Cutting contest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also: Guitar battle
Cutting contests were a form of musical battles between the various stride piano players of Harlem in the early 1920s. The players would cut into the play of the other player and as such try to show who was the better performer. In this they have much in common with the later emerging rap battles.
The contests were usually held at "rent parties" in the homes of locals of Harlem, which entrance money was used to pay off the rent.
Famous contestants include James P. Johnson and his greatest rival Willie "The Lion" Smith. They actually had so much respect for each other that their contests usually ended in a draw and both almost never 'cut' into the other's play.
The cutting contests continued into the 1940's where stride pianist Art Tatum would usually win, beating out notable Harlem pianists as Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Earl Hines, Albert Ammons, Harry Gibson, Pete Johnson, Marlowe, Clarence Prophet, and Claude Hopkins.[1]
