ABSTRACT
The trumpet styles of Freddie Hubbard and Lester Bowie illustrate that black masculinity can be performed in a range of modes rather than the monolithic racist stereotypes. Jazz in general, and the trumpet in particular, is a fruitful place to investigate these modalities as jazz has been a traditionally privileged space for the exercise of masculinity and an atypically unrestricted space for the exercise of black masculinity. After a consideration of the trumpet as an exemplar of jazzmasculinity, behaviors discouraging non-masculine participation as student musicians are examined. Hubbard and Bowie’s performances of jazzmasculinity can be related to archetypes found in African folklore and spiritual practices, suggesting that alternative yet accepted modalities of black masculine behavior exist within the black community and outside the racist limitations developed during and after slavery. Jazz would benefit greatly from the full participation of women, but the obverse of what makes the field a haven for masculinist culture at times contributes to women’s active discouragement. Nonetheless, the freedom to be masculine that African American men have uniquely enjoyed in jazz should not play a part in hindering women’s full participation in the music.
Gender terms in the chapter: Despite reservations, I have used the terms male and men, and female and women rather freely and interchangeably. An exception is that that when discussing school-aged pre-adults, I have used girl and boy. A concern has been when discussing the subset of the population who do not identify as male, I have sometimes felt forced to use non-male, with the reservation that this normalizes maleness. There may be an occasion where I used “female and non-binary” in place of non-male. I consider myself as cis-gendered African American male.
