December 12, 2024

Website about Jazz and Blues

Harlem Hellfighters: The black soldiers who brought jazz to Europe: Video

World War One brought many social changes – not least, the introduction of jazz to Europe.

Thanks to a black American regiment of musicians called the Harlem Hellfighters, the French discovered the joys of syncopation.

More than a century on, US musician Jason Moran is raising fresh awareness of the Hellfighters and their leader, James Reese Europe.

Video by Jane O’Brien and Bill McKenna