Lesson 41

Hide-Ho, The Duke Plays the Palace: African-American Entertainers

OBJECTIVES:

To acquaint the students with the African-American entertainers who performed in Cleveland during the 1940s.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

• Handout 1 - Review of Duke Ellington Concert
• Handout 2 - "Hey-Ba-Re Bop"
• Handout 3 - "Cab Calloway"
• Handout 4 - Advertisements for African-American Entertainers

TERMS

vibraharp		Lionel Hampton		Stage Door Canteen
virtuoso		Duke Ellington		Erskine Hawkins
syncopation		Django Rheinhardt		"Black, Brown, and Beige Suite"
dulcet		Cab Calloway		"King of the Hi De Ho"
sepia revue		"Stormy Weather"		"Minnie the Moocher"
savants		Tin Pan Alley		disc addict
jive music		Paul Robeson		tonal color

LESSON FOCUS:

1. Who were some of the African-American entertainers who performed in Cleveland during the 1940s?

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

1. Distribute copies of the handouts to the students. Have the students use the handouts to answer the questions for discussion below:
   

   a.	What types of entertainment did African-American performers provide for the community during the 1940s?
   b.	Were these entertainments restricted to the African-American audience?
   c.	How do you know to which audience these performances were aimed?
   d.	Where did Duke Ellington perform ?
   e.	Where did Lionel Hampton and Cab Calloway perform?
   f.	Does the place where these entertainers performed tell you anything about the type of performance they presented?
   g.	Look at the list of records in the Pete's Subway Record Shop advertisement. Do you recognize the names of any of the performers? What types of music are listed?
   h.	Look at the prices for concert tickets in the ad for Paul Robeson's appearance. How do these ticket prices compare with the price of a concert ticket today?
   i.	Look at the ad for Erskine Hawkins appearance. What does the ad assume you know?

2. The teacher might want to bring some samples of the performance of each of the above for the students to listen to. "Duke Ellington's Greatest Hits," Intersound Inc., 1989, is a good choice.
3. Have students examine how the acceptance of African-American music styles has changed over the last 50 years. Have students discuss how they feel music will change in the future.