Cultural Appropriation In Jazz

Student name 1

Name

Name of tutor

Course name

Date of submission

Cultural Appropriation in jazz and the US

Appropriation can be defined as the act of using something that not your own without

permission. According to Cambridge dictionary, Cultural appropriation can be defined as

“the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without

showing that you understand or respect this culture”

("Appropriation Meaning In The

Cambridge English Dictionary"). There is however no consensus on the meaning of the term

as some scholars who have defined the term slightly different. According to Rachel Eckhardt,

Cultural appropriation is borrowing traditional artefacts, customs, rituals, from a different

culture and is often done and is done often without regarding how significant those articles

are in their society of origin. This is often exercised by people in the developed countries who

view the icons of the third world as being exotic or edgy

. She continues to state that those

who do culture appropriation do so with genuine interests rather than how it is at times

viewed with disdain. Another scholar who has expressed her understanding of cultural

appropriation is Susan Scafidi, a law professor at Fordham University. She defines Cultural

appropriation as taking intellectual property or cultural expression without having first having

obtained permission. She continues to say this can be either one’s cultural dress, music,

language or any other form of cultural expression and is likely to be harmful when the

"Appropriation Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary", Dictionary.Cambridge.Org, last modified 2018,

accessed May 10, 2018, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/appropriation.

Rachel Eckhardt, "The Fine Line Between Cultural Appropriation And Cultural Diffusion", H uffpost,

last modified 2015, accessed May 10, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-eckhardt/the-fine-

line-between-cul_b_8470092.html.

Student name 2

community from which it is coming from is a minority group and has been oppressed in other

ways

. From the various definitions, there is a consensus cultural appropriation is using

another cultural element without consent.

Although the term is technically neutral, it has been associated with some bad

connotations in the modern times. There are several things that can be deduced from the

various definitions of cultural appropriation. One of the things is that the person doing

appropriation is somehow in a more powerful position than the group which is being

appropriated. The second thing is that the one doing the appropriation does not get

permission from the group that they appropriating from. It is however important to note that

if cultural material has been given as a gift it cannot be termed as cultural appropriation. The

final thing that can be deduced from the definitions is that the appropriation in some way

leads to harm of those being appropriated. An example of when harm is caused is when the

appropriation might perpetuate stereotypes. While these are not part of the technical

definitions and may not be necessarily be found in all cases of cultural appropriation, they

will be used in this paper in tackling cultural appropriation in Jazz in the United States.

In the United States, cultural appropriations exist in many fields. One of the major

industries that that has experienced cultural appropriation is that of music. While the

appropriation in music happens across cultures, races and, ethnicity, it is more expressed in

music that is associated with black in the United States. Music which is associated with

Africa- Americans have for a long time been criticized, and stereotyped. Despite this

however, this music has found attraction among people of different cultural backgrounds

including the white Americans. One of the popular genre that is associated with the Black-

Americans is Jazz. The beginnings of this genre of music together with other genres such as

Nadra Kareem, "Understanding Why Cultural Appropriation Is Wrong", Thoughtco, last modified 2018,

accessed May 10, 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/cultural-appropriation-and-why-iits-wrong-2834561.

Student name 3

blues and hip-hop can be traced back to the slavery era in the southern part of the United

States. During that time, the African developed songs that had religious tones to express

anguish and was also to them a form of oral tradition. Feelings were expressed through music

and this was the foundation of many genres of music including the Jazz and the blues.

According to Mustafa Emibrbayer and Mathew Desmond, authors of the book “Racial

Domination”, the blues arose as we to respond to racial domination and expressed the feeling

of being in a marriage that is of sorrows and laughter. The Emotions of anger, hope and

despair is what shaped the characteristics of the African American music. The genre of hip

hop emerged later and is connected to the spiritual Jazz and their roots can be traced to the

African drumming and poetry. When the blues had gained mass popularity and reached mass

audiences, they attracted the attention of some of the top musicians such as Bob Dylan and

the Beatles. This got them involved with the blues. This made some musicians of the African-

American community have a view that the adoption of the blues was perpetuation of the

oppression that the Africans had suffered. While the Beatles and Bob Dylan may not have

intended it to be a racial expression, it highlights the challenge that comes with borrowing a

cultural element when it is convenient for a person without acknowledging the problem of

racial domination connected to that genre.

There are those who opine that a large aspect of cultural appropriation can be termed

as borrowing. In the music industry however, this can be problematic in that in most cases

there is no acknowledgement of the owners. During the 50’s when music from American-

blacks started gaining attraction and recognition among the whites, record labels recorded

and marketed black music in a concealed manner to appear as though it had originated from

the white musicians. The masses therefore associated Jazz, rock n roll and the blues to the

white musicians. This was despite the fact that it was the blacks who were pioneers to those

genres. Despite the black musicians having contributed to the development of these genres,

Student name 4

they were not properly compensated for the role they played in developing the genres. A

good example of this scenario is the crowning of Elvis as “King of rock ‘n’ Roll”. In the

recent times, Justin Timberlake assumed the title “King of R&B” (Elias, 2016). This reflects

the words of Langston Hughes’ in his poem “Note on commercial theatre”

“You’ve taken my blues and gone

You sing ’em on Broadway

And you sing ’em in Hollywood Bowl

And you mixed ’em up with symphonies

And you fixed ’em

So they don’t sound like me.

Yet, you done taken my blues and gone.”

Hughes raises an important issue of authenticity in this poem which was apparently

directed to the white musician who had taken over the music genre of blues without

acknowledging its origin. Hughes, who was a black expresses how unfair it is to recognize a

white artist for a genre whose roots grew in the history of the blacks. It is however difficult to

determine whether the white artists appropriated the music of the black intentionally or it was

a case of genuine interests in the music genres. It is natural for people when they love musical

sound to want to learn it and appreciate it as there is no harm in borrowing and sharing what

is good from others.

There have been many cases where Jazz musicians have been accused of

appropriation. One of the well- known Jazz artists, Dizzy Gillepsie gave his thoughts

concerning appropriation when Phil Woods a white saxophonists came under criticism for

Student name 5

using the style of Charlie Parker. Dizzy quipped that “You can’t steal a gift. Bird gave the

world his music, and if you can hear it, you can have it”

The question therefore arises whether cultural appropriation prevents people from

enjoying foreign cultures. This should not be the case but means that members of the

dominant culture need to b careful and reflect on actions that involves styles borrowed from

other cultures. In borrowing aspects of another culture there are benefits that can even be

realized. One of them is that it encourages creativity. For example Picasso in his works was

inspired a lot by the African art. Another benefit is that it is a way of keeping cultures

engaged in cases where it is one way. This helps people learn about other people’s thinking

through art or other forms of cultural expression. The minority groups could also become

recognised through this way. When due care is taken, appropriation can invite ways of

challenging the traditional notions of cultural boundaries and norms. According to Waneek

horn miller, when borrowing a symbol or style from another culture there is need to know

whether the usage of the symbol negates or revives historical trauma

. If this is done,

appropriation could stop being taking something away from somebody but a way of making

use of ideas that are valuable.

There are also those who feel that musical cultures or any other forms of musical

traditions can never be owned by a particular person or group of people no matter the cultural

background they come from. This argument is pegged on what the cultural anthropologists

have stated that all cultures have interacted without one another and this interaction has

changed. Cultural change occurs in both good and bad circumstances. It could be both during

Priya-Alika Elias, "Appropriation Vs. Appreciation In Music: Where Should We Draw The

Line?", Blog.Sonicbids.Com, last modified 2016, accessed May 10, 2018,

http://blog.sonicbids.com/appropriation-vs-appreciation-in-music-where-should-we-draw-the-line.

Marilisa Racco, "What's The Difference? Cultural Appreciation Vs. Appropriation - Flare", Flare, last modified

2015, accessed May 10, 2018, http://www.flare.com/tv-movies/the-difference-between-fashion-cultural-

appreciation-and-appropriation/.

Student name 6

peaceful trade relations and also in the times oppression. This does not however mean that a

certain musical tradition cannot be traced to a particular people or culture. It rather means that

it could be difficult to trace a certain custom to a particular culture. There are moments when

people could express their creativity in a unique and unaffected manner, but this rarely

happens. In most cases, cultural traditions are developed over a long period of time and in

most cases through the experience of coming into contact and exchanging with others.

According to Reverend Jason Shelton, of Unitarian Universal Association, the tendency to

guard some of the traditions in the name of cultural appropriation or can hinder learning and

dialogue that comes when people share knowledge and traditions.

There are those who are even opposed to the idea that Jazz music can purely be

attributed to have originated from the African- Americans. One of those opposed to this idea

is Len Weinstock, a writer who has extensive written about the origins of Jazz. According to

him, Jazz stemmed from a combination African and European rhythms. The African music

was responsible for supplying the strong underlying beats, the idea of separating the beat and

the melody and the infusion of polyrhythm’s. On the other hand, the formal dance rhythms

were provided by music of European origin. The combination of these African and European

musical aspects is what gives Jazz its uniqueness. Len continues that musical ideas and

harmonies found in Jazz come from both Africa and Europe. The blue notes and the use of

unconventional instrumental timbres is from African songs. while the conventional

harmonies can be traced to the music of European origin (Shelton, 2018). The combination of

the various ethnicities cultural and musical diversities in the United States is what led to the

emergence of Jazz in the United States. Len finishes off by stating that the democracy and

Student name 7

freedom are the philosophical ideas upon which Jazz was founded and the two are American

institutions

In the history of Jazz, there are stories that show in a way it contributed to the

breaking of racial barriers even before the start of the civil rights movement. Bands of people

from all races went round the country and criticized segregationist laws. Those making the

tours used a maxim that if they were not all welcome in a particular lodge, then none of them

would lodge there. Even though there has been an aspect of racism in the history of Jazz

music, most of the Jazz musicians have had a belief that a musicians skin colour was not

important but whether he could play the music.

It is, however evident that music genre such as Jazz and blues have deep roots in the

fight against racial discrimination and oppression. As Jazz spread across the world however,

it became popular and also impossible to associate it with a people from a particular ethnic or

cultural background. This genre of music has transcended its cultural origins. Despite this,

there are those who consider themselves purists and claim that persons who not of African

American descent should not get involved with Jazz. If such notion was to be followed

however, it would be difficult getting to decide who has the power to speak on behalf of the

people who belong to a particular cultural background. In today’s world however, the norm

seems to be letting people who invested their time in ensuring they can play Jazz well

(Shelton, 2018).

In conclusion, the issue of cultural appropriation may never be completely resolved.

Jazz musicians can, however, play a critical part towards alleviating some of the concerns of

appropriation through commitment, respect and dedication to the music they will be playing

Shelton, Jason. "A Perspective On Music And Cultural Misappropriation | UUA.Org". UUA.Org. Last modified

2018. Accessed May 10, 2018.

https://www.uua.org/multiculturalism/introduction/misappropriation/57289.shtml.

Student name 8

in their performance. This will help the main focus be on quality and integrity rather than

ethnic background. This will inspire the creation of even more Jazz music which is reflective

of the diverse musical and cultural backgrounds. The results will be that the resulting music

will be one that speaks to the hearts of those who listen to it.

Student name 9

References

"Appropriation Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary". Dictionary.Cambridge.Org,

2018, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/appropriation. Accessed 10

May 2018.

Eckhardt, Rachel. "The Fine Line Between Cultural Appropriation And Cultural

Diffusion". Huffpost, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-eckhardt/the-fine-

line-between-cul_b_8470092.html. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Eckhardt, Rachel. "The Fine Line Between Cultural Appropriation And Cultural

Diffusion". Huffpost, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-eckhardt/the-fine-

line-between-cul_b_8470092.html. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Elias, Priya-Alika. "Appropriation Vs. Appreciation In Music: Where Should We Draw The

Line?". Blog.Sonicbids.Com, 2016, http://blog.sonicbids.com/appropriation-vs-

appreciation-in-music-where-should-we-draw-the-line. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Kareem, Nadra. "Understanding Why Cultural Appropriation Is Wrong". Thoughtco, 2018,

https://www.thoughtco.com/cultural-appropriation-and-why-iits-wrong-2834561.

Accessed 10 May 2018.

Racco, Marilisa. "What's The Difference? Cultural Appreciation Vs. Appropriation -

Flare". Flare, 2015, http://www.flare.com/tv-movies/the-difference-between-fashion-

cultural-appreciation-and-appropriation/. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Shelton, Jason. "A Perspective On Music And Cultural Misappropriation |

UUA.Org". UUA.Org, 2018,

https://www.uua.org/multiculturalism/introduction/misappropriation/57289.shtml.

Accessed 10 May 2018.

Student name 10

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."