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Article: LIMELIGHT
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 6, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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GIANTS OF JAZZ
What do the Charleston and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," have
in common? Early jazz rhythms influenced both.
Arnae Burton and a dozen members of the Smithsonian Movement in
Classic Jazz want to set history straight. "Jazz elements from 1890
to 1940 were very important for later jazz forms. For instance,
James P. Johnson wrote the rhythmic patterns used in the Charleston
and `Billie Jean,' " says Burton, producer of a jazz music series at
the National Museum of American History. "It's just that most people
don't know it."
Organized in conjunction with the "Field to Factory:
Afro-American Migration, 1915-1940" exhibition at the Museum of
American History, the "Jazz in ...