Yamekraw

Yamekraw, a Negro Rhapsody is a jazz musical composition written by James P. Johnson in 1927 about a neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia.[1] It was a response to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. It was initially composed for the piano, but was first performed at Carnegie Hall as a jazz-like orchestral arrangement.[2] A recording was made of Johnson performing the music on piano. A film inspired by the song was also made.

Song name
The Yamacraw Market on Fahn Street in Savannah circa 1940

Yamacraw was a black neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia. The song was inspired by the culture of the neighborhood, and billed as a more "authentic" rhapsody.[3][4]

Film

Murray Roth directed a short 1930 musical film inspired by the song.[5] The film has been referred to by the title Yamekraw and Yamacraw.[6] It is a Vitaphone Varieties film produced by Warner Brothers. The film depicts a poor man from a rural area travelling to a large city where he encounters a dancer.[7] Jimmy Mordecai portrayed the lead character.[8] In the film, Yamekraw is described as a settlement outside Savannah, Georgia. The film was shown in 2009.[9] The song is included on the album The Symphonic Jazz of James P. Johnson.

See also

References
  1. "James P. Johnson's 'Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody'". NPR.org.
  2. Howland, John (2006). "Jazz Rhapsodies in Black and White: James P. Johnson's "Yamekraw"". American Music. 24 (4): 445–509. doi:10.2307/25046051. JSTOR 25046051 – via JSTOR.
  3. "Robert Sengstacke Abbott".
  4. Michaeli, Ethan (January 12, 2016). The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547560878 – via Google Books.
  5. "YAMEKRAW". Library of Congress.
  6. Yamekraw. October 29, 1930. OCLC 17772503 – via Open WorldCat.
  7. "Yamekraw". www.tcm.com.
  8. Richards, Larry (September 17, 2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 9781476610528 – via Google Books.
  9. Times, The New York (February 5, 2009). "Film Series and Movie Listings". The New York Times.
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