W. C. Handy, Abbe Niles

What is it about?

This article examines (auto)biographical writings on W. C. Handy of the mid-1920s against the backdrop of Paul Whiteman's preeminent role in American popular music culture. It demonstrates how Handy's efforts to cast himself as an "affineur" of African American music contrasted Whiteman's rhetoric of domestication and his self-performances as a "dompteur" of early jazz.

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Why is it important?

This article examines (auto)biographical writings on W. C. Handy of the mid-1920s against the backdrop of Paul Whiteman's preeminent role in American popular music culture. It demonstrates how Handy's efforts to cast himself as an "affineur" of African American music contrasted Whiteman's rhetoric of domestication and his self-performances as a "dompteur" of early jazz.