Rhythm
- Place of Publication: New York City, NY
- Language: English
- Date of Publication: 1946-1947
- Periodicity: 6 nos., irregular
- Editors: Younger Canada & John Gibson
- Publishers: Rhythm Music Magazine Publishing Co.
- Lacunae: Vol. 1 nos. 1-4, 7; Vol. 2 no. 3. A copy of these issues could not be located. Issues 5 and 6 of Volume 1 are reproduced from a photocopy of unknown original source.
- Type: Full Text
Published from offices at 67 West 125th Street in Harlem, Rhythm was founded in 1946 by the editor, John R. Gibson, President of the Rhythm Music Magazine Publishing Company, with support from Wilbert Griffith and Aubrey Walks in the first issue and Arthur Harris, George King, Bernard Davis, Younger Canada, and Leroy (Roy) Barton in subsequent ones. In the initial issue, the editors described Rhythm as an “amusement magazine” which sought to cover all of the performing arts, with a focus on the younger generation, and which would be “positively non-political.” [“Statement of Policy,” Rhythm 1, no. 1: 33.] This appears to be a response to the editorial policy of similarly Harlem-based The Music Dial which ceased in 1945 but took a stridently political approach.
The editors note that they intended Rhythm to debut in 1945 but due to wartime paper shortages, the first issue only appeared in January 1946, on paper of lesser quality than originally desired. This first issue set the editorial frame for the subsequent issues, with a series of articles on prominent and up-and-coming Black musicians, including the dance educator Mary Bruce and her students, illustrated with copious photography; a musician-of-the-month feature on the trombonist Henry Coker; a survey of musical trends including bebop; a feature on the coloratura soprano Ethyl Wise; a portrait of the young Thelonious Monk; pedagogical articles on the saxophone by Louis Arfine and trumpet by Charles Colin; a portrait of the bandleader Herbie Fields; musical news in Harlem; Musheed Karweem on instrumental musicians; an illustrated article on Black dance musicians; a day-in-the-life portrait of the boogie-woogie pianist Bob Howard; Hollywood news; and lists of shows and nightspots in New York. Subsequent issues follow a similar formula, always well-illustrated with photography, and feature a mix of musicians on both sides of the color divide, an aspect praised in letters to the editor which note the mix of content, ranging from Vladimir Horowitz to Dizzy Gillespie.
With the July 1947 issue, Younger Canada became the editor and issues continued to be well produced. It is unclear if the October 1947 issue was the final one produced, or if so, why Rhythm ceased.
The issues in the RIPM Jazz collection reflect what can be located: vol. 1 no. 1 (January 1946), no. 5 (December), no. 6 (January 1947), no. 8 (May), no. 9 (July), vol. 2 no. 2 (August), no. 4 (October). It is unclear how many other issues were printed and subsequently lost. Should others be found, these will be added to RIPM Jazz also.