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This is an absolutely fantastic portrait of  James Reese Europe (188-1919)–the “Martin Luther King of Music” according to Eubie Blake–showing him as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1917/18.  Europe enlisted in the 15th National Guard Regiment, in Harlem, and arrived overseas on January 1, 1918, the conductor of a military orchestra.  The 15th was eventually re-mobilized as the 369th, better know as “The Hell Fighters” and “The Harlem Hell Fighters”, and which served with very high distinction.  

I’m posting this because I like Europe, and this is just a hands-down get-out-of-my-way portrait of the man.  

[Source: http://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200038842/}

Here’s a cover of one of Europe’s pieces of sheet music:

[Source: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/media/loc.natlib.ihas.200202032/0001.tif/3898]

And in keeping with the portrait above, a study from the music:

Also, here’s a recording made by Europe and found at the Library of Congress National Jukebox: “The Castles in Europe”,  Europe’s Society Orchestra, 1914http://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox.3728/  

…with more streaming audio from the Library of Congress here:  http://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=%22james+reese+europe%22&new=true

Lastly, and again from the L.C., here is the full text of  the not-published Memoir of Lieutenant “Jim” Europe, by Noble Lee Sissle, completed in 1942.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/aaodyssey:@field(NUMBER+@band(musmisc+ody0717))