When it comes to television and film, jazz takes a backseat as the stepbrother to hip-hop, soul or pop music, so it was somewhat of a surprise when J.K. Simmons won Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for the jazz-based film “Whiplash” at the recent 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards.
“Whiplash” is a 2014 American drama written and directed by Damien Chazelle. The film stars Miles Teller (as Andrew Neiman) as a young jazz drummer who attends one of the country’s best music schools (like Juilliard) under the tutelage of the school’s fanatical jazz leader, Simmons (as Terence Fletcher).
Ironically, Simmons’ role was more in tune with a hyper-mental patient in desperate need of heavy meds as opposed to a cool jazz setting, molding young minds. Simmons’ character constantly belittles the young music student and slaps his face on many occasions.
In Hollywood, the scenes have to be over the top to get the average person’s attention. “Whiplash” is totally over the edge, but Simmons played the role to the max. He was the over-committed jazz conductor who demanded results at any cost from his students.
Teller’s character says his goal is to be the next Buddy Rich, and his actions demonstrate he’s determined to reach that goal despite his conductor’s abuse. Charlie Parker’s name was thrown around a few times as well, but what is a jazz film without mentioning the legend? It was rather telling to see a jazz film without one Black co-star, but then again, Charlie Chan wasn’t always Chinese.
Personally, I can’t remember the last time a (fictional) film was made that dealt with jazz except a few such as Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990), Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999) and “The Terminal” (2004), starring Tom Hanks with the saxophonist Benny Golson. Most jazz films are documentaries. So let’s see if “Whiplash” inspires any spontaneous combustion.
One year before the three Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 (part of the Selma Voting Rights Campaign that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act), Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the opening address for the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival: “God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.
“Jazz speaks for life. The blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.”
As noted, King points out that much of the power of the Freedom Movement came from this music. The music is an outcry from King. He was the spear whose eloquent words described the blues of America’s difficulties and its inequalities. Albums such as Max Roach’s “We Insist: Freedom Now!” and Herbie Hancock’s “The Prisoner” were reflections of King’s ongoing efforts for equality, from voting rights to eliminating segregation.
Paramount’s film “Selma,” co-produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, brings the reality of the Selma marches to the screen, the violence, the racism and the determination of a people.
The film demonstrates that King (played by David Oyelowo) was a soldier of justice, who believed in nonviolence but remained on the front line when it came to being jailed or confronted by police dogs, angry racists and bigoted police officers. That takes courage and the heart of a true warrior.
The film’s soundtrack incorporates jazz tunes written by pianist-composer Jason Moran and the song “Glory,” written by Common and John Legend, which, to date, won Best Song at the recent Golden Globe Awards and the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards. “Glory,” with its mix of blues intonated spoken word soul, is a 2015 update of “We Shall Overcome” and “We Shall Not Be Moved.”
The music says it all along, with the superb acting of Oyelowo and the direction of Ava DuVernay (who should have been nominated for an Academy Award). While the film is nominated for an Oscar for Best Film, in the recent awards presentations, the film has been overlooked. However, winning in the Best Original Song category could be an unconscious response from the Academy, as if to say, “you know those Black people just love to sing.”
Perhaps “Selma” will win Best Film, but what is more important is that people realize that the struggle for equality in America continues to be an ongoing battle, as W.E.B. DuBois stated, “The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color-line,” which has extended into the 21st century.
With the controversy around “Selma,” Hollywood’s lack of diversity and voting rights being dismantled, we see King’s spirit as the civil rights drum major in this new century.
During King’s birthday month, a man of his caliber is worth more than just one day of celebration. Take time to read his books, including “A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings” and “Speeches” (he wrote and delivered more speeches than “I Had a Dream,” which has become a media cliche), “The Words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” and “Why We Can’t Wait.”
King stated, “A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.”