The Birth Of Jazz

The era of the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great societal change. Many of these changes were greatly influenced by jazz music. During this time, the country was coming out of World War I and the attitude of most people was dark and dismal. Dance and music clubs became tremendously popular in an effort to improve the quality of life for many people.

In the 1920s, jazz music started to gain popularity in America. Taking place during the Harlem Renaissance, jazz music helped define this time and the 1920s as the “jazz age”. The new upbeat and exuberant style of music attracted many young people looking for change. Jazz broke the customary rules of classical music and allowed musicians to improvise. Famous artists like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong took the country by storm with their talent. Soon speakeasies around cities began hosting jazz artists and everyone flocked to these venues for a night of entertainment (Luca). Americans in nearly every part of the country could listen to jazz either on the radio or at clubs (O’Neal). Jazz music developed into an enjoyable and trendy art form. Even though jazz was well liked, some people in America did not care for it. Racism influenced people to disapprove of jazz because of the “new” distasteful sound it produced, the dangerous life style associated with it, and the African ancestries in which it originated.

The most enthusiast type of music is jazz. The 1900's is where it mostly orginatied. Africa is the home and roots of jazz. Jazz has gathered from many types of old music. They style is unlike any other and is loved by all.

“JAZZ” is a documentary by Ken Burns released 2001 that focuses on the creation and development of jazz, America’s “greatest cultural achievement.” The first episodes entitled, “Gumbo, Beginnings to 1917” and “The Gift (1917-1924), explain the early growth of jazz as it originates in New Orleans and its expands to Chicago and New York during the Jazz Age. In assessing the first two episodes of Ken Burns' 2001 documentary, "JAZZ," this essay will explore the history of jazz, the music's racial implications, and it's impact on society. In doing so, attention will also be given to the structure of the documentary, and the effectiveness of documentary film in retelling the past.

Jazz is a genre of music that originated in African American communities in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Jazz Era was a big deal throughout 1915 to 1935. Jazz was brought up in many different ways. There was many jazz artist who contributed to the era such as Jelly Roll Morton, Joe King Oliver, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. As the jazz era ended, some artists struggled and some continued on with fortune and fame.

During the time of the bustling 1920’s a new movement in American culture was booming. As the great migration was rapidly growing, new ways of expressing emotions were blossoming into a revolutionary movement. This movement of the “New Negro,” also known as the “Harlem Renaissance” was quickly coming into the light of society, exploding in the Harlem neighborhoods of New York City as artistic ideas took turns that nobody could ever imagine. Among these new creations of artistic creativity the most prominent was the clear transformation that music went through during this time. Boundaries were beginning to break in society as well as in music as rules were being broken and new forms of music were simmering, thus, Jazz was born.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader who has been one of the most influential musicians in jazz. The Duke has released countless albums and songs, but not many know of his triumph as a musical theatre composer. Duke Ellington’s 1941 Jump For Joy was the first theatre show to openly discard the African- American stereotypes which prevailed in the arts at the time. In fact Jump for Joy openly discussed these stereotypes and praised African- American stereotypes. Ellington composed all of the songs in the musical and his own orchestra played during the show in the pit.

There are many important women who significantly contributed to Jazz and left a legacy of women artists. In the early years of Jazz, it was considered a male professional and women who tried to be part of Jazz faced obstacles. This was from male musicians, critics, record producers, club-owners, concerts and also racism. Despite the obstacles, women forced their way to be part of Jazz and pushed for equality and visibility (“Gender Discrimination, 2014).

The 1920’s in the United States of America, was a period of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms and the nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929 (History.com. 2016). Women experienced the new kinds of freedoms and were able to enter into the white collar workforce. For women, socialising and even swearing were no longer forebode, with the ‘flapper’ image revolutionizing not only clothing, but also behaviour (history.com,2016). While certain freedoms were being introduced, other freedoms were being curtailed - with the introduction of prohibition.

The 1930s was a decade of hard times in the Unites States. Music provided a lift from the hard times. Despite times being hard during the 1930s, the era provided new innovations in folk music, jazz, popular songs, musicals, and country and western music. Big band jazz became popular in the 1930s. Big bands consisted of 15 to 20 players. Jazz music changed to a sweeter sound. Big bands began transforming it into danceable swing music. Jazz in the 1930's got better and better. We can think of 1930s as the decade that jazz became civilized, sophisticated and popular throughout the culture. It was said that the more jazz grew the more the country would grow.

If you truly want to appreciate the music you listen to, I would recommend that you

The mystery of Jazz and its powerful impact on the music community can be explained largely by the context of it’s creation. Jazz was born in the United States, and because of this, many have referred to Jazz as “America’s music.” Like America, Jazz has a balance between structure and spontaneity. It capitalizes on the fluidity of the musicians, having several different instruments with independent spirits, coming together as one to form a great piece of music. Unlike other styles of music, Jazz has a certain way about it that makes it stand-alone in the world of genres. It improvises, moves, and transforms itself in a moment’s notice based on the musician’s intuition. Just as America harbors democracy, so too does a jazz ensemble, showing both the responsibility to a larger group, yet still allowing room for individual freedom. It all comes down to how well others can respect the overall framework and structure of the jingle.

In a decade known for being so lively with excitement, and plenty of romance and love happening, one cannot leave out music. One of the factors that made this decade a “great decade” was the rise of Jazz. By 1925, Jazz was being played all over the country in places such as speakeasies, cabarets, dance halls and roadhouses (Roaring Twenties, PBS). Jazz not only brought joy, but it became a way of getting out of poverty for many talented southern African Americans. The twenties were sort of a preview of what could be done many years later.

The Jazz Age was more than merely a musical revolution—“The Jazz Age denotes not only a period of early big band, but also the events and fashions of an era”. During this decade a number of modern developments were invented, which included an expanded telephone service, network radio, electric inventions, and records set in aviation. These modern developments had a profound effect on American culture, creating a rise in leisure, specifically mass leisure. Automobiles, movies, and the radio overtook the lives of Americans, becoming necessities and part of everyday routines. This period also marks the beginning of films with soundtracks, an audio component, marking the rise of the musical and giving the American people

     The music called Jazz was born sometime around 1895 in New Orleans. It combined elements of Ragtime, marching band music and Blues. What made Jazz such a different perspective of traditional music was its act of improvising. There was a widespread use of improvisation often by more than one player at a time. Songwriters would write the music down on a piece of paper, and then the Jazz musicians would try their best to play the music. Usually in a Jazz piece, musicians would use the song as a starting point to improvise around. Jazz musicians would play a familiar song to the audience, and by the time they were done with the piece they would stir up a totally different feeling away from the