"The Eddy" and the (in)visibility of Caribbean Jazz
In 2020, Netflix uploaded "The Eddy". Described as the avant-garde of an upcoming global production system, this North American show presented itself as neutrally as possible.
A French club owner deals with the everyday chaos of running a live music venue in the heart of Paris.
Netflix had me at “a live music venue in Paris”. I thought it would mean we'd get at least a glimpse of the French Caribbean Jazz scene. I still shake my head at myself for being so naïve… I mean, with André Holland (I'm a fan since "Moonlight") taking on the lead role, as an AfroAmerican jazz musician, what were the odds that Show would have more than one French Black character in the band? The odds were low. Besides, Damien Chazelle who produced the miniseries and directed the first two episodes, got numerous awards for “La La Land”, a film about a White jazz man*. Yet, I still hoped… Well, even if they weren't all Black and French, at least half of the band was from the Caribbean: trumpet player Ludovic Louis (Martinique), saxophone player Jowee Omicil (Haïti), and contrabass player Damian Nueva (Cuba). Drum player Arnaud Dolmen (Guadeloupe) even had a cameo for a few scenes. Yay for representation, right? Well, not really. And that's the reason it took me more than 18 months to write about "The Eddy". I didn’t want to sound negative and I did think I was overreacting.
The illusion
Being a part of this big project was an amazing opportunity for these musicians. Good for their career, good for the artistic experience, good for their visibility. On an individual level. However, in the grand scheme of things, "the Eddy" just keeps erasing French Black people and their history. And I can’t. Not in this economy. I cannot comprehend how Caribbean artists get sidelined in a storyline revolving around JAZZ in PARIS when records show musicians from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haïti, Cuba have been active in the French capital for a century… I’m sorry, I just can't.
Again, I won't blame you if you think I’m overreacting… But check this out. Each episode followed the journey of a character that gets some kind of a heartbreaking backstory. Elliot (André Holland), Julie (Amandla Stenberg), Amira (Leïla Bekthi), Jude (Damian Nueva; contrabassist), Maja (Joanna Kulig; singer), Sim (Adil Dehbi) , Katarina (Lada Abradovic; drum player), The Eddy. 3 out of 8 episodes focused on a band member other than Elliot. 1 out of these 3 episodes focused on a Black character. (In case you're wondering, each white woman has her own episode). And in the only episode dedicated to a Black character, his backstory was him losing the woman he loved because of his drug addiction. A Black man as a drug addict… Really?
So maybe other musicians had other commitments and couldn't have bigger roles. Maybe they really couldn't act and couldn't have bigger roles. Nevertheless, I can't help but notice how the storyline gives a multidimensional and nuanced perspective of the North African community throughout the miniseries. Yet, it still manages to erase the French Black community at the same time. Jude’s episode is the only time a French Black woman gets a backstory with more than two lines (no, the police officer doesn’t count and she’s biracial). After episode 2, I wanted to quit. Not because of the slow-paced slice-of-life style. I'm French, I LOVE the slow-paced slice-of-life style, especially when the directing is as detailed as you can see in "The Eddy". I wanted to quit because I realized that, once again, this was the Paris that North American men have been fantasizing about since World War I. First of all, their fantasy of the early 20th century was already biased. No Black people in sight although France still had colonies in the Caribbean and in Africa. Second of all, this fantasy was popularized by Black American artists because they weren't aware that their US passport let them enjoy some kind of freedom they didn't have in an open segregationist North America in a post-World War II world. James Baldwin did talk about the racism in France, though. Yet, when I see how Black Americans fantasized about France, I just… SIGH.
Basically, "The Eddy" is just an upgraded contemporary version of "Paris Blues" (1961) directed by Martin Ritt with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier. French Black people were erased from Paris back in the 60's and they still are in the late 2010's. Even sequences shot in low-income neighborhoods, especially in Sim's episode, featured mostly North African characters. What really crushed my last hope to like this miniseries was the final important discussion between Elliot and his daughter Julie. What was a great Black father-daughter cinematic sequence about conquering a space denying their humanity from the American perspective turned out to be the most insensitive and hurtful sequence from our point of view as French Black people. Why do our accomplishments matter so little to others? Why can’t our life experiences be acknowledged? I don't know why and at this point of my life, I don't care. I just know I won't subscribe to this perspective.
The material
Do you know what the most ironic thing is in this situation? I'm sure there are scripts laying around. Fabulous stories that are set in the Caribbean jazz universe. They just don't get the financing and (political) willpower to be produced. Meanwhile, others keep releasing films and series based on French representation, ignoring our contribution…
France being a multicultural country, I can entertain the idea of a story involving North African musicians establishing a connection between jazz and their own musical culture. I mean, I grew up during the Raï’n’b Fever years… French Black artists never recovered from that time. Zouk and konpa are doing just fine as long as the artists aren’t from Guadeloupe, Martinique, or Haïti. However, we’re talking about jazz here. French Caribbean musicians have been a part of the Paris jazz scene since the early 20th century. The current generation of musicians in their 30’s-50’s is at the top of the game on a global level (even if they’re too humble to admit it themselves, but I stand by my words). What else do they have to do? What else do they have to prove for their existence to just be considered a part of the French norm? That’s why we must be thankful to academic researchers and artists themselves who make sure to keep track of this history.
In 1997, recording label Fremeaux released a double CD called “Swing Caraïbe, Caribbean Jazz pioneers in Paris 1929 - 1946” (available on Spotify). You get to hear jazz songs recorded in the 1940’s by Felix Valvert, Albert Lirvat, Robert Mavounsy, and other musicians from Guadeloupe and Martinique. In 2020, the Big In Jazz festival celebrated its 18th anniversary with the Big In Jazz collective made of musicians from Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Haïti. Ralph Lavital, Yann Négrit (guitar), Tilo Bertholo, Sonny Troupé (drums), Stéphane Castry (bass), Maher Beauroy (piano), Jowee Omicil (saxophone), Ludovic Louis (trumpet) are some of the best Caribbean musicians on the international jazz scene. With the album “Global”, they showcase the versatility of contemporary Caribbean jazz. A documentary by Marina Jallier immortalized this unique project.
Although I do think we should also talk about women and their contribution to the genre (you know I had to say something about that), this Big In Jazz band symbolizes what the true face of international jazz is right now. At least to me. At the end of the day, “The Eddy” displays traditional representation, conventional stereotypes. It’s still entertainment. Just not as groundbreaking as it thinks it is. The true innovation would be to talk about us. This day is coming. If Guy Deslauriers managed to shoot “Biguine” (2004), I don’t see why a true fictional film about Caribbean Jazz can’t be created. The audience is ready. So are the culture and History.
*Disclaimer: I have no problem with White people who enjoy Jazz, who own Jazz clubs and who make money with Jazz one way or another. The problem here is they’re overly represented on screen while Black musicians are used as props in genres they created. When we get enough good musical films acknowledging Black contribution to balance the narrative, only then I’ll have nothing to say about projects like “La La Land” or “The Eddy”.