Local Musicians Step Out of Portraits to Express Language of Jazz

CAPE MAY — For the past month, striking photos of local African American musicians paired with the nationally renowned musicians who inspired them, have graced the walls of the Carriage House at the Emlen Physick Estate.
On Feb. 21, those portraits came alive as the local subjects of those photos held a panel discussion.
WRTI Radio’s Jeff Duperson moderated the event reminding the audience that jazz was the only original art form created in the United States.
Trumpeter Eddie Morgan said he was inspired by Miles Davis, in particular the song “Round Midnight.” Before that, Morgan played in funk and dance bands, he said.
Morgan credited former Atlantic City High School Band Director Joe Brown for suggesting he listen to Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan
Percussionist Michael Dempsey thanked fellow panelist Lois Smith for his first jazz gig.
“I had no idea what jazz was,” he said.
Dempsey said playing in Cape May Jazz Festivals has been an “eye opener” for him.
Johnny Andrews credited his father and his Uncle Parker for introducing him to the piano. He put Oscar Peterson at the top of his list as an influence.
Vocalist Lois Smith said her earliest influence came from gospel singers including Mahalia Jackson who stayed at the rooming house her family operated in Cape May. She said her family was scared to ask Jackson to sing.
“She sang and I was awed from that moment on,” said Smith.
She understudied with the Clara Ward Singers in Philadelphia, which was also a hub for jazz. It was there she met Carmen McRae, named as her greatest influence.
Robeson Norton said he was influenced by a saxophone player he saw play at the Cape May Community Center. His music teacher, Mr. Morris, told him to listen to Dexter Gordon but wouldn’t let him improvise. Norton later played in an Air Force band.
Duperson decried that new musicians did not want to be labeled as jazz artists and the history of American Jazz was not being taught in schools.
Smith said jazz as well as Negro Spirituals were an intricate part of African-American history.
Andrews gave a brief history of how improvisational jazz came from World War II swing era band musicians who stepped out on their own to find audiences that would be more attentive to their playing. He said the jazz musicians purposely played at tempos that were impossible for dancers to follow.
Morgan, a school band director who has been teaching since 1981, said he could only give his students as smattering of jazz because school bands were expected to play in a certain style. He said teachers must justify their lesson plans to state Core Curriculum standards.
From the audience, Eugene Dempsey, Michael’s grandfather, asked the panel if jazz was a different language.
Morgan said he found within himself that jazz “expressed things that would not get expressed in any other way.”
Bill May, who is both a freelance double bass player and prolific photographer of musicians for 36 years, shot the photos for Black, Blue and True. He said he never intended to be a photographer or musician.
May said he wanted to be a Newark police officer but instead taught school for 40 years, which he said, was somewhat similar. He said his grandfather bought a piano for his 15 children.
Duperson said there were two types of music, composed and improvised with jazz “being created on the fly.”
Smith said she initially was upset when her audience danced instead of listening intently. She said each musician was expressing themselves in their playing.
“It’s what they are feeling,” said Smith. “Jazz is one of the greatest mediums for self expression.”
Andrews said if you listen to a lot of good players today, “there is nothing that differentiates their playing one from another because they all go to school and learn the same watered down jazz.” He said most of the players that originated jazz were self-taught so there styles were unique.
Black, Blue & True is a joint project of the Center for Community Arts and the Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities. The exhibit will be open weekends until March 26.