King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Gennett Records and the KKK

 

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Gennett Records and the KKK

 

Many black and white Chicago jazz greats in the early 20’s had to pile in their jalopies and motor 255 miles to Richmond, IN to record at the Stark Piano Co. campus. Stark Piano created a record company division Gennett Records which didn’t discriminate, recording every type of music from early jazz to KKK songs. One reason for the latter, Richmond was in the heart of KKK territory rampant in Indiana.

Louis Armstrong made several trips there to record with Joe ‘King’ Oliver's Creole Jazz band. His first of almost a thousand recordings occurred April 5, 1923

 

Exactly 6 months later the band returned to Richmond on October 5 for another session. Like before, they arrived by train and weren’t allowed to stay in Richmond which was a Klan stronghold. The found rooms in Goose Town, the black enclave just a few miles from the Gennett recording studio.

 

Thru a bad coincidence Richmond was holding a gigantic KKK parade October 5, attended by over 35,000 people. Worse, it occurred just a few blocks from the Gennett Record studio. King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, waxing groundbreaking American art form music, faced a life threatening dilemma…record or bail out before the nearby Klan parade. King hustled his crew into the studio, laid down 4 tunes still revered a century on, then skedaddled his musicians to the train depot for a hasty exit ahead of the Klan parade. 

 

Great art is a challenge under perfect conditions. But upon hearing ‘Workingman’s Blues’ or Krooked Blues’ recorded that day, one can ponder the fear that motivated the King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band to get them right on the first take

On Ukraine war and Israeli Gaza genocide, Trump playing Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde

 

On Ukraine war and Israeli Gaza genocide, Trump playing Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde 

We in the peace community welcome any leader who seeks peaceful resolution to ongoing wars. That is why we welcomed Trump’s break with predecessor Biden’s senseless war with Russia in Ukraine. 

Trump wisely campaigned to end the war and swiftly started negotiations to do that upon returning to power. Astonishing as Biden not only prosecuted the war endlessly for his last 29 months, he refused to even recognize the existence of Russian leaders much less communicate with them. 

Trump quickly sidelined Biden’s war puppet Zelensky who stupidly believed the BS Biden fed him that Ukraine could prevail with endless US weapons but not one drop of US blood. 

Negotiating peace will be daunting since Trump has no cards to play in achieving any semblance of Biden’s unrealistic war objectives. But he can shift the onslaught of blame that will erupt from the US war party where it rightly belongs…on Joe Biden. 

Concerning Ukraine, Trump is channeling the wise and kindly Dr. Jekyll. But when it comes to Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza, Trump’s ingesting some bad medicine which turns him into the murderous Mr. Hyde. 

He’s ecstatic over the prospect of a colossal Trump real estate development to expand Greater Israel into Gaza after 2,300,000 Palestinians (less the hundred thousand already expired) are dead and gone. To that end he’s keeping the genocide weapons train rolling along, winking ‘A OK’ to Israel’s cutting off of all food, water, medicine, and electricity prodding Palestinians to leave ‘voluntarily’. 

Then, instead of arresting indicted war criminal Netanyahu when he visited the Oval Office, Trump bragged about how they’re working furiously in tandem to find nearby countries to absorb the displaced Palestinians so the Trump Gaza project can commence.

 All things considered, we in the peace community prefer Trump’s Ukraine Dr. Jekyll to his Israeli genocide Mr. Hyde.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL

When will Rachael Maddow, Chris Hayes and Lawrence O’Donnell acknowledge, condemn US enabled genocide in Gaza?

 

When will Rachael Maddow, Chris Hayes and Lawrence O’Donnell acknowledge, condemn US enabled genocide in Gaza?

Every night millions of progressives and folks of good will tune in to these three MSNBC progressive stalwarts thirsting for moral clarity on the critical issues America, indeed humanity faces.

And every night for the past 560 days, Maddow Hayes and O’Donnell have blotted out discussion of the most critical issue that should be Story One every night: the US enabled Israeli genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

It commenced the day after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel which provided Netanyahu the perfect casus belli to implement his long sought goal extending Greater Israel. It has destroyed every semblance of life for the remaining two million Palestinians not among the likely hundred thousand already dead.

It’s entering its final phase since Israel broke the temporary ceasefire to resume relentless bombing. Over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed, wounded in the 3 weeks since. An average of 100 Palestinian kids are obliterated daily. Israel has blocked all food, humanitarian aid and electricity to Gaza. Its military has seized half of Gaza and made two thirds “no go” zones for Palestinians seeking refuge. Soon all the Palestinians in Gaza will be dead or gone.

None of this could occur without America's tens of billions in weapons, US vetoes of UN resolutions to end the genocide, US refusal to support the International Criminal Court's indictment of Netanyahu among other unrelenting support. 

Instead of arresting indicted war criminal Netanyahu at the White House, Trump welcomed him to cooperate on plans to remove every Palestinian from Gaza, sending them to Egypt, Somalia, Sudan Somaliland or whatever dumping ground they can secure. It’s the most grisly genocidal ethnic cleansing since WWII.

Yet, night after night, while the slaughter goes on, Maddow, Hayes, O’Donnell and every other pretend decent journalist on mainstream news turns away from the genocide occurring right before their eyes.

When will Maddow, Hayes, O’Donnell and the others acknowledge, condemn the US enabled genocide in Gaza? Likely never for reasons they demur to offer.

May it come to haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL