Deep Inside New York – Harlem

Fotografia di James Augustus Van Der Zee - Harlem 1920

Limitato a sud dal Central Park e dalla 110a Strada e a nord dall’Harlem River e dalla 158a Strada, fra l’East River a est e Amsterdam Avenue a ovest, Harlem, quartiere residenziale ebreo all’inizio del secolo, viene invaso a poco a poco nel corso degli anni ’20 dai neri di New York e da quelli venuti dal sud per cercare lavoro. La popolazione che costituisce un enorme serbatoio di mano d’opera a buon mercato si moltiplica al punto tale che gli edifici lasciati dai bianchi sono suddivisi all’infinito. La musica diventa uno degli unici sfoghi per gli abitanti del ghetto. Oltre al famoso Cotton Club che farà lavorare i musicisti neri ma accetterà solo una clientela bianca, verranno creati diversi cabaret e sale da ballo, tra cui, all’estremità nord della Sesta Avenue, il Savoy Ballroom; sul suo podio si presentavano alternativamente due grandi orchestre per dei set di venti minuti. Chick Webb, che doveva lanciare la sua Stompin’ At The Savoy, fu un habitué. Ma tutte le big band dell’epoca vi ingaggiarono delle battaglie feroci. Nella 125a Strada, l?apollo, cinema e music-hall diretto da Frank Schifmann, presentava ogni settimana un film e, sul palco, ballerini, cantanti e una grande orchestra jazz. Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, per esempio, vi si esibivano regolarmente. Inoltre, ogni mercoledì alle 23 aveva luogo Amateur Night (“notte dei dilettanti”), sorta di concorso che doveva poi rivelare grandi artisti come, nel 1943, Sarah Vaughan. Oltre questi luoghi importanti, Harlem ha visto fiorire una quantità enorme di piccoli club, spesso effimeri: Barron’s, Lenox Club, Connie’s Inn, Nest Club, Pod And Jerry’s. Infine Harlem ha dato il nome a uno stile pianistico: lo Harlem stride piano creato da James P. Johnson, Willie The Lion Smith e Thomas Fats Waller. Vi consigliamo la lettura di: Harlem On My Mind, Cultural Capital of Black America, 1900-1968 (1968), This Was Harlem, 1900-1950 (Jervis Anderson, 1981), Black Manhattan (James Weldon Johnson, 1930), ai quali bisogna aggiungere i ritratti e I reportage del fotografo James Van Der Zee.

[M. L.]
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It is limited to the south by Central Park and 110th Street and north of the Harlem River and 158th Street, between the East River in the east and Amsterdam Avenue in the west. Harlem was a Jewish residential district at the beginning of the century. During the 1920s, it is being invaded little by little from the blacks of New York. And also from those of the south in search of work. The population is multiplied and constitutes a considerable reservoir of cheap labor, and the buildings left by the whites divided into infinity. Music becomes one of the only ‘exits’ for ghetto inhabitants. In addition to the famous Cotton Club that will work black musicians but will only accept white customers, various cabarets and ballrooms will be created. Including the Savoy Ballroom, at the north end of Sixth Avenue. On his podium, two large orchestras alternated for sets of twenty minutes. Chick Webb, who was to launch his ‘Stompin At The Savoy,' was often present. But all the big bands of the era engaged in fierce battles. In 125th Street, the Apollo, cinema, and music hall, directed by Frank Schifmann, presented a film every week and, on stage, dancers, singers, and a large jazz orchestra. Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, for example, performed there regularly. Also, every Wednesday at 11 pm, 'Amateur Night' took place, a sort of competition that was to reveal great artists such as Sarah Vaughan in 1943. Beyond these historical places, Harlem has seen an enormous number of small, often temporary clubs flourish: Barron's, Lenox Club, Connie's Inn, Nest Club, Pod And Jerry's. Finally, Harlem gave his name to a piano style: the Harlem Stride Piano created by James P. Johnson, Willie The Lion Smith, and Thomas Fats Waller. We recommend reading: Harlem On My Mind, Cultural Capital of Black America, 1900-1968 (1968), This Was Harlem, 1900-1950 (Jervis Anderson, 1981), Black Manhattan (James Weldon Johnson, 1930), to which we must add the portraits and reportages of the photographer James Van Der Zee.

[M. L.]
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