During the 1920s America, Jim Crow Laws found a way of segregating whites and colored individuals. Seen as a dark period of time in America, Black communities were specifically targeted by Jim Crow. Not allowed the same freedoms as whites had, Jazz was seen as an opportunity to express themselves, giving opportunities for blacks to feel connected in a disconnected society, leading to a positive outlook on black communities. Jazz created less racial discrimination for black communities by creating an opportunity for blacks to be part of white businesses, including different races in recording sessions for jazz, and influencing the Civil Rights movement. With the popularity spike in jazz began to have, many white businessmen found this as an …show more content…
White musicians wanted to be part of the new jazz business. Many went out and created their own “white jazz” but others went and found a different alternative. White musicians would go and record jazz sessions with other black musicians. “This was the first racially integrated jazz recording session. Crossing the color line in Indiana–a state where the Ku Klux Klan was politically powerful in the 1920s–was potentially hazardous, even for something as anonymous as a recording session. Yet, what mattered to the individuals were the respective talents of the musicians involved ”(). It was not a normal thing for both races to participate in a recording session, especially when it came to recording in a racist state. But this didn’t stop musicians from continuing. Quickly the combined race jazz grew in popularity which led to more white musicians wanting to be more involved. The acceptance of both white and black musicians working together became apparent. “Monroe Berger who notes that jazz music created black-white contact where a black musician received full acceptance as an equal and was (often admired as superior) without condescension”(). The scene of both black and white musicians became more appealing as time went
Decades after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, a new set of de-facto social standards governed the lifestyle of all African Americans. Previously, some creoles were of elevated social class and were allowed to receive proper European-based classical music education. The creole’s elevated status was likened to that of the white man's, where some creoles even owned African American slaves. However, the Jim Crow segregation laws deemed all creoles to be of lower social standing, which forced classically trained musicians to create music with traditional blues musicians. The clashing of such disparate social class and music education backgrounds was likened to the meeting of white and black musicians, which Malcolm X believed that “the white musician can jam if he’s got some sheet music in front of him …
From what I found, Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson were one of the first musicians to breakthrough the racial stigma in the 1930s-1950s. Though there have been instances of "interracial recording sessions before," but whenever they gave their first performance at the Congress Hotel in 1936, it was groundbreaking. Leonard Feather, a British jazz pianist, described it as "an historic precedent, the magnitude of which can hardly be appreciated today in correct perspective. " Whenever the two perform, it is as though they in sync with one another. Even Goodman explained that when they play they are "thinking with the same brain."
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.
Louis Armstrong had a tremendous impact on history of American Jazz. As a trumpeter, singer, and soloist, he had acquired a reputation in his lifetime as “the greatest trumpet player who had ever lived.” His numerous accomplishments, even in an America where African-Americans rarely found success, propelled him to be one of the most notable Jazz musicians. Armstrong’s story began in 1912, in his hometown of New Orleans. He fired his stepfather’s gun in the air on New Year’s eve, and was immediately arrested and taken to Colored Waif's Home for Boys.
While Irvin recognizes Ma Rainey’s success, Sturdyvant devalues her and her accomplishments. Specifically, he refuses to respect her title, attempts to alter the type of music she produces, and denies her artists’ fair pay. Although August Wilson emphasizes the triumphs of Ma Rainey’s career, Sturdyvant serves as a foil to illustrate the mistreatment and exploitation Black artists faced within their own industry. Sturdyvant’s and Irvin’s discussion prior to Ma Rainey’s arrival reflects the lack of respect that Blues artist had from their white managers and producers during the 1920s.
“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.
Politically, the “Jazz Age” was still racist against the African American population. Although slavery had ended
As history progressed, music did with it, allowing for development changes based on surroundings and circumstances. “The final topic I want to discuss is black-white musical interaction. In the narratives, one finds references to blacks listening to white music and, as just noted, whites listening to black music. One can also find a few references to whites teaching blacks how to play an instrument, mostly the fiddle,” in this quote, Robert b. Winens highlights how the interaction between two different cultures can pose different sides. Although learning about and respecting other cultures is valuable, especially in the hopes of gaining a better understanding and creating community, this usually fails to be the case between African American and white cultures.
MUS 1013 Critical Essay A Racial relations between African Americans and European Americans in the early 20th century had a substantial impact on the evolution of rock music in America. A prominent example of racial disparity in regard to music is James Weldon Johnson’s “Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”. This novel portrays the experience of a mixed-race man in the early 1900s, grappling with his race, and facing challenges in society, greatly divided at the time. Johnson’s novel spotlights the cross-cultural synthesis of musical elements as different communities attempted to assert their cultural identity.
Print. Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. Jazz: A History of America's Music. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. Print. Kallen, Stuart A.
Jazz allowed people of color to express their
The “New Negro Movement”, later called The Harlem Renaissance, was all about self expression through art (Opinde). Jazz was derived from the experience of black americans, borrowing from European and African musical traditions. Music in this genre
Introduction New Orleans Jazz is a genre of music during the 20th century that was in relation to the African American population. Two distinguished musicians, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, rose to fame with their musical talents in the jazz community. (Thesis) These two musicians from below the Mason Dixon line would acquire their popularity by performing nationwide, but their childhood, musical careers, and legacies would be totally different.
“The Genie had been let out of the bottle, and even though the government might be able to discourage future ‘disruption’ to the proper operation of the recording industry, there was no way to make mainstream youth forget the new sensibility introduced by the rock and roll sound” (Linden, 2000). The change in the music market brought white teens to black musicians’ concerts, as well as blacks to see white musicians. This was an act of solidarity between races that was never before seen. Thanks to Rock and Roll, the younger generation was influenced to question, as well as dissipate some of the most wrongful beliefs held in America by adults at the time. It is because of these broken down racial barriers that rock & roll is considered to be one of the most revolutionary cultural phenomena in American
These changes of vocal and instrumental elements were precisely done for the introduction of black musicians to white audiences, for more exposure, which is exactly what some of the radio and production companies