1
00:00:06,066 --> 00:00:15,066
♪ 
[up-tempo 
brass band music]

2
00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:24,066
♪

3
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♪

4
00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:37,733
♪

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♪

6
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♪

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00:00:50,200 --> 00:01:00,166
♪ 
[trumpet notes 
progressing higher]

8
00:01:00,166 --> 00:01:03,066
♪ 
[highest trumpet 
notes played]

9
00:01:03,066 --> 00:01:05,933
All the high-note 
players I know,

10
00:01:05,933 --> 00:01:07,933
the really 
high-note players,

11
00:01:07,933 --> 00:01:11,300
came out of the Jenkins Band 
from South Carolina.

12
00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:15,033
When I want to get 
a high-note player,

13
00:01:15,033 --> 00:01:18,033
I get him out of 
the Jenkins Band.

14
00:01:18,033 --> 00:01:20,300
That's what 
I call a tradition.

15
00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:26,633
We've had children to be 
sent to us from all over,

16
00:01:26,633 --> 00:01:28,633
especially 
from North Carolina...

17
00:01:28,633 --> 00:01:31,100
New York...

18
00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:33,100
Philadelphia...

19
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you name it,  
and children were sent there.

20
00:01:36,100 --> 00:01:40,466
You see, Mr. Jenkins  
had something

21
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that those children's parents  
wanted them to have,

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and that was 
the music.

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[trumpet player 
playing scales]

24
00:01:49,266 --> 00:01:54,166
♪

25
00:01:54,166 --> 00:01:57,900
Hey, you boys, what are 
y'all doing in this boxcar?

26
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Come on  
out of there!

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Y'all know you could  
get hurt in this boxcar?

28
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Where's 
your mama?

29
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,200
We ain't 
got no mama.

30
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What about 
the rest of you?

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Come on 
with me.

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♪

33
00:02:16,066 --> 00:02:18,333
(Abbey Lincoln)  
The year was 1891

34
00:02:18,333 --> 00:02:20,966
in the city of  
Charleston, South Carolina.

35
00:02:20,966 --> 00:02:23,966
The Reverend Daniel Joseph  
Jenkins, a black minister,

36
00:02:23,966 --> 00:02:26,233
was the son  
of ex-slaves.

37
00:02:26,233 --> 00:02:29,600
Industrious by nature in this  
era of post-Reconstruction,

38
00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,600
Reverend Jenkins managed to own  
several small businesses.

39
00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,600
One, a wood  
supply company,

40
00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,866
accounted for his  
early morning venture

41
00:02:36,866 --> 00:02:39,133
on the day  
this story begins.

42
00:02:39,133 --> 00:02:41,066
[no audio]

43
00:02:41,066 --> 00:02:44,066
(Reverend Jenkins, dramatized)  
The pitiful scene I saw

44
00:02:44,066 --> 00:02:46,700
at 6:00 early one  
cold, wintry morning

45
00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:48,700
will never  
be forgotten.

46
00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:52,433
When such a wind blew,  
as is customary in winter,

47
00:02:52,433 --> 00:02:55,900
causing those comfortably  
clothed to shiver,

48
00:02:55,900 --> 00:03:00,066
I discovered half a dozen  
half-naked colored children

49
00:03:00,066 --> 00:03:02,433
standing on the city  
railroad track

50
00:03:02,433 --> 00:03:06,433
near a freight car  
in which they had taken shelter

51
00:03:06,433 --> 00:03:10,433
from the penetrating wind  
and cold during the night.

52
00:03:10,433 --> 00:03:12,433
(Lincoln)  
Reverend Jenkins took

53
00:03:12,433 --> 00:03:15,066
the four waifs  
into his own home.

54
00:03:15,066 --> 00:03:18,066
He appealed to members  
of his church congregation

55
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to relieve the plight,  
not only of these boys,

56
00:03:21,433 --> 00:03:24,433
but of all homeless  
and abandoned black children,

57
00:03:24,433 --> 00:03:27,066
for whom the state  
made no provision.

58
00:03:27,066 --> 00:03:30,066
Assisted by his cousin,  
the Reverend Paul Daniels,

59
00:03:30,066 --> 00:03:33,066
and Daniels' half-brother,  
the Reverend John Dowling,

60
00:03:33,066 --> 00:03:36,066
Jenkins set the pattern  
for his life's work.

61
00:03:36,066 --> 00:03:39,066
Thus began the saga  
of the Jenkins Orphanage,

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the first private institution  
of its kind.

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♪

64
00:03:44,133 --> 00:03:47,500
A home was found  
in the old marine building,

65
00:03:47,500 --> 00:03:50,133
a haven for sick  
and disabled seamen.

66
00:03:50,133 --> 00:03:53,500
Once used as a free school  
for Negro children,

67
00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:56,500
the home was located  
at 20 Franklin Street,

68
00:03:56,500 --> 00:03:58,766
immediately adjacent  
to the city jail.

69
00:03:58,766 --> 00:04:00,766
Within  
a two-year period,

70
00:04:00,766 --> 00:04:04,200
it became home  
to some 360 boys and girls.

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00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,866
♪

72
00:04:07,866 --> 00:04:09,466
[no audio]

73
00:04:09,466 --> 00:04:12,100
The first task facing  
the Reverend Jenkins

74
00:04:12,100 --> 00:04:14,366
was to provide  
for these children,

75
00:04:14,366 --> 00:04:16,633
whom he called  
his "Black Lambs."

76
00:04:16,633 --> 00:04:18,633
Recognizing the need

77
00:04:18,633 --> 00:04:21,266
to develop a sustaining  
mechanism for funds,

78
00:04:21,266 --> 00:04:24,266
he decided to organize  
a children's brass band.

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00:04:24,266 --> 00:04:26,533
Appealing to the citizenry  
of Charleston,

80
00:04:26,533 --> 00:04:28,800
Reverend Jenkins obtained  
the necessary instruments

81
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,800
and hired  
capable tutors,

82
00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:32,800
most notably  
P.M. "Hatsie" Logan

83
00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:34,800
and Francis Eugene Mikell,

84
00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,166
to instruct selected youngsters  
in the rudiments of music.

85
00:04:38,166 --> 00:04:40,800
The young musicians  
were divided into units

86
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,800
and taken out  
onto the streets to perform.

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Once the playing  
subsided,

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an appeal would be made  
for donations.

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00:04:48,433 --> 00:04:50,800
♪

90
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We were staying at my 
grandfather and grandmother's

91
00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,300
at 31 Legare Street.

92
00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:01,300
I was  
quite small,

93
00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:04,300
my brother  
was even smaller,

94
00:05:04,300 --> 00:05:07,600
my sister  
was not yet....

95
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:11,366
We had a big  
front room upstairs

96
00:05:11,366 --> 00:05:15,366
and the piazza  
outside it,

97
00:05:15,366 --> 00:05:20,233
and I heard  
this noise.

98
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♪ 
[trumpet music]

99
00:05:22,233 --> 00:05:25,433
I ran out  
onto the front piazza,

100
00:05:25,433 --> 00:05:31,100
and here were 
all these people...

101
00:05:31,100 --> 00:05:33,933
in uniform!

102
00:05:33,933 --> 00:05:37,733
I don't remember  
the colors.

103
00:05:37,733 --> 00:05:41,166
I think they were  
black and red,

104
00:05:41,166 --> 00:05:43,266
but I'm  
not certain.

105
00:05:43,266 --> 00:05:48,033
They were playing  
on different instruments,

106
00:05:48,033 --> 00:05:53,133
and there were a couple of  
older people along with them.

107
00:05:53,133 --> 00:05:57,633
They were just having  
themselves a time!

108
00:05:57,633 --> 00:06:00,300
But they were tooting  
and banging away

109
00:06:00,300 --> 00:06:02,833
and having  
the best time,

110
00:06:02,833 --> 00:06:07,833
and I found they did that  
fairly frequently,

111
00:06:07,833 --> 00:06:11,500
because Grandfather  
was one of those men

112
00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:14,666
that would help back  
the Reverend Mr. Jenkins

113
00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:18,200
in setting up 
his orphanage.

114
00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,200
(Lincoln)  
Her grandfather was  
Augustine Smythe,

115
00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,466
a prominent Charleston  
lawyer and Jenkins supporter.

116
00:06:25,466 --> 00:06:29,800
I think the early sound 
of the Jenkins Orphanage Band

117
00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,633
was, shall we say, 
spirited.

118
00:06:32,633 --> 00:06:36,000
It was probably a bit 
rough on the ears,

119
00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:41,366
but it was flamboyant 
and highly rhythmic.

120
00:06:41,366 --> 00:06:46,066
This would set people-- 
their feet tapping,

121
00:06:46,066 --> 00:06:52,000
and maybe want to join in 
and march along with the band.

122
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,866
It was, I think, 
an early example of the music

123
00:06:56,866 --> 00:07:01,200
that linked ragtime 
with marching music

124
00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,833
and with the early strains 
of jazz, if you like.

125
00:07:06,833 --> 00:07:15,066
♪ 
[up-tempo 
brass band music]

126
00:07:15,066 --> 00:07:24,833
♪

127
00:07:24,833 --> 00:07:30,233
♪

128
00:07:30,233 --> 00:07:31,900
[no audio]

129
00:07:31,900 --> 00:07:36,666
♪ 
[plaintive 
clarinet music]

130
00:07:36,666 --> 00:07:40,166
(Reverend Jenkins, dramatized)  
In 1895, after the big storm,

131
00:07:40,166 --> 00:07:42,533
our orphanage building  
was wrecked,

132
00:07:42,533 --> 00:07:47,533
and we got in a debt  
of $1700.

133
00:07:47,533 --> 00:07:50,533
I took 18  
of the orphans north

134
00:07:50,533 --> 00:07:52,933
to play and give  
entertainments.

135
00:07:52,933 --> 00:07:56,733
All being green,  
we scarcely made our expenses,

136
00:07:56,733 --> 00:07:59,733
and the big debt  
loomed up before me.

137
00:07:59,733 --> 00:08:03,900
I felt that I had rather die  
than return to Charleston

138
00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,533
without the money  
to cancel the debt.

139
00:08:06,533 --> 00:08:08,800
Some good white  
friends met me

140
00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,066
while in a spirit  
of despondency

141
00:08:11,066 --> 00:08:14,066
and advised me  
to go over to England,

142
00:08:14,066 --> 00:08:17,066
saying that I would get  
barrels of money.

143
00:08:17,066 --> 00:08:19,333
Nothing doubting,  
neither counting the cost,

144
00:08:19,333 --> 00:08:21,600
I leaped out  
without a dollar,

145
00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,600
only had half enough  
to pay our way,

146
00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,233
but the captain  
took us over anyway,

147
00:08:27,233 --> 00:08:29,933
expecting to make money  
on the ship.

148
00:08:29,933 --> 00:08:34,033
In less than half hour's time  
after getting on the ship,

149
00:08:34,033 --> 00:08:37,033
we became seasick  
and remained so

150
00:08:37,033 --> 00:08:40,266
until the day  
before we landed.

151
00:08:40,266 --> 00:08:43,200
I took the boys  
out on the streets,

152
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,200
but their strange appearance  
created so much excitement

153
00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,200
and monopolized  
the thoroughfares

154
00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,200
to such an extent  
that we, at once,

155
00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:53,200
were forced  
to retire.

156
00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,566
I went before the court  
to appeal the decision

157
00:08:56,566 --> 00:08:59,566
with a strong address  
to the court...

158
00:08:59,566 --> 00:09:03,866
♪

159
00:09:03,866 --> 00:09:05,866
Thank you, sir.

160
00:09:05,866 --> 00:09:08,133
I am  
the Reverend D.J. Jenkins,

161
00:09:08,133 --> 00:09:10,133
a Baptist minister

162
00:09:10,133 --> 00:09:12,133
of Charleston,  
South Carolina, America,

163
00:09:12,133 --> 00:09:15,133
and I wish to make  
a particular application

164
00:09:15,133 --> 00:09:17,133
to the magistrate.

165
00:09:17,133 --> 00:09:21,533
You see, sir, I have  
traveled a great distance

166
00:09:21,533 --> 00:09:24,366
to raise funds  
for my orphanage,

167
00:09:24,366 --> 00:09:27,100
the only facility  
of its sort,

168
00:09:27,100 --> 00:09:31,600
which provides for hundreds  
of homeless black waifs.

169
00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:36,300
I brought with me these boys  
who play brass instruments,

170
00:09:36,300 --> 00:09:40,400
my object being to let them  
play in the public streets,

171
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,033
after which I will  
explain our cause

172
00:09:43,033 --> 00:09:45,733
and collect monies  
for the orphanage.

173
00:09:45,733 --> 00:09:48,833
Could an exception  
be made in my case,

174
00:09:48,833 --> 00:09:51,900
seeing the object  
I have in view?

175
00:09:51,900 --> 00:09:55,833
Because of... 
various acts and laws,

176
00:09:55,833 --> 00:09:58,466
the band weren't allowed 
to perform

177
00:09:58,466 --> 00:10:00,466
on the highways 
and byways.

178
00:10:00,466 --> 00:10:03,500
So they 
looked in danger

179
00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:06,933
of the whole 
mission being...

180
00:10:06,933 --> 00:10:10,566
the purpose of the mission 
being defeated.

181
00:10:10,566 --> 00:10:15,566
Poor Reverend Mr. Jenkins 
got chucked in the chokey...

182
00:10:15,566 --> 00:10:19,566
and Grandfather 
heard about it.

183
00:10:19,566 --> 00:10:22,200
They came around 
to him and said,

184
00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,833
"It's a good thing 
you're in London,

185
00:10:24,833 --> 00:10:26,833
"because you're 
a lawyer

186
00:10:26,833 --> 00:10:29,466
and you can do 
something about it."

187
00:10:29,466 --> 00:10:31,733
So he did 
something about it.

188
00:10:31,733 --> 00:10:33,733
He got 
Mr. Jenkins out

189
00:10:33,733 --> 00:10:38,200
and got permission for them 
to continue their playing

190
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,933
here and there 
in London.

191
00:10:40,933 --> 00:10:44,033
(Lincoln)  
Smythe's connections coupled  
with Jenkins eloquent pleas

192
00:10:44,033 --> 00:10:47,400
convinced even the magistrate  
to contribute to the cause.

193
00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:49,400
After speaking  
in numerous churches,

194
00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:51,666
Reverend Jenkins soon  
collected enough money

195
00:10:51,666 --> 00:10:53,666
for the journey home.

196
00:10:53,666 --> 00:10:55,666
Back in Charleston,

197
00:10:55,666 --> 00:10:57,666
the Reverend  
faced new challenges.

198
00:10:57,666 --> 00:10:59,933
With the advent  
of Jim Crowism,

199
00:10:59,933 --> 00:11:03,366
he was forced to be  
even more self-sufficient.

200
00:11:03,366 --> 00:11:06,000
He soon established the  
Jenkins Industrial Reformatory,

201
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,000
later known as  
the Greenwood Industrial Farm.

202
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,000
Here,  
on a hundred acres,

203
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,633
Reverend Jenkins  
put to work youngsters

204
00:11:13,633 --> 00:11:15,900
who otherwise would  
have been incarcerated

205
00:11:15,900 --> 00:11:17,900
in the state prisons.

206
00:11:17,900 --> 00:11:21,266
The farm provided not only  
food for the orphanage,

207
00:11:21,266 --> 00:11:24,266
but activity for  
the youthful offenders as well.

208
00:11:24,266 --> 00:11:30,566
♪ 
[acoustic 
guitar music]

209
00:11:30,566 --> 00:11:33,200
Within the orphanage, Jenkins  
organized several departments

210
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,200
through which the inmates  
could learn a trade,

211
00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,200
while contributing to  
the welfare of the institution.

212
00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,133
Carpentry, tailoring,  
a laundry, shoemaking,

213
00:11:41,133 --> 00:11:44,500
shoe repair, chair-caning,  
and a bakery all flourished.

214
00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:47,066
He boldly bought  
a printing press

215
00:11:47,066 --> 00:11:49,066
and began  
handling local jobs

216
00:11:49,066 --> 00:11:51,333
for various  
merchants and trades.

217
00:11:51,333 --> 00:11:54,566
Soon he began  
a weekly newspaper as well.

218
00:11:54,566 --> 00:11:56,900
Parents inspired  
by this industry

219
00:11:56,900 --> 00:12:00,633
sought to send their children  
to the orphanage.

220
00:12:00,633 --> 00:12:05,033
In Cottageville, 
where I was born,

221
00:12:05,033 --> 00:12:07,033
the schooling  
we got there

222
00:12:07,033 --> 00:12:10,033
was only through the fifth  
or sixth grade.

223
00:12:10,033 --> 00:12:12,033
When I got  
through that,

224
00:12:12,033 --> 00:12:15,033
there was nowhere else  
for me to go.

225
00:12:15,033 --> 00:12:18,400
No schooling any higher  
was provided for blacks.

226
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,666
(Dowling)  
Reverend Jenkins  
had a tendency,

227
00:12:20,666 --> 00:12:24,766
if a boy came--a new boy  
came into the orphanage.

228
00:12:24,766 --> 00:12:28,500
It was a funny thing, 
what I'm going to say,

229
00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,766
but he would 
take that boy...

230
00:12:30,766 --> 00:12:32,766
"Come here."

231
00:12:32,766 --> 00:12:37,133
Bring that boy to him, 
or the girl for that matter.

232
00:12:37,133 --> 00:12:39,466
He just 
took his hands

233
00:12:39,466 --> 00:12:42,666
and go all over 
the child's head,

234
00:12:42,666 --> 00:12:47,233
sort of as if he was 
feeling for something.

235
00:12:47,233 --> 00:12:50,233
"You go 
to the band room.

236
00:12:50,233 --> 00:12:53,233
"You go 
to the printing office.

237
00:12:53,233 --> 00:12:56,233
You go 
to the farm,"

238
00:12:56,233 --> 00:13:00,233
the various things, 
and those children would fit

239
00:13:00,233 --> 00:13:03,466
into whatever area 
he sent them to!

240
00:13:03,466 --> 00:13:07,233
[no audio]

241
00:13:07,233 --> 00:13:10,666
He was 
a wise old man!

242
00:13:10,666 --> 00:13:16,166
He took me downstairs 
in the printing department.

243
00:13:16,166 --> 00:13:21,366
We had two Linotypes there  
and the printing press,

244
00:13:21,366 --> 00:13:26,433
and there was two job press  
and then the paper press.

245
00:13:26,433 --> 00:13:32,700
He said, "Sonny, one day 
I want you to run this place."

246
00:13:32,700 --> 00:13:36,566
That was...  
you know, amazing to me,

247
00:13:36,566 --> 00:13:40,300
because I had never seen  
printing before.

248
00:13:40,300 --> 00:13:46,233
When he died in 1937, 
I was managing the shop.

249
00:13:46,233 --> 00:13:48,233
(Cathy Russell)  
George R. Scott

250
00:13:48,233 --> 00:13:50,500
was my husband's  
great-great-grandfather.

251
00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:53,866
He was born in Norfolk County,  
England, in 1836.

252
00:13:53,866 --> 00:13:56,500
Reverend Jenkins 
had traveled to New York

253
00:13:56,500 --> 00:13:59,500
seeking out those people 
who might make contributions

254
00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:01,833
to the Jenkins Orphanage 
in Charleston,

255
00:14:01,833 --> 00:14:04,833
an orphanage that not 
many people knew about

256
00:14:04,833 --> 00:14:06,833
shortly after 
Reverend Jenkins began.

257
00:14:06,833 --> 00:14:11,433
It seems to me that 
Reverend Jenkins and Mr. Scott

258
00:14:11,433 --> 00:14:13,933
sat together 
in Mr. Scott's office

259
00:14:13,933 --> 00:14:17,000
and, according to 
the accounts that I've read,

260
00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,866
immediately 
bonded together.

261
00:14:19,866 --> 00:14:23,900
He began to write in his  
newspaper quite regularly

262
00:14:23,900 --> 00:14:27,900
that the Jenkins Orphanage and  
Reverend Jenkins needed money.

263
00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:31,266
I believe the reason  
that Mr. Scott was known

264
00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:33,900
as the "Father  
of the Black Lambs"

265
00:14:33,900 --> 00:14:36,533
is because he truly  
adopted the orphans

266
00:14:36,533 --> 00:14:38,533
from the Jenkins  
Orphanage.

267
00:14:38,533 --> 00:14:41,833
He took them  
under his wing as his own.

268
00:14:41,833 --> 00:14:44,100
When Reverend Jenkins  
lost Mr. Scott,

269
00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:46,100
he lost  
a true friend,

270
00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:50,600
but he also understood how much  
of an impact Mr. Scott had

271
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,133
on the monies that allowed  
the orphanage to continue.

272
00:14:54,133 --> 00:14:55,500
[no audio]

273
00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:59,500
♪ 
[syncopative music]

274
00:14:59,500 --> 00:15:02,566
(Lincoln)  
During the early  
years of this century,

275
00:15:02,566 --> 00:15:05,933
the band's itineraries grew,  
and so did their reputation.

276
00:15:05,933 --> 00:15:09,666
Throughout the USA they were  
known as "The Pickaninny Band,"

277
00:15:09,666 --> 00:15:13,033
while the good reverend  
was dubbed "The Orphanage Man."

278
00:15:13,033 --> 00:15:16,033
In 1901 they appeared  
at the Buffalo Exposition.

279
00:15:16,033 --> 00:15:19,766
In 1904 they were featured  
at the St. Louis Fair.

280
00:15:19,766 --> 00:15:23,133
The Jenkins Orphanage Band was  
also a spectacular component

281
00:15:23,133 --> 00:15:25,133
of President Taft's  
inaugural parade.

282
00:15:25,133 --> 00:15:27,933
♪

283
00:15:27,933 --> 00:15:30,566
The band returned 
to England in 1914.

284
00:15:30,566 --> 00:15:32,733
They were 
a featured attraction

285
00:15:32,733 --> 00:15:35,433
at the Anglo-American 
Exposition.

286
00:15:35,433 --> 00:15:37,700
(Jeffrey Green)  
The Jenkins Orphanage Band

287
00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:40,866
was employed to come  
to England in 1914

288
00:15:40,866 --> 00:15:45,133
as part of the organization  
of Hurtig and Seaman group,

289
00:15:45,133 --> 00:15:48,866
theatrical impresarios  
based somewhere in New York.

290
00:15:48,866 --> 00:15:50,866
♪

291
00:15:50,866 --> 00:15:54,233
I'm sure that they 
were employed as a novelty.

292
00:15:54,233 --> 00:15:58,333
They were--I think it was 
six- or eight-week contract.

293
00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:00,666
When they arrived 
here in England,

294
00:16:00,666 --> 00:16:02,666
they were so good...

295
00:16:02,666 --> 00:16:04,666
that their contract 
was extended.

296
00:16:04,666 --> 00:16:09,566
This was a large exposition 
held in West London,

297
00:16:09,566 --> 00:16:14,200
and the Reverend Jenkins 
could see

298
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,833
that this would make 
an excellent showcase,

299
00:16:16,833 --> 00:16:19,833
I mean, presenting 
an American band

300
00:16:19,833 --> 00:16:23,500
in the midst of an 
international exposition.

301
00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:30,066
The band came and were, 
again, a startling success.

302
00:16:30,066 --> 00:16:32,333
(Lincoln)  
Inspired by  
the tremendous response,

303
00:16:32,333 --> 00:16:34,966
the Reverend Jenkins drafted  
an impassioned letter

304
00:16:34,966 --> 00:16:38,466
to South Carolina Governor  
Cole Blease...

305
00:16:38,466 --> 00:16:41,033
(Reverend Jenkins, dramatized)  
"It is the sympathy

306
00:16:41,033 --> 00:16:43,066
"and pity  
that I have

307
00:16:43,066 --> 00:16:46,433
"for the little waifs  
and outcasts of my race

308
00:16:46,433 --> 00:16:49,066
"that forces me  
to write to you.

309
00:16:49,066 --> 00:16:51,066
"The salvation  
of the South

310
00:16:51,066 --> 00:16:53,700
"between the white  
and the black man

311
00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:55,700
"lies in  
the careful training

312
00:16:55,700 --> 00:16:58,333
"of the little  
Negro boys and girls

313
00:16:58,333 --> 00:17:01,533
"to become honest, upright,  
and industrious citizens.

314
00:17:01,533 --> 00:17:05,633
"It was never intended by our  
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

315
00:17:05,633 --> 00:17:07,900
"nor by any  
law of God

316
00:17:07,900 --> 00:17:10,333
"that children  
should be jailed

317
00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:13,933
"or put into the penitentiary  
for trivial offenses.

318
00:17:13,933 --> 00:17:16,100
"The schoolroom  
and the rod

319
00:17:16,100 --> 00:17:18,966
"are the better masters  
for this training.

320
00:17:18,966 --> 00:17:22,700
"Teaching the Negro to read,  
to write, and to work

321
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:26,466
"is not going to do  
the white man any harm.

322
00:17:26,466 --> 00:17:31,133
"I have my band here  
with a party of 28 inmates.

323
00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:33,400
"Nine of the councilmen  
of London

324
00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,033
"called on me yesterday  
and congratulated me

325
00:17:36,033 --> 00:17:39,766
"on the work that I  
am doing for my race.

326
00:17:39,766 --> 00:17:41,966
"I feel much  
encouraged and believe

327
00:17:41,966 --> 00:17:46,066
"that if boys taken from  
the depths of the lowest dives

328
00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:49,433
"can be taught and trained  
in such a manner

329
00:17:49,433 --> 00:17:53,166
"as to gain the respect  
of the people of England,

330
00:17:53,166 --> 00:17:55,433
"how much more  
can be done

331
00:17:55,433 --> 00:17:58,433
"if the Governor and lawmakers  
of South Carolina

332
00:17:58,433 --> 00:18:01,333
would simply  
cooperate with me?"

333
00:18:01,333 --> 00:18:03,600
When Parson Jenkins 
wanted the band--

334
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:09,033
his band to appear in England, 
he obviously needed the best,

335
00:18:09,033 --> 00:18:12,700
and what he did 
was to call back people

336
00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:15,033
who had graduated 
from his orphanage.

337
00:18:15,033 --> 00:18:18,033
Reverend Jenkins' son 
was 20, but the others...

338
00:18:18,033 --> 00:18:22,533
Emerson Harper was 17, and  
some of the others were 18, 19.

339
00:18:22,533 --> 00:18:25,533
They couldn't possibly  
have been in the orphanage.

340
00:18:25,533 --> 00:18:27,533
So he pulled  
together children,

341
00:18:27,533 --> 00:18:29,800
and that's hinted at 
in correspondence

342
00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,066
between the employer 
in New York,

343
00:18:32,066 --> 00:18:35,433
who said, "Bring the best 
of the small children."

344
00:18:35,433 --> 00:18:39,166
There was no way,  
as far as I could see,

345
00:18:39,166 --> 00:18:41,100
that Parson Jenkins  
was prepared

346
00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:43,100
to bring  
a pickaninny band.

347
00:18:43,100 --> 00:18:45,100
He was  
bringing a band

348
00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:47,733
to represent  
the black community of America

349
00:18:47,733 --> 00:18:50,000
and to do  
a professional job.

350
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,733
Not that the 11- and 12-  
year-olds couldn't play,

351
00:18:53,733 --> 00:18:57,833
but the 17-, 18-, and 
20-year-olds could play better.

352
00:18:57,833 --> 00:19:00,533
For the Anglo-American 
Exposition,

353
00:19:00,533 --> 00:19:02,533
we left New York.

354
00:19:02,533 --> 00:19:05,166
They booked us 
out of New York.

355
00:19:05,166 --> 00:19:08,300
They first 
book us in 1913.

356
00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:13,966
They book us from Charleston 
to 104 Jacob Street

357
00:19:13,966 --> 00:19:17,633
to play for the... 
play for, uh...

358
00:19:17,633 --> 00:19:20,633
the "Uncle Tom's Cabin"...

359
00:19:20,633 --> 00:19:23,400
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"  
on Broadway.

360
00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:28,900
The next time they book us 
to go to London, England,

361
00:19:28,900 --> 00:19:31,900
to play for  
the Anglo-American Exposition.

362
00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:35,633
We had to take 70  
with us on the "Campania."

363
00:19:35,633 --> 00:19:38,633
In England,  
they put up a big opera.

364
00:19:38,633 --> 00:19:40,900
We used to play 
opera tunes.

365
00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:43,166
We did jazz, 
jazz pickaninny,

366
00:19:43,166 --> 00:19:45,166
and we played.

367
00:19:45,166 --> 00:19:47,800
We had all the people 
around us.

368
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,166
Everybody come see 
the pickaninnies...

369
00:19:51,166 --> 00:19:53,266
the jazz nursery.

370
00:19:53,266 --> 00:19:55,266
(Lincoln)  
A comparison of schedules

371
00:19:55,266 --> 00:19:57,266
shows the Jenkins  
Orphanage Band

372
00:19:57,266 --> 00:20:01,033
worked just as intensely  
as the more mature army bands,

373
00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:04,033
often playing  
11 or 12 hours per day.

374
00:20:04,033 --> 00:20:07,633
Their contract was extended 
from six weeks,

375
00:20:07,633 --> 00:20:09,900
starting in 
the middle of May,

376
00:20:09,900 --> 00:20:12,900
to expire in October 
or November of 1914.

377
00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:16,633
It was stopped because 
the First World War broke out.

378
00:20:16,633 --> 00:20:20,366
Otherwise, the band would 
have been here for six months.

379
00:20:20,366 --> 00:20:29,833
[mortar fire] 
Boom! Boom!

380
00:20:29,833 --> 00:20:32,833
Another indication 
of the skills

381
00:20:32,833 --> 00:20:35,833
of the Jenkins 
Orphanage musicians

382
00:20:35,833 --> 00:20:40,333
is that they were... 
taken into Jim Europe's band

383
00:20:40,333 --> 00:20:44,133
that he brought to Europe, 
the service band.

384
00:20:44,133 --> 00:20:48,466
The 369th Regiment 
came to Europe,

385
00:20:48,466 --> 00:20:53,033
and again, this black music 
created a sensation,

386
00:20:53,033 --> 00:20:56,033
in France 
particularly.

387
00:20:56,033 --> 00:20:59,700
The fact that-- 
Jim Europe, who, after all,

388
00:20:59,700 --> 00:21:05,766
could almost scour America 
for talent, for black talent,

389
00:21:05,766 --> 00:21:09,766
happily, willingly, 
included members

390
00:21:09,766 --> 00:21:11,900
of the Jenkins 
Orphanage Band.

391
00:21:11,900 --> 00:21:19,900
♪

392
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:26,566
♪

393
00:21:26,566 --> 00:21:30,066
(Lincoln)  
Francis Mikell,  
former Jenkins Band tutor,

394
00:21:30,066 --> 00:21:34,200
was the bandmaster  
for Europe's famed  
Hellfighters U.S. Army Band,

395
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,200
which also included three  
former Jenkins Band members...

396
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,200
trombonist  
Amos Gaillard

397
00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,400
and drummers Steven  
and Herbert Wright.

398
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:50,400
♪

399
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:59,666
♪

400
00:21:59,666 --> 00:22:04,366
(Dan Morgenstern)  
James Europe was  
a fascinating figure

401
00:22:04,366 --> 00:22:06,633
and would have played,  
I think,

402
00:22:06,633 --> 00:22:09,266
an enormously important 
role in American music

403
00:22:09,266 --> 00:22:13,666
if he hadn't, 
unfortunately,

404
00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:18,666
been stabbed by a deranged 
member of his post-war band,

405
00:22:18,666 --> 00:22:22,966
but in 1919, in Boston,  
Europe was stabbed

406
00:22:22,966 --> 00:22:26,300
by his drummer in the band,  
Herbert Wright.

407
00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:30,400
He wasn't aware of how 
seriously injured he'd been.

408
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,933
Actually it was 
a small wound in his neck,

409
00:22:33,933 --> 00:22:35,933
but it had  
actually--

410
00:22:35,933 --> 00:22:39,666
it was in the jugular,  
so he bled to death.

411
00:22:39,666 --> 00:22:41,866
He was only  
39 years old.

412
00:22:41,866 --> 00:22:46,766
♪ 
[trumpet mournfully playing 
"Amazing Grace"]

413
00:22:46,766 --> 00:22:50,733
(Lincoln)  
Ironically, Europe's attacker,

414
00:22:50,733 --> 00:22:54,033
Herbert Wright,  
was also a Jenkins alumnus.

415
00:22:54,033 --> 00:23:04,066
♪ 
[trumpet mournfully playing 
"Amazing Grace"]

416
00:23:04,066 --> 00:23:11,466
♪

417
00:23:11,466 --> 00:23:13,733
(Lincoln)  
From the streets of Charleston,

418
00:23:13,733 --> 00:23:16,000
the bands--  
for there were several--

419
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,266
would journey  
along the Eastern Seaboard

420
00:23:18,266 --> 00:23:20,533
as far north  
as Bangor, Maine,

421
00:23:20,533 --> 00:23:23,166
and as far south  
as Miami, Florida,

422
00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,433
but the major point  
of rendezvous

423
00:23:25,433 --> 00:23:27,433
was New York City.

424
00:23:27,433 --> 00:23:31,533
(Lionel Hampton)  
The first time that  
I heard about the band

425
00:23:31,533 --> 00:23:35,266
and I saw the band  
was in New York City.

426
00:23:35,266 --> 00:23:37,533
They came up  
for a fundraising.

427
00:23:37,533 --> 00:23:39,800
They had all these  
trumpet players,

428
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,366
and they played  
all these high notes.

429
00:23:42,366 --> 00:23:45,766
I'm amazed a guy 
can get up and play

430
00:23:45,766 --> 00:23:48,400
all these high notes 
on a trumpet.

431
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,700
Outside that, they had some 
great jazz musicians, you know.

432
00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:55,333
We played on 
street corners sometimes,

433
00:23:55,333 --> 00:23:58,333
we played in school, 
we played in churches,

434
00:23:58,333 --> 00:24:02,133
we played in the halls, 
we played with the circus.

435
00:24:02,133 --> 00:24:05,066
We played 
all types of music...

436
00:24:05,066 --> 00:24:07,066
all types!

437
00:24:07,066 --> 00:24:10,066
♪

438
00:24:10,066 --> 00:24:14,166
(Lincoln)  
By 1923, the number of  
bands had increased to five.

439
00:24:14,166 --> 00:24:17,166
They were often accompanied  
by a vocal group,

440
00:24:17,166 --> 00:24:19,166
The Sewanee  
River Company

441
00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:22,900
or one of the girls' choirs,  
the Jubilee Concert Company.

442
00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:24,900
By bus or boat,

443
00:24:24,900 --> 00:24:27,900
they traveled the East Coast  
during the summer,

444
00:24:27,900 --> 00:24:30,900
converging at the Abyssinian  
Baptist Church of Harlem,

445
00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,166
which was pastored  
by ex-Charlestonian,

446
00:24:33,166 --> 00:24:35,433
the Reverend Adam  
Clayton Powell, Sr.

447
00:24:35,433 --> 00:24:38,866
We gave our final concert 
for the season

448
00:24:38,866 --> 00:24:43,800
at Abyssinian Baptist Church 
with Reverend Clayton Powell.

449
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,033
We had 
a huge crowd.

450
00:24:47,033 --> 00:24:50,033
We had--seemingly, 
everybody from the South

451
00:24:50,033 --> 00:24:52,533
knew of Charleston, 
South Carolina,

452
00:24:52,533 --> 00:24:56,833
knew of the Jenkins Orphanage, 
came out to our program.

453
00:24:56,833 --> 00:24:58,833
It was really 
very nice,

454
00:24:58,833 --> 00:25:02,933
and we called it the culminating 
program for the year.

455
00:25:02,933 --> 00:25:08,666
I would take them 
on the ferry

456
00:25:08,666 --> 00:25:11,533
from New York 
to New Jersey,

457
00:25:11,533 --> 00:25:16,966
and they sang 
on the ferry.

458
00:25:16,966 --> 00:25:18,966
I'd make 
my little speech...

459
00:25:18,966 --> 00:25:20,966
These are  
the children

460
00:25:20,966 --> 00:25:24,433
of the Jenkins Orphanage in  
Charleston, South Carolina.

461
00:25:24,433 --> 00:25:28,100
They are not  
bad children.

462
00:25:28,100 --> 00:25:31,500
They're just 
underprivileged children,

463
00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:34,900
seeking an opportunity 
at life.

464
00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:38,700
It is our place 
to try to help them,

465
00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:42,933
and we are doing our best 
toward helping them.

466
00:25:42,933 --> 00:25:46,766
If you find it 
in your heart

467
00:25:46,766 --> 00:25:50,300
to be able to contribute 
a contribution to them,

468
00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:52,566
we would 
gladly appreciate it.

469
00:25:52,566 --> 00:25:55,066
Thank you.

470
00:25:55,066 --> 00:25:58,000
[no audio]

471
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:05,800
♪ 
[up-tempo 
dance music]

472
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:07,800
(Lincoln)  
During the '20s,

473
00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,800
a new dance phenomenon  
was all the rage.

474
00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:12,800
Characterized  
by a rhythmic shuffle,

475
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,800
this dance featured  
Geechee steps,

476
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,433
which we now know  
as The Charleston.

477
00:26:17,433 --> 00:26:21,533
While some go so far as to  
credit the Jenkins showmen

478
00:26:21,533 --> 00:26:23,533
with actually  
originating the dance,

479
00:26:23,533 --> 00:26:26,533
none would argue that the  
Jenkins Orphanage conductors

480
00:26:26,533 --> 00:26:28,800
did not serve  
as goodwill exponents

481
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,300
of this Lowcountry  
dance craze.

482
00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:33,300
(Chilton)  
The musicians themselves,

483
00:26:33,300 --> 00:26:36,300
or some of them, 
put down their instruments

484
00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:39,300
and actually went out 
and did some steps.

485
00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:42,000
I feel 
that this was the--

486
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,266
the early version 
of The Charleston

487
00:26:44,266 --> 00:26:46,266
that many 
people saw.

488
00:26:46,266 --> 00:26:49,633
They saw this before 
sheet music was ever published

489
00:26:49,633 --> 00:26:52,333
and recordings were made 
of "The Charleston."

490
00:26:52,333 --> 00:26:55,766
Now, that's always 
been very controversial.

491
00:26:55,766 --> 00:27:00,466
They say that it 
was started with us.

492
00:27:00,466 --> 00:27:03,133
It wasn't.

493
00:27:03,133 --> 00:27:06,300
It was started, 
it was a dance,

494
00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:09,366
but now, just about 
everybody in the band

495
00:27:09,366 --> 00:27:11,433
could do 
The Charleston,

496
00:27:11,433 --> 00:27:13,433
and everybody played 
"The Charleston."

497
00:27:13,433 --> 00:27:17,933
Of course, as we played it, 
there would be people coming up,

498
00:27:17,933 --> 00:27:21,666
and, you know, it's just one 
of those things...informal.

499
00:27:21,666 --> 00:27:25,033
If they felt like 
doing it, they'd do it.

500
00:27:25,033 --> 00:27:29,533
The more they did, the more 
we were, "Come on with it."

501
00:27:29,533 --> 00:27:33,033
♪

502
00:27:33,033 --> 00:27:35,033
(Lincoln)  
A ragtag group

503
00:27:35,033 --> 00:27:37,666
with ill-fitting uniforms  
and scarred instruments,

504
00:27:37,666 --> 00:27:41,333
the orphanage boys and girls  
were nothing if not showmen.

505
00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:44,333
Wherever they went,  
they could attract a crowd.

506
00:27:44,333 --> 00:27:48,433
So impressed was DuBose Heyward  
when he heard the band

507
00:27:48,433 --> 00:27:51,200
that he enthusiastically  
detailed their appearance

508
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:55,033
as well as their sound  
in his new novel, "Porgy."

509
00:27:55,033 --> 00:27:59,366
When the play "Porgy" went  
on tour from 1927 to 1930,

510
00:27:59,366 --> 00:28:02,066
included on stage  
was an authentic unit

511
00:28:02,066 --> 00:28:04,333
of the Jenkins  
Orphanage Band.

512
00:28:04,333 --> 00:28:07,333
♪

513
00:28:07,333 --> 00:28:13,733
(male singer)  
♪ Oh, somebody  
tell me where... ♪

514
00:28:13,733 --> 00:28:15,900
(Chilton)  
Of course, "Porgy"

515
00:28:15,900 --> 00:28:18,366
led to George Gershwin  
being fascinated

516
00:28:18,366 --> 00:28:20,766
by South Carolina  
music,

517
00:28:20,766 --> 00:28:23,800
and so we have  
"Porgy and Bess."

518
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:27,666
Just conjecture,  
but maybe the very fact

519
00:28:27,666 --> 00:28:30,833
that the Jenkins Orphanage  
were actually providing

520
00:28:30,833 --> 00:28:33,133
the music for "Porgy"

521
00:28:33,133 --> 00:28:39,466
may have been the spark that 
ignited Gershwin's interest.

522
00:28:39,466 --> 00:28:42,833
(Lincoln)  
From Broadway popularity  
to unwanted baggage,

523
00:28:42,833 --> 00:28:45,100
as critical times  
enveloped the country,

524
00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:48,866
the Jenkins Band found their  
audiences largely diminished.

525
00:28:48,866 --> 00:28:50,866
(Daniels)  
I guess--

526
00:28:50,866 --> 00:28:52,866
jumping ahead  
of the story,

527
00:28:52,866 --> 00:28:55,133
I guess that  
was the downfall,

528
00:28:55,133 --> 00:28:59,133
because in later years, 
cities...

529
00:28:59,133 --> 00:29:01,833
start feeling 
that you're taking that money

530
00:29:01,833 --> 00:29:03,833
back to 
South Carolina,

531
00:29:03,833 --> 00:29:06,566
and they had 
their own problems,

532
00:29:06,566 --> 00:29:08,833
and welfare 
was a problem then.

533
00:29:08,833 --> 00:29:10,833
They'd tell you 
very nicely,

534
00:29:10,833 --> 00:29:14,566
"I'm sorry, but you go  
on back to South Carolina

535
00:29:14,566 --> 00:29:17,566
and let South Carolina  
take care of you."

536
00:29:17,566 --> 00:29:20,100
♪

537
00:29:20,100 --> 00:29:23,466
(Lincoln)  
Political problems at home  
also plagued the orphanage.

538
00:29:23,466 --> 00:29:25,466
Decimated  
by major fires,

539
00:29:25,466 --> 00:29:28,466
the Reverend Jenkins  
soon had to answer charges

540
00:29:28,466 --> 00:29:30,466
of neglect and abuse.

541
00:29:30,466 --> 00:29:32,733
By the end  
of the 1920s,

542
00:29:32,733 --> 00:29:35,366
the orphanage was  
in dire financial need.

543
00:29:35,366 --> 00:29:39,033
The Depression that plagued  
the rest of the nation

544
00:29:39,033 --> 00:29:41,833
stalked the Jenkins  
Orphanage as well.

545
00:29:41,833 --> 00:29:44,833
(Reverend Jenkins, dramatized)  
"Dear friend of the poor,

546
00:29:44,833 --> 00:29:47,866
"nothing but our present  
desperate financial condition

547
00:29:47,866 --> 00:29:51,233
"could force me  
to ask help at this time,

548
00:29:51,233 --> 00:29:53,500
"when all the country  
is united

549
00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:56,866
"in helping the suffering  
victims of the flood disaster,

550
00:29:56,866 --> 00:29:59,333
"but we, too,  
must have help,

551
00:29:59,333 --> 00:30:01,433
"or my  
life's work,

552
00:30:01,433 --> 00:30:04,433
"36 years saving,  
caring for,

553
00:30:04,433 --> 00:30:08,766
"and training thousands of  
destitute, helpless children,

554
00:30:08,766 --> 00:30:11,533
"must be abandoned.

555
00:30:11,533 --> 00:30:14,900
"My long illness  
and the failure of the bank

556
00:30:14,900 --> 00:30:17,533
"in which my  
reserve funds were kept

557
00:30:17,533 --> 00:30:19,833
"have placed us  
near starvation.

558
00:30:19,833 --> 00:30:22,466
"Please do read  
the enclosed small book

559
00:30:22,466 --> 00:30:25,100
"and pass it on  
to some friend

560
00:30:25,100 --> 00:30:27,733
"who may be glad  
to help us

561
00:30:27,733 --> 00:30:30,700
"in this worthy  
and needy cause.

562
00:30:30,700 --> 00:30:33,433
"Thanking you for  
whatever you may do.

563
00:30:33,433 --> 00:30:37,833
Respectfully,  
D.J. Jenkins, President."

564
00:30:37,833 --> 00:30:40,500
(Lincoln)  
On March 17, 1933,

565
00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:42,766
fire swept through  
the orphanage dormitory,

566
00:30:42,766 --> 00:30:44,766
gutting the entire  
third floor.

567
00:30:44,766 --> 00:30:47,033
Enraged, a group  
of white citizens

568
00:30:47,033 --> 00:30:49,300
demanded that the city  
assume control

569
00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:52,300
or that Reverend Jenkins  
be forced to relocate

570
00:30:52,300 --> 00:30:54,300
in the country.

571
00:30:54,300 --> 00:30:56,566
The city council  
chambers were packed

572
00:30:56,566 --> 00:30:59,566
as Reverend Jenkins rose  
to answer the charges.

573
00:30:59,566 --> 00:31:02,266
(Reverend Jenkins, dramatized)  
The Lord told me

574
00:31:02,266 --> 00:31:05,633
not to say anything,  
and He would fix it.

575
00:31:05,633 --> 00:31:07,633
But after hearing  
these remarks,

576
00:31:07,633 --> 00:31:11,000
I think I had better  
say a few words.

577
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,366
If you want me to go  
into the country,

578
00:31:14,366 --> 00:31:16,366
give me  
$50,000 quick

579
00:31:16,366 --> 00:31:19,366
and let me build  
a big place there.

580
00:31:19,366 --> 00:31:24,600
If you don't want to do that,  
let me run it as it is.

581
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,333
[no audio]

582
00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:29,333
(Lincoln)  
In the end,

583
00:31:29,333 --> 00:31:32,700
Reverend Jenkins was again  
applauded for his good works.

584
00:31:32,700 --> 00:31:36,433
It was the last major battle  
for the resourceful reverend,

585
00:31:36,433 --> 00:31:38,766
whose health  
had been failing.

586
00:31:38,766 --> 00:31:41,633
He began to grow  
progressively weaker,

587
00:31:41,633 --> 00:31:46,433
and on July 30, 1937,  
the man known across continents

588
00:31:46,433 --> 00:31:49,600
as "The Orphanage Man"  
finally slipped away.

589
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,600
♪

590
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:55,600
(female singer)  
♪ Let it shine,

591
00:31:55,600 --> 00:32:00,000
♪ let it shine,  
let it shine. ♪♪

592
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,233
♪

593
00:32:03,233 --> 00:32:05,500
(Green)  
Edmund Jenkins was with the--

594
00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:10,233
his father's orphanage  
band in England in 1914.

595
00:32:10,233 --> 00:32:17,300
He came back to England  
in October of 1914

596
00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:19,933
and joined 
the Royal Academy of Music.

597
00:32:19,933 --> 00:32:22,766
The Royal Academy 
of Music in London

598
00:32:22,766 --> 00:32:25,300
was founded 
in the year 1822,

599
00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:28,300
which isn't old by Charleston,  
South Carolina, standards,

600
00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:32,400
but it's older than many of  
the other colleges in England.

601
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,666
He studied there  
for seven years.

602
00:32:34,666 --> 00:32:36,933
At the Royal  
Academy of Music,

603
00:32:36,933 --> 00:32:39,566
he was the subprofessor  
of the clarinet,

604
00:32:39,566 --> 00:32:42,500
so whoever taught him  
the clarinet in America

605
00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:45,133
must have been  
an extremely skilled person.

606
00:32:45,133 --> 00:32:48,566
Edmund Jenkins was an extremely 
skilled instrumentalist.

607
00:32:48,566 --> 00:32:57,566
♪

608
00:32:57,566 --> 00:33:06,633
♪

609
00:33:06,633 --> 00:33:12,833
♪

610
00:33:12,833 --> 00:33:15,700
Edmund Jenkins  
was studying music

611
00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:18,300
at Morehouse College  
with Kemper Harreld,

612
00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:21,066
who was a very  
skilled tutor,

613
00:33:21,066 --> 00:33:24,800
a man whose--  
through whose school

614
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,833
many, many fine  
musicians came.

615
00:33:26,833 --> 00:33:30,933
In the jazz sense, the finest 
musician to have come through

616
00:33:30,933 --> 00:33:33,200
under Kemper Harreld 
was Fletcher Henderson.

617
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,200
Fletcher Henderson  
made the arrangements

618
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,466
for the orchestras  
of Benny Goodman.

619
00:33:37,466 --> 00:33:40,433
So the Swing Era  
is Benny Goodman's orchestra

620
00:33:40,433 --> 00:33:42,400
playing  
Fletcher Henderson's music,

621
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,400
and Fletcher Henderson 
was taught by Kemper Harreld.

622
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,033
So we're talking 
of an important individual.

623
00:33:48,033 --> 00:33:51,133
Kemper Harreld's favorite pupil  
was Edmund Jenkins.

624
00:33:51,133 --> 00:33:54,633
(Morgenstern)  
Jenkins was, apparently,  
an excellent clarinetist,

625
00:33:54,633 --> 00:33:56,633
and he did appear

626
00:33:56,633 --> 00:34:02,200
in one of the earliest  
British-made jazz recordings,

627
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:07,666
"Queen's" Dance Orchestra,  
something like that.

628
00:34:07,666 --> 00:34:10,900
The instigator was,  
at that time,

629
00:34:10,900 --> 00:34:13,666
a young pianist  
named Jack Hylton,

630
00:34:13,666 --> 00:34:16,333
who later became,  
so to speak,

631
00:34:16,333 --> 00:34:18,666
the Paul Whiteman  
of England

632
00:34:18,666 --> 00:34:21,666
and had an enormously  
successful band,

633
00:34:21,666 --> 00:34:26,666
used to develop a lot of 
famous-to-be British musicians.

634
00:34:26,666 --> 00:34:30,700
But this was 
his first recording venture,

635
00:34:30,700 --> 00:34:33,533
and it was 
quite probably

636
00:34:33,533 --> 00:34:37,000
the first integrated band 
to make records.

637
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,666
He was a pianist, an organist, 
and a clarinet player.

638
00:34:40,666 --> 00:34:42,666
I once  
had the privilege

639
00:34:42,666 --> 00:34:45,300
of talking to one  
of his colleagues,

640
00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:47,300
one of his friends,

641
00:34:47,300 --> 00:34:51,033
who told me that he was 
the first saxophone player--

642
00:34:51,033 --> 00:34:54,766
of any race-- 
to lead a dance band in Paris.

643
00:34:54,766 --> 00:34:57,033
We're talking 
about the year 1923.

644
00:34:57,033 --> 00:34:59,033
Edmund Jenkins  
wrote music,

645
00:34:59,033 --> 00:35:03,200
and the titles show that  
he was proud to be black...

646
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,200
"Afram," 
the "African War Dogs."

647
00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:08,200
He was proud to be  
from South Carolina.

648
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:10,833
He wrote an orchestral piece  
called "Charlestonia."

649
00:35:10,833 --> 00:35:13,100
We're not talking 
about a piece

650
00:35:13,100 --> 00:35:15,733
written for a 
seven-piece jazz band.

651
00:35:15,733 --> 00:35:18,000
We're talking 
about a piece

652
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,633
written for a 50- 
to 70-piece orchestra

653
00:35:20,633 --> 00:35:23,633
with three double basses, 
a piano and timpani,

654
00:35:23,633 --> 00:35:26,633
three French horns, 
all that sort of thing.

655
00:35:26,633 --> 00:35:30,366
His obituaries in the American  
press were written by friends

656
00:35:30,366 --> 00:35:34,033
who'd met him  
during his rather sad period

657
00:35:34,033 --> 00:35:36,033
between 1923  
and 1924.

658
00:35:36,033 --> 00:35:39,400
When he went back  
from Europe full of hopes,

659
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,666
found that  
the Black Renaissance

660
00:35:41,666 --> 00:35:45,000
didn't include 
the sort of music-making,

661
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,966
the orchestral music-making that 
he wanted to be involved in,

662
00:35:49,966 --> 00:35:52,300
he returned 
to France.

663
00:35:52,300 --> 00:35:56,800
He spent the last two years 
of his life based in Paris,

664
00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,166
but Edmund Jenkins' death 
at the age of 32

665
00:36:00,166 --> 00:36:02,500
cut off the promise 
so early

666
00:36:02,500 --> 00:36:05,500
that his American friends 
could only talk about

667
00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:07,500
what might 
have been.

668
00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:12,166
♪

669
00:36:12,166 --> 00:36:15,166
When I look into 
not only Edmund Jenkins

670
00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:19,100
but Emerson Harper, 
the other clarinet player

671
00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:21,433
in the Jenkins  
Orphanage Band,

672
00:36:21,433 --> 00:36:23,700
who were  
in England in 1914,

673
00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:28,066
Emerson Harper's career  
in music-making in New York

674
00:36:28,066 --> 00:36:30,800
was in the orchestral  
and radio sector.

675
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:32,800
Despite the fierce 
racial prejudice

676
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,800
and bigotry 
of the time,

677
00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:36,800
he was 
an individual--

678
00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,166
Emerson Harper of the Jenkins 
Orphanage was an individual

679
00:36:40,166 --> 00:36:43,900
who was capable of  
standing up to the extent

680
00:36:43,900 --> 00:36:49,333
that Langston Hughes  
dedicated his autobiography,

681
00:36:49,333 --> 00:36:53,200
"The Big Sea," to  
Emerson Harper and his wife.

682
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:55,833
Langston Hughes lived  
in New York City

683
00:36:55,833 --> 00:36:57,833
with Emerson Harper.

684
00:36:57,833 --> 00:37:00,133
Emerson Harper,  
as a professional musician,

685
00:37:00,133 --> 00:37:03,933
a music-maker trained  
by the Jenkins Orphanage Band,

686
00:37:03,933 --> 00:37:06,200
exists on the margin  
of jazz

687
00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:10,300
because he made one or two  
records in the jazz idiom.

688
00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:13,300
If you discard 
the jazz side of it

689
00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:17,833
and say "black music-making," 
"orchestral music-making,"

690
00:37:17,833 --> 00:37:22,233
Emerson Harper is one example 
and Edmund Jenkins is another.

691
00:37:22,233 --> 00:37:24,233
We must 
ask ourselves,

692
00:37:24,233 --> 00:37:26,666
What happened 
to the other instrumentalists,

693
00:37:26,666 --> 00:37:30,900
not the ones like Jabbo Smith 
or Bill Benford,

694
00:37:30,900 --> 00:37:34,266
who worked in the field 
of jazz music-making,

695
00:37:34,266 --> 00:37:38,266
but the others who made music 
of a different sort?

696
00:37:38,266 --> 00:37:40,266
(Lincoln)  
While the impact

697
00:37:40,266 --> 00:37:42,833
of Jenkins musicians  
on the classical world

698
00:37:42,833 --> 00:37:45,100
may be based  
largely on conjecture,

699
00:37:45,100 --> 00:37:48,566
there is no doubt  
that the Jenkins Orphanage Band

700
00:37:48,566 --> 00:37:50,833
fueled the development  
of jazz.

701
00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:54,166
Thomas Delaney, a prolific  
composer and pianist

702
00:37:54,166 --> 00:37:56,466
who toured  
the vaudeville circuits,

703
00:37:56,466 --> 00:37:59,566
pinned the jazz standard  
"Jasmine Blues."

704
00:37:59,566 --> 00:38:03,166
Amos White,  
who entered Jenkins in 1900,

705
00:38:03,166 --> 00:38:05,500
established  
a respectable career

706
00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:08,500
in New Orleans  
during the early '20s.

707
00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:10,766
The Aiken Brothers,  
Gus and Buddy,

708
00:38:10,766 --> 00:38:14,500
were a vital part  
of the New York recording scene

709
00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:16,500
in the early '20s.

710
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:18,500
Both toured  
with Fletcher Henderson

711
00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:20,500
before joining  
other groups.

712
00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,500
Gus is perhaps  
best-known for a recording

713
00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:25,766
made with Sidney Bechet  
around 1941.

714
00:38:25,766 --> 00:38:29,500
He was also a member  
of the Luis Russell Band,

715
00:38:29,500 --> 00:38:32,500
that played backup Armstrong  
in the early '30s.

716
00:38:32,500 --> 00:38:36,500
Another Jenkins 
Orphanage alumnus

717
00:38:36,500 --> 00:38:39,600
was the trombonist  
Geechie Fields,

718
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:42,866
who is not  
very well-documented

719
00:38:42,866 --> 00:38:47,366
but is important  
because he recorded  
with Jelly Roll Morton

720
00:38:47,366 --> 00:38:51,133
in a band that also  
included Tommy Benford.

721
00:38:51,133 --> 00:38:54,433
That was a band  
that Jelly put together

722
00:38:54,433 --> 00:38:59,000
up in New York  
in, uh, the late '20s.

723
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,700
(Lincoln)  
Tommy Benford  
was a great drummer

724
00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:03,966
who recorded  
with Jelly Roll Morton,

725
00:39:03,966 --> 00:39:08,066
then later made a famous  
record date in Paris in 1937

726
00:39:08,066 --> 00:39:10,066
with Coleman Hopkins,  
Benny Carter,

727
00:39:10,066 --> 00:39:12,066
and Django Reinhardt.

728
00:39:12,066 --> 00:39:14,700
The first acknowledged  
Jenkins Band star

729
00:39:14,700 --> 00:39:16,700
was Cladys "Jabbo" Smith.

730
00:39:16,700 --> 00:39:18,966
Jabbo Smith 
was another one

731
00:39:18,966 --> 00:39:21,966
of the great trumpet 
players of all time.

732
00:39:21,966 --> 00:39:24,033
Oh, Jabbo 
was phenomenal!

733
00:39:24,033 --> 00:39:26,033
I mean, Jabbo...

734
00:39:26,033 --> 00:39:28,033
I guess 
his earliest,

735
00:39:28,033 --> 00:39:30,366
some of  
his earliest stuff

736
00:39:30,366 --> 00:39:34,033
was with Charlie Johnson's  
band here in New York.

737
00:39:34,033 --> 00:39:39,300
The things that he made 
under his own name in Chicago,

738
00:39:39,300 --> 00:39:44,300
he obviously 
had, uh, caught on

739
00:39:44,300 --> 00:39:47,300
to what Louis Armstrong 
was doing,

740
00:39:47,300 --> 00:39:50,633
and had his own way 
of interpreting that.

741
00:39:50,633 --> 00:39:53,633
But he did it 
in a different way.

742
00:39:53,633 --> 00:39:55,633
He didn't 
imitate Louis.

743
00:39:55,633 --> 00:39:57,900
You see, 
all of his life,

744
00:39:57,900 --> 00:40:02,000
Jabbo has been compared 
to Louis Armstrong,

745
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,333
but people don't understand  
that it was not by the style.

746
00:40:06,333 --> 00:40:10,000
He was--really 
should have been compared

747
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,800
as  another 
great trumpet player

748
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:15,800
who was totally different 
from Louis in style.

749
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,900
Jabbo had his own style, 
had nothing to do with Louis,

750
00:40:19,900 --> 00:40:21,900
but he 
was great too.

751
00:40:21,900 --> 00:40:23,900
He had 
tremendous speed.

752
00:40:23,900 --> 00:40:26,566
My old friend 
Roy Eldridge

753
00:40:26,566 --> 00:40:30,266
who, unfortunately,  
isn't with us anymore,

754
00:40:30,266 --> 00:40:35,066
but--Roy was  
in a jam session,

755
00:40:35,066 --> 00:40:39,866
kind of a cutting contest 
with Jabbo in the '20s.

756
00:40:39,866 --> 00:40:43,466
He always talked about 
how impressive Jabbo was,

757
00:40:43,466 --> 00:40:45,466
and Roy 
was another one

758
00:40:45,466 --> 00:40:49,466
who loved to play 
very fast on the horn.

759
00:40:49,466 --> 00:40:52,166
That's what really 
impressed him about Jabbo,

760
00:40:52,166 --> 00:40:55,000
was the speed  
that he had.

761
00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:01,733
♪ 
[up-tempo 
trumpet playing]

762
00:41:01,733 --> 00:41:03,733
(Gordon)  
Well, it depends

763
00:41:03,733 --> 00:41:06,000
on what year  
you're talking about.

764
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:10,866
If you wanted to know about  
Jabbo when he was a young man

765
00:41:10,866 --> 00:41:14,966
and just out of the orphanage 
and doing his first recordings,

766
00:41:14,966 --> 00:41:17,966
that's what caught him 
at, actually, his peak.

767
00:41:17,966 --> 00:41:20,966
When he was 
17 or 18 years old,

768
00:41:20,966 --> 00:41:23,600
he did make 
a series of records.

769
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,733
So his playing 
was unbelievable,

770
00:41:26,733 --> 00:41:29,233
not like any 
other trumpet player

771
00:41:29,233 --> 00:41:31,566
who was playing 
at the time.

772
00:41:31,566 --> 00:41:33,833
It was 
very avant-garde.

773
00:41:33,833 --> 00:41:36,466
It was 
like a meteor.

774
00:41:36,466 --> 00:41:39,100
He was doing things 
on the trumpet

775
00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:41,033
that Louis Armstrong 
didn't do,

776
00:41:41,033 --> 00:41:44,766
because they didn't even 
know each other at that point.

777
00:41:44,766 --> 00:41:48,966
So Jabbo was a very 
original trumpet player...

778
00:41:48,966 --> 00:41:55,000
very dynamic, very daring, 
and hit those high registers

779
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,000
before that  
became something

780
00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,933
that lots of  
trumpet players did.

781
00:41:59,933 --> 00:42:03,000
So you see, 
Jabbo is a seminal figure

782
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,633
into the modern trumpet, 
unbeknownst to Jabbo.

783
00:42:05,633 --> 00:42:08,266
He just had 
that kind of character.

784
00:42:08,266 --> 00:42:10,533
He's just a  wild, 
irrepressible person,

785
00:42:10,533 --> 00:42:12,533
and handsome.

786
00:42:12,533 --> 00:42:17,033
He was just filled with 
the joy of life and his trumpet.

787
00:42:17,033 --> 00:42:19,666
So he played 
the way he thought,

788
00:42:19,666 --> 00:42:23,133
wild and extemporaneous 
and very beautiful.

789
00:42:23,133 --> 00:42:27,633
(Lincoln)  
Although mentioned  
in numerous jazz anthologies,

790
00:42:27,633 --> 00:42:31,533
Jabbo, who was equally adept  
on the trombone and euphonium,

791
00:42:31,533 --> 00:42:35,700
never really achieved  
much widespread public fame.

792
00:42:35,700 --> 00:42:40,500
(Gordon)  
There was a great guitar player  
by the name of Teddy Bunn.

793
00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:42,500
There's  
records on him...

794
00:42:42,500 --> 00:42:44,500
he was fabulous!

795
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:46,500
He knew Jabbo.

796
00:42:46,500 --> 00:42:50,600
If I have the story straight, 
he went to get Jabbo,

797
00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,600
because he heard Louis 
playing at this ball.

798
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:55,866
He said, "Jabbo, 
get your horn!

799
00:42:55,866 --> 00:42:59,966
"I want you to go down there 
and hear this guy,

800
00:42:59,966 --> 00:43:02,666
and I want you 
to cut him."

801
00:43:02,666 --> 00:43:06,766
So Jabbo, who was not 
aggressive in any way, did go.

802
00:43:06,766 --> 00:43:09,400
He went and played 
in the band,

803
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,033
and he and Louis 
had this session.

804
00:43:12,033 --> 00:43:15,033
Now, Louis' big number 
was "West End Blues,"

805
00:43:15,033 --> 00:43:17,366
which is gorgeous  
to this day.

806
00:43:17,366 --> 00:43:20,000
Well, Jabbo  
picked up and did it

807
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,266
and just floated away, 
and he--

808
00:43:22,266 --> 00:43:24,533
for the witnesses 
who were there

809
00:43:24,533 --> 00:43:26,566
who are 
alive today,

810
00:43:26,566 --> 00:43:30,000
all say  
that Jabbo cut Louis.

811
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,500
Jabbo's been rediscovered 
so many times.

812
00:43:32,500 --> 00:43:34,566
One of his later  
discoveries

813
00:43:34,566 --> 00:43:37,200
was for the play  
"One Mo' Time!"

814
00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:39,200
that the wonderful  
young man,

815
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,166
Vernel Bagneris, 
wrote from New Orleans.

816
00:43:42,166 --> 00:43:44,800
He got involved 
in "One Mo' Time!"

817
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:47,800
because Orange Kellen, 
who was our musical director,

818
00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:51,166
had been touring and looking 
for certain jazz legends

819
00:43:51,166 --> 00:43:53,333
that everybody 
collected their albums.

820
00:43:53,333 --> 00:43:55,600
One of those 
was Jabbo Smith.

821
00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,600
He found out that Jabbo 
was quite alive

822
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:00,666
and living 
in Milwaukee.

823
00:44:00,666 --> 00:44:02,666
So he brought 
him down

824
00:44:02,666 --> 00:44:06,033
and tried to get 
his lip back in shape.

825
00:44:06,033 --> 00:44:08,033
It takes 
a few months

826
00:44:08,033 --> 00:44:11,400
just to get the lip 
to a certain point.

827
00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:14,033
He came to see  
"One Mo' Time!"

828
00:44:14,033 --> 00:44:16,300
while he was  
in New Orleans.

829
00:44:16,300 --> 00:44:19,300
He was like a child 
at a circus!

830
00:44:19,300 --> 00:44:21,566
He enjoyed 
every moment of it.

831
00:44:21,566 --> 00:44:25,666
He  believed  every moment of it 
because it was his era.

832
00:44:25,666 --> 00:44:29,033
He asked if he  
could be in the show.

833
00:44:29,033 --> 00:44:31,300
I said, 
"I'll find a way."

834
00:44:31,300 --> 00:44:35,800
So I wrote him a part 
as a janitor at the Lyric.

835
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,533
I think it changed 
as Vernel got to know Jabbo,

836
00:44:39,533 --> 00:44:41,733
and Jabbo picked up 
his trumpet.

837
00:44:41,733 --> 00:44:45,766
He got a better script 
than just the janitor.

838
00:44:45,766 --> 00:44:49,500
Then he was incorporated  
into the band in New Orleans.

839
00:44:49,500 --> 00:44:54,000
Then the play came to New York  
at the Village Gate here,

840
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:56,266
where it was  
a  huge  success!

841
00:44:56,266 --> 00:45:01,200
Jabbo played trumpet and was  
in the band and sang two songs,

842
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:04,200
his own compositions, 
"Love" and "Yes, Yes, Yes."

843
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:08,200
Well, the city went crazy... 
Jabbo was a star again!

844
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:13,133
He's now in his 70s, 
and the phoenix has arisen!

845
00:45:13,133 --> 00:45:21,366
♪

846
00:45:21,366 --> 00:45:25,100
The title of our next number 
is "The Prowling Cat,"

847
00:45:25,100 --> 00:45:28,100
and "The Prowling Cat" 
will be executed by,

848
00:45:28,100 --> 00:45:30,366
or, rather, performed by, 
Cat Anderson.

849
00:45:30,366 --> 00:45:37,366
♪ 
[trumpet solo]

850
00:45:37,366 --> 00:45:42,933
♪

851
00:45:42,933 --> 00:45:45,900
(Chilton)  
One of the strong points

852
00:45:45,900 --> 00:45:51,066
of the Jenkins Orphanage  
trumpet playing and players

853
00:45:51,066 --> 00:45:54,500
is the excellent range,

854
00:45:54,500 --> 00:45:58,500
and this was...

855
00:45:58,500 --> 00:46:02,966
worked on avidly  
by the pupils themselves.

856
00:46:02,966 --> 00:46:06,300
In the early days,  
it's--

857
00:46:06,300 --> 00:46:08,300
playing high 
on the trumpet

858
00:46:08,300 --> 00:46:10,933
is rather like 
the four-minute mile.

859
00:46:10,933 --> 00:46:14,666
There was a sort of barrier 
for a long time.

860
00:46:14,666 --> 00:46:18,200
Then people broke through 
and began to play

861
00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:24,200
above what we call "top C" 
or what was called "top C."

862
00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:26,466
People thought 
that was just about

863
00:46:26,466 --> 00:46:29,833
as far as you  dared  go, 
or  could  go,

864
00:46:29,833 --> 00:46:34,500
but certainly, 
someone like Cat Anderson,

865
00:46:34,500 --> 00:46:38,566
one of the big stars 
of the Jenkins Orphanage Band,

866
00:46:38,566 --> 00:46:42,433
could go at least 
an octave above that...

867
00:46:42,433 --> 00:46:46,266
I mean,  at least 
an octave, comfortably!

868
00:46:46,266 --> 00:46:49,266
He worked on this, 
and there was rivalry...

869
00:46:49,266 --> 00:46:51,266
who could go 
the highest?

870
00:46:51,266 --> 00:46:53,933
Who could run faster, 
as it were?

871
00:46:53,933 --> 00:46:57,666
Cat was not only 
an amazing high-note man,

872
00:46:57,666 --> 00:47:01,100
but he was a great 
all-around trumpet player.

873
00:47:01,100 --> 00:47:04,833
He could play anything 
you put in front of him.

874
00:47:04,833 --> 00:47:06,833
He could growl.

875
00:47:06,833 --> 00:47:08,833
He could imitate  
the style,

876
00:47:08,833 --> 00:47:11,466
and he was very useful  
to Ellington.

877
00:47:11,466 --> 00:47:20,466
♪

878
00:47:20,466 --> 00:47:29,466
♪

879
00:47:29,466 --> 00:47:37,466
♪

880
00:47:37,466 --> 00:47:40,100
Cat Anderson was  
an amazing jazz musician

881
00:47:40,100 --> 00:47:42,466
and an excellent  
arranger and writer.

882
00:47:42,466 --> 00:47:45,466
I think that training  
must have been something

883
00:47:45,466 --> 00:47:47,500
that he got  
at Jenkins,

884
00:47:47,500 --> 00:47:49,666
because there weren't,  
you know,

885
00:47:49,666 --> 00:47:53,566
too many guys who were  
that well-equipped all around.

886
00:47:53,566 --> 00:47:56,566
(Lincoln)  
Anderson and several  
of his Jenkins colleagues

887
00:47:56,566 --> 00:47:59,200
left the orphanage  
in the early '30s

888
00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:01,533
to form the  
Carolina Cotton Pickers,

889
00:48:01,533 --> 00:48:03,800
a group which enjoyed  
moderate success

890
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:06,300
and recorded  
for Vocalion.

891
00:48:06,300 --> 00:48:09,966
Carolina Cotton Pickers... 
he came out of that band.

892
00:48:09,966 --> 00:48:14,233
They came to New York 
and played the Apollo Theater.

893
00:48:14,233 --> 00:48:17,400
I got Cat 
out of that band.

894
00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:20,400
He stayed with me 
for a long time

895
00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:22,666
before he went 
to Duke Ellington.

896
00:48:22,666 --> 00:48:24,666
He was  
a good guy.

897
00:48:24,666 --> 00:48:28,766
He didn't like to hear  
the guys play the wrong way.

898
00:48:28,766 --> 00:48:32,500
If a guy would--wasn't 
playing right on his horn,

899
00:48:32,500 --> 00:48:35,500
well, Cat would 
get on him, you know!

900
00:48:35,500 --> 00:48:37,766
He would learn 
him something, though.

901
00:48:37,766 --> 00:48:41,066
He'd say, "Man, you 
got to play like this."

902
00:48:41,066 --> 00:48:44,066
There were several  
who were the same way.

903
00:48:44,066 --> 00:48:46,066
He was  
a quiet guy.

904
00:48:46,066 --> 00:48:49,433
He did all of his talking  
with his horn.

905
00:48:49,433 --> 00:48:52,433
He could talk with his horn,  
all right!

906
00:48:52,433 --> 00:48:59,100
♪

907
00:48:59,100 --> 00:49:05,833
♪

908
00:49:05,833 --> 00:49:09,566
Like I said before,  
Cat used to play so high,

909
00:49:09,566 --> 00:49:12,200
I thought he  
was playing a fiddle!

910
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:15,200
[laughing]

911
00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:20,033
(male singer)  
♪ I love you like mad...  
I love you like crazy. ♪♪

912
00:49:20,033 --> 00:49:23,033
♪

913
00:49:23,033 --> 00:49:26,400
(Lincoln)  
Peanuts Holland was another  
trumpet player of note.

914
00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:31,400
♪ 
[trumpet solo]

915
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:36,633
♪

916
00:49:36,633 --> 00:49:40,133
Holland and an excellent  
trombonist named Snub Moseley

917
00:49:40,133 --> 00:49:43,133
were the stars  
of the Alphonse Trent Band,

918
00:49:43,133 --> 00:49:45,466
which was headquartered  
in Texas.

919
00:49:45,466 --> 00:49:48,833
Several recordings from  
the late '20s and early '30s

920
00:49:48,833 --> 00:49:51,500
showcase Peanuts  
at his best.

921
00:49:51,500 --> 00:49:58,866
♪

922
00:49:58,866 --> 00:50:00,866
During  
the mid-'40s

923
00:50:00,866 --> 00:50:02,866
Holland was  
a featured trumpeter

924
00:50:02,866 --> 00:50:05,500
and singer  
with the Charlie Barnet Band.

925
00:50:05,500 --> 00:50:07,766
In 1946  
he went to Europe

926
00:50:07,766 --> 00:50:10,400
with a band  
organized by Don Redman.

927
00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:13,033
This was the first  
American jazz band

928
00:50:13,033 --> 00:50:16,033
to go to Europe  
following World War II.

929
00:50:16,033 --> 00:50:20,533
♪ Baby's got a heart like 
a rock in the deep blue sea. ♪

930
00:50:20,533 --> 00:50:23,900
♪ Hey, pretty baby, 
what you gonna do with me? ♪♪

931
00:50:23,900 --> 00:50:28,233
I think the band encouraged 
showmanship as well,

932
00:50:28,233 --> 00:50:31,933
which is an important factor  
of musical presentation.

933
00:50:31,933 --> 00:50:37,133
Sylvester Briscoe was  
an early star of the band.

934
00:50:37,133 --> 00:50:40,900
He could play  
very adeptly with his feet.

935
00:50:40,900 --> 00:50:43,233
He could 
get his feet--

936
00:50:43,233 --> 00:50:45,433
taking his shoes off, 
naturally--

937
00:50:45,433 --> 00:50:48,166
around the slide 
of the trombone

938
00:50:48,166 --> 00:50:52,133
and play very technical 
pieces in that way,

939
00:50:52,133 --> 00:50:56,933
which is--well, it 
brought the house down!

940
00:50:56,933 --> 00:51:01,400
At least it...the sidewalk 
went crazy when he did this.

941
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,000
So the interesting 
thing is,

942
00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:08,633
I think all of the Jenkins 
Orphanage musicians

943
00:51:08,633 --> 00:51:11,066
had a sort of 
musical presence.

944
00:51:11,066 --> 00:51:14,433
Whenever I saw them 
in action in later years,

945
00:51:14,433 --> 00:51:17,066
I was always impressed 
by the fact

946
00:51:17,066 --> 00:51:22,100
that they got their music 
over  boldly  and with skill.

947
00:51:22,100 --> 00:51:24,733
(Lincoln)  
Another Jenkins protégé  
was Freddie Green,

948
00:51:24,733 --> 00:51:27,366
master of Count Basie's  
percussive rhythm beat.

949
00:51:27,366 --> 00:51:29,966
Although not an  
orphanage inmate himself,

950
00:51:29,966 --> 00:51:33,066
Green once sang  
with the band on tour.

951
00:51:33,066 --> 00:51:36,466
Later he took music theory  
lessons at the orphanage.

952
00:51:36,466 --> 00:51:38,533
♪

953
00:51:38,533 --> 00:51:41,633
He and Basie were 
sort of synonymous.

954
00:51:41,633 --> 00:51:45,366
You know, I mean, when 
anyone thought of Count Basie,

955
00:51:45,366 --> 00:51:47,633
they also thought 
of Freddie Green.

956
00:51:47,633 --> 00:51:53,966
Freddie spent  
49 years and 52 weeks

957
00:51:53,966 --> 00:51:56,866
in the band  
with Count Basie.

958
00:51:56,866 --> 00:52:00,933
He immediately 
sort of, uh...

959
00:52:00,933 --> 00:52:02,933
took me 
under his wing

960
00:52:02,933 --> 00:52:06,300
when he realized that 
I was from South Carolina.

961
00:52:06,300 --> 00:52:08,300
We talked 
about South Carolina.

962
00:52:08,300 --> 00:52:10,566
He talked 
about a Professor Blake,

963
00:52:10,566 --> 00:52:12,833
by the way, 
at Jenkins Orphanage,

964
00:52:12,833 --> 00:52:15,100
who taught him harmony  
and theory

965
00:52:15,100 --> 00:52:18,466
on Sunday afternoons  
when he'd go by the orphanage.

966
00:52:18,466 --> 00:52:23,400
Professor Blake, evidently, was  
one of the teachers at Jenkins.

967
00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:25,400
"Mr. Rhythm" 
we called him,

968
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:30,066
because he... 
he established the art

969
00:52:30,066 --> 00:52:34,033
of rhythm guitar playing 
with the orchestra

970
00:52:34,033 --> 00:52:38,633
in a way that no one else 
has been able to emulate.

971
00:52:38,633 --> 00:52:44,566
♪

972
00:52:44,566 --> 00:52:48,766
♪

973
00:52:48,766 --> 00:52:52,700
(Morganstern)  
Freddie was an  
extraordinary phenomenon.

974
00:52:52,700 --> 00:52:58,400
He was--in effect, he was 
the only rhythm guitarist

975
00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:02,466
who survived 
the revolutionary change

976
00:53:02,466 --> 00:53:05,466
in the use of 
that instrument in jazz,

977
00:53:05,466 --> 00:53:09,333
which, mainly through the impact 
of Charlie Christian,

978
00:53:09,333 --> 00:53:13,766
then became amplified 
and became a solo instrument

979
00:53:13,766 --> 00:53:16,400
rather than part 
of the rhythm section.

980
00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:20,233
[drum solo]

981
00:53:20,233 --> 00:53:23,233
(Lincoln)  
Rufus "Speedy" Jones  
was a great drummer

982
00:53:23,233 --> 00:53:26,600
who often played gigs with  
the Jenkins Orphanage Band.

983
00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:29,966
As a child he learned  
to play trumpet, clarinet,

984
00:53:29,966 --> 00:53:32,966
violin, and sax  
before turning to the drums.

985
00:53:32,966 --> 00:53:35,966
He played with a host  
of major figures,

986
00:53:35,966 --> 00:53:38,600
including Lionel Hampton,  
Red Allen, Woody Herman,

987
00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:41,466
Duke Ellington,  
Maynard Ferguson, and Basie.

988
00:53:41,466 --> 00:53:47,466
[drum solo]

989
00:53:47,466 --> 00:53:52,266
[drum solo]

990
00:53:52,266 --> 00:53:56,933
(Morganstern)  
He really was  
devoted to the drums

991
00:53:56,933 --> 00:54:01,033
and very serious 
and he had terrific hands...

992
00:54:01,033 --> 00:54:03,200
very good technical drummer... 
extraordinary!

993
00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:05,200
He had 
great endurance,

994
00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:07,466
which probably 
came from the fact

995
00:54:07,466 --> 00:54:10,466
that he was practicing 
all of the time!

996
00:54:10,466 --> 00:54:19,900
[drum solo]

997
00:54:19,900 --> 00:54:28,900
♪

998
00:54:28,900 --> 00:54:35,900
♪

999
00:54:35,900 --> 00:54:40,466
♪

1000
00:54:40,466 --> 00:54:43,666
[cheering  
and applause]

1001
00:54:43,666 --> 00:54:47,500
♪

1002
00:54:47,500 --> 00:54:50,500
(Lincoln)  
Not all Jenkins  
sidemen reached stardom,

1003
00:54:50,500 --> 00:54:53,333
but the list of sidemen  
is impressive.

1004
00:54:53,333 --> 00:54:57,566
They peopled the famous bands  
of the '20s, '30s, and '40s,

1005
00:54:57,566 --> 00:55:00,033
lending their efforts  
to Lucky Millinder,

1006
00:55:00,033 --> 00:55:03,766
Charlie Johnson,  
Blanche Calloway, Luis Russell,

1007
00:55:03,766 --> 00:55:06,166
Claude Hopkins,  
Dizzy Gillespie,

1008
00:55:06,166 --> 00:55:08,633
Fletcher Henderson,  
Jelly Roll Morton,

1009
00:55:08,633 --> 00:55:11,133
Duke Ellington,  
Count Basie, and more!

1010
00:55:11,133 --> 00:55:13,133
Today there  
are no bands

1011
00:55:13,133 --> 00:55:15,766
to support the reduced  
number of children

1012
00:55:15,766 --> 00:55:19,000
now entrusted to foster care  
at the orphanage.

1013
00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:21,466
The orphanage  
has a new mission,

1014
00:55:21,466 --> 00:55:25,333
but the legacy of the Jenkins  
Orphanage Band lives on

1015
00:55:25,333 --> 00:55:28,700
in the musical heritage  
it inspired.

1016
00:55:28,700 --> 00:55:38,666
♪

1017
00:55:38,666 --> 00:55:42,333
(Lonnie Hamilton)  
I would get to know the guys

1018
00:55:42,333 --> 00:55:44,333
by hanging  
around the band.

1019
00:55:44,333 --> 00:55:46,966
I would hold 
the music for them

1020
00:55:46,966 --> 00:55:49,600
because they were 
playing on the street...

1021
00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:51,600
they had 
no stands.

1022
00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:53,600
These guys were  
exceptional musicians.

1023
00:55:53,600 --> 00:55:56,233
Anybody that came  
out of that orphanage

1024
00:55:56,233 --> 00:55:58,233
at that time 
really played.

1025
00:55:58,233 --> 00:56:05,433
♪

1026
00:56:05,433 --> 00:56:07,433
There was a time, 
though,

1027
00:56:07,433 --> 00:56:09,700
that the Northerners, 
black and white,

1028
00:56:09,700 --> 00:56:11,700
thought that 
all the musicians

1029
00:56:11,700 --> 00:56:13,966
from Charleston, 
South Carolina, were good

1030
00:56:13,966 --> 00:56:17,333
because of being preceded by 
the Jenkins Orphanage history.

1031
00:56:17,333 --> 00:56:20,700
Even if you had 
nothing to do with it,

1032
00:56:20,700 --> 00:56:23,700
they assumed that if 
you were in Charleston,

1033
00:56:23,700 --> 00:56:25,966
you'd  seen 
the Jenkins Orphanage Band,

1034
00:56:25,966 --> 00:56:27,966
you got something 
from it.

1035
00:56:27,966 --> 00:56:29,966
That's still 
true today.

1036
00:56:29,966 --> 00:56:38,966
♪

1037
00:56:38,966 --> 00:56:47,900
♪

1038
00:56:47,900 --> 00:56:55,400
♪

1039
00:56:55,400 --> 00:57:00,066
[cheering  
and applause]

1040
00:57:00,066 --> 00:57:02,400
♪

1041
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:08,733
♪

1042
00:57:08,733 --> 00:57:14,733
♪  
Program captioned by:  
CompuScripts Captioning, Inc.  
803.988.8438.

1043
00:57:14,733 --> 00:57:24,400
♪

1044
00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:33,733
♪

1045
00:57:33,733 --> 00:57:42,666
♪

1046
00:57:42,666 --> 00:57:51,666
♪

1047
00:57:51,666 --> 00:58:00,066
♪