The
Jazz Palace by Mary Morris is part historical novel,
part mystery, and is filled with cultural heritage. She writes
how poverty, race relations, romance, immigrants, migrants
and gangsters shaped the city of Chicago. The mystery comes
into play as readers wonder what will happen to those struggling
“outsiders” as they face triumphs and tribulations.
Although the primary story is fictional, the many historical
details and characters add to the plot’s authenticity.
The novel opens with the sinking of the SS Eastland in 1915,
where hundreds drowned in a capsized Lake Michigan ferry.
Through this tragedy, the author introduces two of the main
characters, Benny Lehrman and Pearl Chimbrova. As the story
unfolds, it becomes apparent there are three main protagonists
with a major supporting character, the music of jazz, which
is inseparable from the character’s lives.
Benny is a Jewish teenager growing up on the North side of
Chicago in the early twentieth century. His father wants him
to participate in the family business of making hats, but
Benny’s real passion is playing piano, especially jazz.
At night he sneaks down to the South Side, slipping into predominantly
black clubs to hear jazz groups play, until one night when
he plays an improvisational piece. It is here that he is befriended
by a black trumpeter, Napoleon, who resembles the famous Louis
Armstrong.
Morris commented, “During that era in Chicago there
were migration, immigration, Anti-Semitism, and racism. Jews
and blacks have felt a certain connection. Louis Armstrong
wore a Jewish star around his neck. He talked about a Jewish
family giving him the money to buy his first instrument.”
Napoleon Hill brings together Benny and Pearl. She runs a
saloon, offering drinks and jazz to its customers. Recognizing
the talents of Benny and Napoleon, she invites them to start
playing at her family's saloon, which Napoleon dubs, "The
Jazz Palace." But, Napoleon must contend with mob bosses
who see him as their property, including the real life gangster
Al Capone, a lover of the music. A powerful quote in the book
emphasizes this point: “The Stroll (the center of urban
black entertainment) is a big plantation. The musicians had
their jazz slave masters, just like in the old days.”
She noted, “Nothing was better for live music in Chicago
than prohibition. Al Capone said people want booze and music
so that is what I am giving them. Even though alcohol was
illegal throughout the US, in Chicago it was a thriving business.
It was like a toxic soup that fed into the music. People would
go from club to club to drink, dance, and hang out. But, the
gangsters owned the musicians. They were not free to go from
place to place, and were at risk if they tried to play at
a different club. Blacks were exploited, but in subtle ways.
If they tried to leave they faced horrific cruelty.”
Readers are spell bound as they wonder what will happen to
the characters, while they can picture the music playing in
the background. The action ratchets up like a jazz crescendo
with the ending a triumphant climax. As Morris wrote about
Benny, “He was inside a globe like a paperweight and
around him the music swirled, shaking, and what had been outside
was inside of him now.”
The Jazz Palace brings to life the jazz era of the
1920s. Readers will feel they are actually in the saloons
with Al Capone, Louis Armstrong, and those who ignored the
prohibition laws. They will be transported to another place
and time with the well-developed characters, historical plot
and mysterious story.
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