Heroes of the 369th Infantry Harlem Hellfighters
American composer, Sandy Coffin, helped to organise and played in a concert at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in July, which reinvented the Harlem Hellfighters Band of 1917 - 1919. Here, Sandy charts the fascinating band of musicians celebrated for their innovative performing style and heroism during World War I - a legacy that she brought to life in three new pieces performed by Tullis Russell Band at St. Andrews University’s Fringe of Gold Festival
James Reese Europe was one of the most active African-American composer/musical directors in the pre-war American music scene, having previously formed the Clef Club and Society Orchestra, made up entirely of African-American musicians. In 1912, the Clef Club presented a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, the first concert at that hall for which segregated seating was suspended.
The US Army 369th Regiment, made up largely of African-Americans from New York, became known as the Harlem Hellfighters because of the heroic reputation that accrued to them for the actions in which they engaged during World War I, in Europe. They fought alongside the French during the War because the US Army was not yet willing to make accommodation for an African-American Regiment, so the personal friendships and camaraderie formed between the troops lasted generations…read more
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