Jazz Country by Nat Hentoff
"Jazz Country" is a children's novel by Nat Hentoff that explores the life of a young jazz enthusiast named Tom Curtis. The story begins with Tom persuading his friend Mike to visit the Savoy, a jazz club where they hope to see the renowned musician Moses Godfrey. As Tom navigates his passion for jazz, he grapples with his own identity and artistic authenticity, facing critiques that highlight his privileged background and racial identity. Throughout the narrative, Tom interacts with various musicians, including Godfrey and fellow student Danny Simmons, who represent different approaches to music and personal expression.
The novel delves into themes of creativity, social class, and the cultural significance of jazz, illuminating the challenges faced by aspiring musicians. Hentoff, known for his work in both jazz journalism and social commentary, weaves historical context into the characters' experiences, particularly regarding the evolution of jazz and its ties to the civil rights movement. Ultimately, "Jazz Country" portrays Tom's journey of self-discovery as he balances his love for music with the realities of his life, culminating in his decision to pursue higher education while maintaining a connection to the jazz world.
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Subject Terms
Jazz Country by Nat Hentoff
First published: 1965
Type of work: Social realism
Themes: The arts, coming-of-age, friendship, and race and ethnicity
Time of work: The mid-1960’s
Recommended Ages: 13-15
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Tom Curtis , an adolescent torn between the expected role of college student and the uncertain aspirations of jazz musicianMoses Godfrey , a jazz leader and the youth’s artistic role model, to whom personal expression is a way of lifeBill Hitchcock , a professional bass player in Godfrey’s band who becomes Tom’s teacherMary Hitchcock , Bill’s wife and a militant advocate of black pride, who doubts that Tom’s cultural background can allow him to fulfill his artistic questVeronica , a white jazz devotee and trusted friend of many black musiciansJessica , Veronica’s adolescent daughter, who bridges the two worlds for Tom
The Story
Jazz Country begins when Tom lures his friend Mike away from films to hear the great Moses Godfrey at the Savoy. This type of entertainment is familiar to Tom; not only does he steal away to the jazz clubs periodically, but he also spends most of his allowance on records, plays horn in the high school orchestra, and is part of a rehearsal band. Jazz generally remains his greatest love.
Because he and Mike are underage, they must wait outside the Savoy, where Godfrey and his group emerge at break. Tom’s attempts to engage the musician in conversation are fraught with a nervousness that makes the boy seem shallow. When Godfrey walks away, Tom more openly approaches another band member, Bill Hitchcock. Reluctantly, the young bass player agrees to hear the boy play later that week.
Hitchcock listens to Tom and comments: Tom has a good ear, some creativity, and acceptable technique; what he lacks, however, is a more personal identity. The problem lies not in his youth, says Hitchcock, but in the fact that “life has been too easy for you to be making it as a jazz musician.” Mary adds her own icy assessment: “And too white.”
For several weeks, Tom goes through his own blues period. Then he returns to his outdoor post at the Savoy. With Godfrey’s band really “cooking”—reaching the pinnacle of their improvisational harmony—Tom stays until three in the morning, when the show ends. The musicians leave with their friend Veronica, a heavy white woman who rides in a chauffeur-driven Cadillac. Surprisingly, Godfrey asks Tom whether he would like to accompany them.
The group convenes at Veronica’s house, a Greenwich Village brownstone filled with jazz records. Godfrey has a piano room on the second floor, and when creatively inspired, he stays there for days. How did Veronica enter this musical circle? Tom asks. “She ‘broke through,’ as you put it,” replies an annoyed Hitchcock, “...by being herself.”
Tom befriends Veronica’s daughter, Jessica, a girl roughly his own age who makes his social passage easier. While at Veronica and Jessica’s house, Tom witnesses a fierce argument between Godfrey and a former protege, George Dudley. The younger man was discovered during his tenure in Godfrey’s band and apparently has become a commercial success. Godfrey disputes his motivation: “You got nothing to sell out. You’ve played it safe so long you’re just like most of them....You’re empty, man. Cool and empty.”
Tom becomes Hitchcock’s student. At the studio, he meets Danny Simmons, only a few years older than he. Danny has come to terms with himself and is expressing his feelings through music. Unlike Tom, he would not jump at the opportunity to be part of a band; this might subsume his personal growth. Danny prefers to compose, practice, and live an artist’s impecunious life, getting his pay through mindless odd jobs that allow new tunes to fill his head.
Tom gains admission to Amherst College as the book closes. Shortly before his departure, he and his band enter an amateur contest at the Savoy. They win only an honorable mention, but the event again places Tom in contact with George Dudley, one of the judges. Dudley approaches the youth with an offer of becoming a professional band member. Tom shows some promise, and his inclusion in Dudley’s group would be great for public relations: a young unknown who happens to be the son of one of the nation’s top corporate attorneys.
After much soul-searching, Tom nevertheless is Amherst-bound. Godfrey soon swings by the campus as part of a tour: He touts Tom as a protege and dedicates music to him. Danny is now a band member, and his compositions enter the repertoire. Tom admits that “there’s a guy teaching sociology who really cooks....But, much as I’m looking forward to his course, there are nights when I’d give anything to be in that Volkswagen with Godfrey.”
Tom becomes comfortable with his own vacillation. His earnestness in plunging himself into two worlds even brings reassurance from Bill and the once-dreaded Mary Hitchcock, who write: “Moses says you’re making it. Keep cooking. And next time you’re back, come by.”
Context
Author Nat Hentoff began his career as a radio writer, producer, and announcer. He subsequently became associate editor of Downbeat magazine and wrote several books on jazz, including The Jazz Makers (1957), The Jazz Life (1961), and Jazz Is (1976).
Like the fictional Tom Curtis, however, Hentoff pursues many interests, social change foremost among them. He served on the editorial staffs of Progressive, The Village Voice, and The New Yorker, and his other books cover such diverse topics as police surveillance, education, free speech, and the life and works of peace activist A. J. Muste. Jazz Country was Hentoff’s first children’s novel.
Through the words of Danny Simmons, Hentoff puts music in a historic perspective. Readers are told that the “old guys”—Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and the fictional Godfrey Moses—were show people as well as musicians. Their stage presence helped attract audiences to their art. Danny’s generation, a group that includes Cecil Taylor and George Russell, will never “make it” in as big a way. The younger musicians pursue free jazz, an abstract genre that allows each band member to go in his or her own direction, regardless of overall harmony. Equally important—but not directly stated—American free jazz is associated with the black civil rights and avant-garde movements of the 1960’s. This nuance may be lost on some readers, yet Hentoff’s overall sensitivity to the need for social change becomes apparent throughout Jazz Country.