Better Days Will Come Again: The Life of Arthur Briggs, Jazz Genius of Harlem, Paris, and a Nazi Prison Camp

by Travis Atria

Arthur Briggs’s life was Homeric in scope. Born on the tiny island of Grenada, he set sail for Harlem during the Renaissance, then to Europe in the aftermath of World War I, where he was among the first pioneers to introduce jazz music to the world. During the legendary Jazz Age in Paris, Briggs’s trumpet provided the soundtrack while Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and the rest of the Lost Generation got drunk. By the 1930s, Briggs was considered “the Louis Armstrong of Paris,” and was the peer of the greatest names of his time, from Josephine Baker to Django Reinhardt. Even during the Great Depression, he was secure as “the greatest trumpeter in Europe.” He did not, however, heed warnings to leave Paris before it fell to the Nazis, and in 1940, he was arrested and sent to the prison camp at Saint Denis. What happened at that camp, and the role Briggs played in it, is truly unforgettable.

Better Days Will Come Again , based on groundbreaking research and including unprecedented access to Briggs’s oral memoir, is a crucial document of jazz history, a fast-paced epic, and an entirely original tale of survival.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History, African American

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 2020

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book traces the life of jazz trumpeter Arthur Briggs. He was born in Grenada in 1901, spent some time in the United States, but lived most of his life in France. During WWII he was arrested and imprisoned at Saint Denis where he was forced to play music for the Nazis. Briggs had a long and interesting life, but it felt like the author was at least equally interested in presenting the history of jazz. That’s not a bad thing, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. He also included a bunch of history that had nothing to do with Briggs. They were just events that happened while Briggs was alive. Actually, the character about whom I want to know more is Josephine Baker. I am going to have to find a biography about her - singer, dancer, the toast of Paris and a spy. 3.5 stars

[Shell (booksbythecup)]

Thank you to the publisher, Chicago Review Press, for the gifted book.

"Arthur Briggs had achieved great feats in life. None was greatest than this night. He honored his profession under the hardest of circumstances. But he did something more —he risked his life for dignity. He forced the commander of Nazi-occupied France, a solider in the war for white supremacy, to see him as a man." —Better Days Will Come Again: The Life of Arthur Briggs, Travis Atria

Before reading this book, I didn't know much about Arthur Briggs, but now that I have, I feel another piece of history has increased my awareness of a pioneer in the jazz arena.

How many times have I heard about Louis Armstrong (although I'd like to read a biography about him now), even recalling with affection some of his most noteworthy musical productions. Briggs taught Armstrong about technique and how to play so as not to fatigue and place so much pressure on the lips when playing.

Briggs giving his trumpet to other up and coming musicians because they couldn't afford their own instruments. Or playing for the King of England at Buckingham Palace in 1919. He even played and organized concerts when he was imprisoned in a Nazi prison camp.

“Briggs drew from this deep well of history to deliver a coded message of hope to his fellow prisoners. He passed courage to them through the blast of his trumpet. The effect was electric.” Briggs recalled, "As soon as I hit the first note, all the internees would come to attention."

"The German guards could not understand the strange power that straightened the spines of their prisoners any more than the American slave driver could understand the power that gave succor to his slaves. The power was the song, the song of the unconquerable human spirit, the song that have birth to jazz. Briggs spent his entire adult life trying to teach Europeans this song. He wanted them not just to hear it or play it but also to feel it."

[John Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many reasons to read Better Days Will Come Again. First, it’s a well-written biography of a brilliant musician very few people know about. Also, woven through the day-by-day story of the gigs, the travel, the many cabarets and music halls is a wonderful exploration of the development of the uniquely American music that grew through the fusion of jazz, blues and European styles in the culture of the Harlem Renaissance. Atria tells the story of the music through the supremely talented people who played it—Bechet, Armstrong, so many others—and the characters of Briggs’s world like Josephine Baker and Bricktop. Reason enough, but if you’re not fascinated with the birth of jazz, read the book for the protagonist: It’s a story so astounding that, if you wrote Briggs into a work of fiction, it might be criticized as too over the top to believe. It has all the breath-holding moments of an international thriller. Finally, it’s a reminder that the people who own the printing presses write history, and there is a deep, painful history of repression and cruelty that travels with black Americans wherever they go, even talented musicians. Atria handles this last aspect particularly well, documenting it as a good biographer should, telling it through Briggs restrained language. As a result, it’s far more scalding than the finger-wagging that often passes for analysis of the subject.

[Andrew Kline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated how the author was able to interweave the history of jazz in Europe with the rise of Hitler and Arthur Brigg's life, but as a biography of Arthur Briggs, a Wikipedia entry would have sufficed. There were even several chapters dedicated to Josephine Baker, who had very little to do with Briggs, to fill out the book. I hope more people come to know Arthur Briggs and recognize his contribution to music, but I don't think there was enough about him to justify a full-length book. That aside, there was a good deal of information to absorb here, and the author seemed to be able to dispel some false rumors through his research. As someone who doesn't have a deep knowledge of European history, I liked reading how various events led towards others.

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not just a wonderful biography of Arthur Briggs but a terrific look at France during the Jazz Age. The writing is strong and the story is weirdly suspenseful - if there is any complaint I have it's that I wish I knew even more, particularly about the other colorful people around at that time. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend!

[Barbara Sp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written and kept my interest throughout. The book was well researched and had an extensive bibliography. An interesting sidebar to the book was the life of Josephine Baker, another black musician who also lived in France and was a friend of Arthur Briggs.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

An untold story finally told. An interesting exploration of the early days of jazz music, through the lens of one very talented, but unrecognized, musician. Anyone who enjoys jazz will enjoy this book.

[John P. Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the life and career of musician Arthur Briggs.

[Garret Macko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read. Arthur Briggs undoubtedly deserves to be labeled a hero, perhaps in the truest and noblest sense of the word.

[Pieter Mannaerts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review published in Notes, December 2021.