PoppaGator, all you have to do is read what they said about black musicians.

Azizi, I think it's indisputable that the leading exponents of jazz historically were black.
I have no problem with this personally and Louis and Bird are two musical heroes of mine.

I also enjoy Bix and Teagarden, and "modernists" such as Lee Konitz, Lennie Tristano, Bill Evans (a jazz genius), Diana Krall and the new young revivalist, Bria Skonberg.
I enjoy Eddie Condon's get-togethers and the S.F. Revival of trad. (All whites)
But if it were not for the lesser known black jazz musicians of the twenties and thirties,
none of the above would have happened.

Keep your eye on the young African-American bass player, Esperanza Spalding. She can play and she can sing! (Check YouTube for all the above).

Whiteman didn't turn jazz into classical music but he did give Eddie Lang, (the world's first notable acoustic jazz guitarist), Joe Venuti, Bix and other jazz musicians work that they wouldn't have gotten easily otherwise.

Italian influences in jazz have yet to be investigated. Some of the great acoustic guitarists were of Italian extraction, Eddie Lang, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tony Mottola, Venuti (violin) and more. Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Tony Bennett are some of the singers.

Also, there was a kind of Jewish swing popularized by Bunny Berigan, Benny Goodman, Ziggy Elman and others. Jazz has grown historically into an international art form started by African-Americans. It is home-grown American although there is a European form of jazz now which differs from the US.

Ironically, there are more jazz festivals featuring top US players in Europe than in the US.
US jazz musicians are not rewarded financially. I think Wynton Marsalis should be given credit for reviving an educational approach to the public's interest in jazz.

Early jazz is related to African-American folk music. The blues was foundational in its musical form as a guide to developing jazz solos and repertiore. Charlie Parker was a great blues musician because he took the form to a new musical level. Of course, so did Louis and Jelly Roll.

Banjo players should know about Elmer Snowden and Johnny St. Cyr.

I see jazz as kind of an extension of folk music which became more rarified through be-bop and beyond. But it's roots are distinctly African-American and as a result, distinctly American.

Frank Hamilton