Art in Evolution: a review of The Horn

"Reading The Horn" copyright 2019 Kristin Fouquet

In my childhood, it was customary for my parents to bring my brother and me to the French Market on Sundays to buy our weekly produce. It was on one of these occasions I heard the most amazing music. The song emitted through a radio owned by the man selling Creole tomatoes. I lingered to listen until my mother called for me. When I caught up, I asked about that music. Her reply, “Just jazz.” Despite being native to New Orleans, I wasn’t brought up in a household with jazz. It was up to me to learn the musicians and the songs- from trad jazz onward. Jazz became my favorite music.

Ten years ago, at the recommendation of the much-respected Carter Monroe, I read The Horn by John Clellon Holmes. It had such a deep effect on me, I recently decided to pick it up for another read. I’m so glad I did.

The Horn is considered the definitive jazz novel, so my humble opinion of it will hardly drive up sales. Yet, after rereading it, I was reminded of what impressed me a decade ago. Beyond the imaginative plot and poetic prose, is the cleverly crafted structure. The book itself is a song- consisting of alternating chapters of choruses and riffs. Each chorus offers a different musician’s viewpoint into the protagonist and his or her history with him. Every riff continues the present day into evening. I believe the literary first names of both horn players- the aged protagonist, Edgar, and his young challenger, Walden- are deliberately symbolic. Holmes was brilliantly observing how jazz has its own evolution much like literature has its own- proving The Horn is more than “just jazz.”

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