麻豆约拍

Arthur Briggs played with some of the biggest names in jazz, witnessed some extraordinary moments in history and survived a Nazi internment camp. Yet, apart from among the most diehard jazz fans, he's virtually unknown today.

Born at the turn of the last century on the Caribbean island of Grenada, then part of the British Empire, Briggs learned to play trumpet in Harlem and is believed to be the only British subject to have participated in the creation of jazz. But for his entire life, Arthur said he was American.

In archive recordings broadcast for the first time, Briggs tells of his adventures as a black man leading a band of musicians around the cities of Europe in the 1920s and 30s. Memories include the aftermath of race riots in Liverpool, the execution of Turkish opposition leaders in Ankara, and four years in a Nazi camp.

Hugh tries to uncover why this pioneer of jazz is virtually absent from the history books.

Presenter: Hugh Schofield
Producer: Paul Pradier
Sound design: Peregrine Andrews
Executive Producer: Adele Armstrong

Archive courtesy of Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies
Photo credit: Barbara Pierrat-Briggs