History II: 1920's "Jazz Age/Prohibition/Harlem Renaissance" "The 'Jazz Age' was a period of many political, economic and social changes when Americans cast aside old social conventions in favor of new ideas, embracing the rapid cultural and social changes of modernism and the flamboyant lifestyles of the new era" (The Jazz Age). Throughout the 1920’s, "America was taking its final steps from the traditional period to a new era of modernization" (American Culture in the 1920's). American popular culture decided to transform itself into an urban, industrial, consumer-oriented society. The future was envisioned to be successful, looking upon positive, everlasting change; embracing the future and its fore coming traditions and ethics. New ideas,
As a matter of fact one of the supporters of jazz was a white man who happened to be a composer. In Lawrence W. Levine’s journal Jazz and American Culture he writes of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak saying: “Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was teaching and composing in the United States when he made this striking statement in 1893: ‘I am now satisfied that the future music of this country must be founded upon what are called negro melodies’. ”.1 In all reality Dvorak was right. Jazz would evolve and be the building block that created several other genres of “American music” such as rock n’ roll.
Musicians in the Harlem Renaissance. On the 1920’s there was a thing called the Harlem Renaissance, there was many artist, musicians, dancers, etc. It gave people a chance to explore and find what they really wanted to do in life. For example Louis Armstrong, Florence Mills, William Handy, Duke Ellington, Paul Robeson, Adelaide Hall, Nina Simone were all singers from Harlem.
Jazz in the 1920s was described as smooth, soothing and easy, fast beat, and rose dancing varieties that brought couples closer physically. The 1920s was quote on quote “Jazz’s Golden Age” this was because of two main bands “The Blues” and the “Hillbilly”. The Golden Age for Jazz’s led to an increase in profit for the “phonograph” and the “Radio” as sales went from 190,000 to over 5 million sold in 6 years. Their popular image of jazz and prosperity in the 1920s was mislead for now, including that it was also a decade of deep cultural conflict, during the Gilded Era. The conflict was mainly targeted to ethnicity, and social class.
The United States (U.S.) has gone through many changes throughout its long and harrowing history. All of these stages of U.S. history are influential in their own ways. But the most influential era of United States history is 1914 through 1920. While WWI was a bloody and sad war it pioneered modern technology like no other era in American history. WWI was a war that started because of the assasination of archduke ferdinand on june 28,1914 (“CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I”).
Some even hated jazz so much that "there was a lot of moral panic around jazz that condemned it as 'low'. Jazz is an awful infectious disease" (Johan, 3). Many Americans didn't like the thought of jazz being run by African Americans, especially in the southern states. Up and coming musicians faced large amounts of discrimination as they tried to get their music out to the world. Jazz was also highly frowned upon though, as "it is easy to find openly racist condemnations of jazz all through the period ending with the second world war" (Johan, 2).
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.
The growth of the corporation and the Managerial Revolution influenced the way that men thought about their jobs and roles in society. Before the Industrial Revolution, men were ideally self-made and self-employed, but the introduction of vast managerial networks and large businesses limited the viability of that. As a result, many men turned to sports as a way to assert their masculinity outside of the workplace. Sports as a national pastime became a major aspect of American culture. Employees often encouraged this further by forming company sports leagues in an attempt to create a sense of community and deter employees from unionizing.
The Jazz Age was a term used by F. Scott Fitzgerald to refer to the 1920s, but it was also a cultural movement that took place in America during this decade. It was also known as “the Roaring Twenties”. This movement coincided with the end of the World War I and the introduction of the mainstream radio. The era ended with the crash of 1929, which caused the Great Depression.
In life, there are few things as organic as jazz music. With its raw sound and scrappy roots, one cannot help but feel life head-on whilst witnessing players produce such a sound right before their eyes. Its origins and arch are a product of the United States’ national culture and identity. Jazz exists not only as a deeply rooted form of art but as a cultural marker, particularly during its commercial peak in the first half of the 20th century. Its impact transcends borders, and it is one of the most beloved musical genres worldwide.
In the late 19th century Emile Berliner introduced the Gramophone which was a swing off of the Phonograph, the art of sound recordings, replacing sheet music making it a lot easier and quicker for artists. Jazz would not be at the point it is now without this invention. Having recording equipment meant that during live performances the solos would be able to be re-listened to and learnt by other artists ameture or professionals. Also by recording parts of the performance first meant it would be a lot easier instead of using instruments like the banjo and tuba this also meant if they didn 't have access to those instruments their shows could still go easier. This meant that Jazz could adapt a little more with every listen and practice but also it meant that Jazz could travel a lot further around the world than it would have had it just been live music.
In the 1920s, jazz music played a big role for most individuals. It inspired people to be different and taught individual thought and expression. Jazz music originated in New Orleans in the early 1900s, and then began to spread and develop around the country (“Jazz History: The Standards”). It created job opportunities in the north, especially around Chicago (“Jazz History: The Standards”). A type of jazz instrument is a clarinet, which was invented in 1690 by Cristoph Denner (“The Clarinet-History”).
The Jazz Age was a decade of extreme change in the lives of many Americans. Taking place in the aftermath of World War I, this era, also referred to as the “Roaring Twenties,” is characterized by its remarkable economic and technological growth, its lowering of moral standards, and the popularity of the jazz and swing music that led to its name. The decade is known for the exciting, reckless lifestyle that many people adopted in the post-war time of wealth and ease. The invention and popularization of radio, television, and “talking pictures,” or movies with sound, gave Americans new forms of entertainment, and the time-saving household inventions like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers allowed for more time spent on fun and
Such as men must be “strong” and “decisive”, while women must be “submissive”. When considering female artists, especially Black women, jazz reviewers continued to hold stereotypes and double standards. Black women's significant achievements as composers, instrumentalists, and band leaders have been underestimated, while those of their male counterparts are frequently praised for their originality and innovative thinking. These cultural conceptions were affected by Ella Fitzgerald, a talented black musician in the 1930s. I believe being a woman of colour during that generation must have been a struggle for a movement of feminism, especially black feminism, since it was mostly white-dominated.
Jazz in New Orleans Jazz is such a unique and distinguished genre of music that delights the ear of every person who listens to it. Found in New Orleans, it grew in fame all around the world and will always be popular. Why New Orleans? The history of the founding jazz and what impacted it is astonishing.
