Recommended: Black arts influence on african american society
Throughout America's history, African Americans suffered racism, bias, including constant scolding during the 19th century. Nevertheless, perspectives shifted distinctly, when the American Dream surged through hearts of the previously shunned race, migrating in mass numbers, known as The Great Migration. With the traveling immigrants, they brought about Jazz to liven up the dull streets with legendary names such as Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Their new sounds caught thousands of people’s attention, improving the African American race to new confidence as never before. As a result, their legacy not only established new grounds for African Americans but also contributed to America’s modern swing to the sounds of Jazz.
“Duke Ellington’s composition was a musical history of African Americans, ‘Black, Brown, and Beige”(Pop Culture of 20th-Century America). He took jazz in a new direction. Duke wrote more elaborate pieces of music that mixed classical and jazz music together. The popularity of jazz led younger black musicians to break into new techniques. Soon after jazz became popular, African American musicians soon became very successful.
In the realm of music, African Americans celebrated blues music. The blues music that spread during the 1920s “expressed the longings and philosophical perspectives of the black working class” (). In addition to blues music, jazz became a dominant musical form which established Harlem as an exciting cultural center, resulting in abundant dance halls created where famous musicians such as the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, pianist Duke Ellington, and pianist Fats Waller could perform their unique solos and share their musical talents in an environment that embraced the freedom of self-expression. These developments that occurred in this period called the Jazz Age indeed empowered African Americans to use their musical talents in an effort to strengthen their traditions, culture, and racial status in an anti-black prejudiced society: “"Wild Dreams of Bringing Glory and Honor to the Negro Race," addresses the composer's difficulties in overcoming negative stereotypes, myths, and perceptions that were most often based in racial prejudice” (). Similarly, African Americans contributed to the field of drama, forming all black theatre groups and creating productions that often focused on portraying the folk experience (the experience of blacks in the South) and protesting racial oppression and black stereotypes.
Motown was a transformative sound that arrived just at the height of the civil rights movement. Such success coming from a black business and black artists forced the rest of America to reexamine their racial prejudices that they still clung to. It seemed that it’s founder, Berry Gordy, knew from the start that Motown was something special when he hung a sign that read “Hitsville USA” above the recording studio’s headquarters. The success was almost instant for most Motown artists with song after song becoming number one hits on major music charts. However, the success was not easy, as it took strenuous amounts of work to mold the artist’s looks and sounds into something that would popularize them among the white population.
Moreover, Charles pioneered the deconstruction of racial barriers within the music industry, by creating new opportunities for upcoming African American musicians. Throughout his early
American consumerism increased throughout the country, which brought about a new popular culture. The music of the 1920’s became an important part of that pop culture. Jazz took hold of the music industry in the south, and as it gained popularity, it spread north. Chicago experienced its own jazz revolution during this decade with the opening of many jazz clubs where popular jazz performers would come play. The Mecca became an influence on local jazz musicians in Chicago and they incorporated the Mecca into their songs.
Harlem, after all, was the capital of jazz music. Jazz music united Blacks and whites because this was a new, fun type of music that they had never seen. Performers like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington would perform in the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club would only accept whites to go in, even though many of the performers were African American, but they would still perform. Jazz music was so new and unique to the country because it used many new beats, sounds, and rhythms that were unheard of to the whites.
Benny Goodman also pushed for a diverse band, being the organizer of an interracial group (Swing). In this instance, it was through this connection to music that black and white people came together. At the time that swing was popular, World War II was taking place. It seems legit that people would want to get their feeling out somehow. Swing music did just that.
The glitz of the symphony paired with the tones of African Americans secular and sacred music propels Ellington’s arrangement in the direction of cultural integration and demands social recognition of the mistreatment of black Americans in both the past and Ellington’s present. Combining the technical skills of his musicians and the symphonic elements of music, including the frequent crescendos of sound and complimenting melodies, with the raw polyphonic sounds of the swing and jazz style, Ellington shows the audience his message through the non-traditional arrangements and
Benny’s huge success during the Swing Era is what led Time magazine in 1937 to name him the “King of Swing”. The next year, during the peak of the Swing Era, Benny Goodman’s band, with musicians from Count Basie and Duke Ellington’s bands, reached a big milestone to be the first ever jazz band to play at the esteemed Carnegie Hall in New York. After the concert, the Benny Goodman Band went through a few changes in cast. The swing era came to a close as World War II raged on, and that aided a change in styles. Benny continued to play swing style
Despite Jazz being formed out of two cultures, the issues of social stratification and racial identity never had to be addressed in early jazz history. But as Jazz grew in popularity in a prewar 1930s America, the issue of racism started to form. As Jazz prospered within the economy and as a musical style, it’s roots revealed it’s racial identity. Jazz emerged from the music used formerly to entertain slaves and was a tool of rebellion against the white man, Jazz’z roots were very much embedded in slave culture. As free slaves moved north, they brought their Jazz influence to parts of the country such as Chicago and New York.
A factor that continues to influence people today is the Harlem Renaissance writers, musicians, and artists. Within their work, these artists found ways to express themselves and create art that reflected current issues. They used to place themselves in rooms they weren't allowed to play in to close the racial gap. An article titled “Harlem’s Renaissance” written by Michael Lasser, describes a musical written by F. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles called Shuffle Along. Lasser says “The show lasted for 464 performances… Broadway producers never again systematically excluded African Americans from the theatre, although black songwriters and performers faced different forms of discrimination through the twenties and beyond” (Lasser 53).
Performing artists, such as musicians, demonstrated African American styles of music, while actors
On the day of Sunday April 10th, I went to a jazz ensemble concert at the Trinity University Ruth Taylor Recital Hall. This hall was much larger than the previous performance I attended. My first impression of the group was that they were relaxed and comfortable. For instance, when the drummer winked the drummer gave when the director explained his switch from the trumpet to drums.
Music is not only used to capture peoples hearing but it is used to power peoples minds through the power of an individuals voice. Music served a critical role in the African American’s lives, as it was used to uplift their spirits as well as providing them with hope and strength to fight for civil rights and overcome segregation between white superiority and the unfair treatment of the inferior black. Music was defined as the voice of the people that lived through the oppression of the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement, there were many different types of music genres sung, dependent on the culture, this included spiritual music; gospel and even folk music, which was performed by musicians, singers and even people of any musical talents. Through this, it brought about the uniting of people to join together and sing songs that helped them go through the oppression of the civil rights movement.
