Milwaukee Jazz In Images Of America
I lived in Milwaukee up to graduation from the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee in 1969. I think of the city often and have come to love it more. I learned my love of music in Milwaukee, including love for the piano which I have played for most of my life. While growing up, however, I knew almost nothing about jazz, not to speak of jazz in Milwaukee. Joe Grihalva's pictorial history, "Milwaukee Jazz" taught me a great deal about my old hometown, from before my time, through the years I called Milwaukee home, through the present.
I didn't realize jazz had such a strong history in Milwaukee. Grihalva captures many aspects of jazz over time in the Cream City. He covers the many well-known artists who were frequent performers in the city, including, for example, Duke Ellington. He explores performers who were born in Milwaukee but who achieved fame elsewhere, including Al Jarreau and Woody Herman. He gives a great deal of attention to performers who spent most of their careers in Milwaukee but were not well known nationally. These performers included the saxophonist and teacher Berkeley Fudge, who has a large presence in the book, and the singer, Charlene Gibson. I was intrigued by both Fudge and Gibson and took the opportunity to hear some of their music. I was also surprised to learn about Bill Carlson. While growing up, I knew Carlson as the tv weatherman. I didn't know about his background as a big band leader.
The book begins with the early history of Milwaukee jazz from the 1920s and proceeds to the history of the big band era. The following lengthy chapter focuses on the many jazz musicians who played in Milwaukee over the years. Women performers and vocalists, "special ladies" indeed have a brief chapter of their own followed by a chapter devoted to famous performers appearing in Milwaukee. I loved the ad for the Milwaukee appearance of Billie Holiday and the photo of the live performance of Dinah Washington.
Grihalva points out the large presence of outdoor music in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, I had left the city by the time of the Summerfest, but I remember fondly music at the bandshell in Washington Park, near my home. I was glad to see it featured in the book. So too, I remember some of the sites covered in the book, including places in Bronzeville and downtown and was glad to learn more about them. I loved seeing the streets of my old city.
The book describes the development of the academic jazz program at the Washington Conservatory of Music and at the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee. I briefly studied classical piano at the former and I graduated with a BA in philosophy from the latter. I loved seeing the places again and thinking about their impact, most of which was well past my time.
The final chapters of the book show contemporary jazz in Milwaukee, following the large influence of the pioneering academic programs.
Besides the music, the performers, the streets, and the places, the book reminded me of some other aspects of Milwaukee. The book points out the large Mafia presence in Milwaukee during the time I lived in the city and the prominent role it had in jazz clubs. There is, for example, an image of a portly, club owner whose body was found brutally mangled in 1960, allegedly a victim of the Mafia. The book also points out the strongly racially segregated character of Milwaukee which had a large impact both on jazz performers and on their audiences.
The book is part of the Images of America series of photographic histories from Arcadia Publishing. The many books in this series offer a wonderful way to learn about American local history and local culture, including the culture and history of Milwaukee.
In the years since leaving Milwaukee, I learned something about jazz, but it is not my primary music. I was glad to read this wonderfully researched book and to remember my hometown and its places. I remembered how much I have taken away from my early years in Milwaukee, in particular my lifelong love of music.
