Spiritual Commodification: A Political Economy of African Jazz in the Civil Rights Era

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a period marked by political, spiritual, and sexual shifts in American society, African American jazz musicians began to produce compositions that resonated with African decolonial movements. These works incorporated diverse sonic elements such as hand drums, bells, “exotic” scales, and chanting, reflecting a sense of solidarity with African struggles. Scholars have often emphasized the political nature of these recordings, interpreting them as overtly pan-African expressions of resistance. However, this focus can obscure the challenges African diasporic musicians faced in navigating economic, political, and artistic constraints within a predominantly white, capitalist recording industry. By analyzing the production processes behind recordings by Art Blakey, A. K. Salim, Randy Weston, and Max Roach, this study introduces the concept of “spiritual commodification.” This concept highlights how producers preserved the ambiguity of African-themed jazz, allowing the music to be marketed and perceived in two distinct ways: first, as “exotica” music appealing to a predominantly white mainstream audience, and second, as political and spiritual statements aimed at African American listeners and those aligned with their political perspectives. This dual interpretation reveals the complex dynamics at play in the intersection of art, politics, and commerce within the jazz industry of that era