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CULTURE Avant-garde/ Arts   Jazz not a high art status before 1945.  It achieved popular status during the Swing era.  The evolution of jazz has intersected with debates about high / low brow culture in twentieth century America.   The attitude that musicians took towards there music, and the corresponding isolation from mainstream during the Bebop era, was part of jazz developing as an art form.  The racial background of the musicians, critics and audiences have also been as issue for those debating the official status of jazz music.  INTERPRETATIONS QUESTIONS OTHER SOURCES INTERPRETATIONS: DeVeaux:  ‘Avant-garde’ is not an appropriate interpretation for Bebop since these African-American musicians had no recognised authority from which to attack culture. The new features were linked to defining their place within culture, the industry and the marketplace. Bakara: The status of jazz as a form of culture was influenced by its roots as an African-American music.   Most of the performers were African-American, whereas the critics were middle-class whites.  This was further influenced by a divide between middle-class African-Americans and the African-American Beboppers.  As part of a higher socio-economic group with different aspirations, they would not have been interested in the Bebop music and sub-culture.     White and White:  Zoot suits are an example of African-American resistance and protest, through a distinctive aesthetic.  Linked to a "style warfare" consistent through history of African Americans.  A refusal to be subservient to whites.  On the other hand, this ‘zoot-suit culture’ had the ability to cut across the race line.  That is, this group was principally defined by culture rather than race. Belgrad: Bebop had tenuous links with avant-garde arts groups such as painters like Pollock, poets such as Ginsberg, and authors like Kerouac and Ellison.  They had in common an attitude opposed to the dominant postwar culture and a belief in spontaneity within creative fields. More important to their artistic status is the ethos behind their artistic creations, rather than who the audence was or how the art was received.  These groups  were avant-garde on the basis of their purpose. Linking Issues Culture Jazz History: Audience & the Performer Jazz History:  Evolution of Bebop Race: African-Americans and Jazz QUESTIONS How did Dizzy represent the skills and creativity required for Bebop?  How did he portray the change from Swing? Which other groups in society did the Beboppers associate their creative goals with? To what sources did Dizzy attribute musical inspiration?  Were Beboppers attempting to attack mainstream culture? Did they seem to require recognition before beginning any cultural attack?   See "The Cult of Bebop"  Lie Three  Lie Four  Lie Six   Lie Six   Lie Six  Lie Eight  Lie Nine  Lie Eleven   OTHER SOURCES & DISCUSSIONS Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964  Library of Congress, American Memory. Discussions about a range of artists and musicians in America throughtout this era.   Explore the relations between the Beats and Bebop.