ernest “Brownie” Brown of the great dance team Cook and Brown, and Lane Alexander and Reggio McLaughlin of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Thanks also to Frank Driggs, who provided the only known photo of Brown and McGraw, and to Albert Lawrence, a nephew of Brown and McGraw, who shared his memories with me.
As always with projects like this, I am grateful to friends and colleagues in academia, both at Brigham Young University and elsewhere, for their expert advice, moral support, letters of recommendation, and willingness to read unpolished prose. I would particularly like to thank Thomas Brothers, Samuel A. Floyd Jr., Krin Gabbard, Charles Hiroshi Garrett, Michael Hicks, Steven Johnson, William Howland Kenney, Charles Kinzer, Jeffrey Magee, Lewis Porter, and Kate Van Orden. Scholarship is a lonely calling, and the association of such people provides much-needed camaraderie and a measure of protection from one’s historical delusions. Whatever delusions remain in this work, I hasten to add, are mine and mine alone, cherished and coddled day and night in the padded cell that I call my office.
I want to thank Jeremy Barham, editor of Oxford Studies in Recorded Jazz, for inviting me to contribute to the series, and Suzanne Ryan, music editor at Oxford University Press, for her staunch enthusiasm and support. They have been a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. Thanks also to Liz Smith and Karen Fisher, who prepared the manuscript and did the copyediting. At Brigham Young University, Joseph Sowa helped create the musical examples.
Finally, I am grateful to my family—first of all, to my living parents, Herb and Myrna Harker, as well as to my mother, Beryl Harker, who died when I was eight; this book is dedicated to them. My brothers and sisters have been a wonderful source of strength and diversion: Rand Harker, Kim Harker, Scott Harker, Wendy Smith, Val Ellison, and Lori Kilpe-lainen. As always, I am especially grateful to my wife, Sally, and sons, Daniel and Robbie. Their steadfast love and support are my daily bread, and help me remember what it’s all for.