chronology for Toni Morrison's JAZZ and more TM links!

You will notice that JAZZ is not a conventional novel (sorry, Frank) and that events occur sometimes in unusual order. So here's a chronology I found on-line:

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/Clayton/234jazz.htm

When you read the author's forward, you will understand why she chose to write the book as she did.

Morrison knows her history, her culture, her music. This book is a great launch pad into early 20th century American history. A very few links follow. Track some down for yourselves.

For the East St. Louis riots:

http://www.exodusnews.com/HISTORY/History010.htm

My late father was sent south from Michigan after he was drafted into the army for WWII. He said he wept as the bus went through east St. Louis. Not a happy place.

To find out more about the Great Migration of black Americans from the south to the north, check here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/peopleevents/e_sharecroppers.html

And here are some music links:

Race records (African American music on records):

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/exchange/exchange_race_records.htm

Okeh records, mentioned more than once in the book:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/4041/

Look for Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington, among other musicians of the time.

aloha, sms