On May 9, 1919, celebrated African American composer and military bandleader James Reese Europe was tragically killed in Boston by a fellow band member during a performance tour. Europe had risen to international acclaim during World War I as the leader of the 369th Infantry Regiment’s “Hellfighters” military band—an all-Black unit that introduced jazz to France and much of Europe. His innovative compositions and performances helped legitimize jazz as a serious musical form. At just 39 years old, Europe’s untimely death shocked the music world. W.E.B. Du Bois later called him “the first to personify the expression of a new and vital race consciousness.”
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