New York: The Center of 1920s Jazz

New York was more important to jazz in the 1920s than Chicago due to its socioeconomic situation and the prevalent culture in New York. New York, and Harlem in particular, experienced a massive influx of African Americans from the Southern United States after the end of World War 1. They came seeking better economic opportunities and formed a black community in Harlem. In Chicago, artists were contracted to and limited by the gangs of Chicago and received no support from the Black middle class.  The migration to New York led to cramped conditions in Harlem but provided an economic freedom and brought together the “traditional highbrow culture” of the Black middle and White upper echelons and the “lowbrow nightlife” through the piano (Gioia, 91). At this time, the soloist had been solidly established and New York responded with enthusiasm.

After World War 1 though, New York saw the birth of a new style of jazz that celebrated both the solo and the ensemble and responded to New York’s call for music the patrons could dance to. This was the emergence of the big band. Composers such as Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington gathered many jazz players and formed dance orchestras that entertained clients in both high class venues like Carnegie Hall and nightclubs like the Cotton Club. New York was the “center of American Theatre” and provided many opportunities to spread jazz to many audiences through revues that brought together what would be later called “The Street” and Broadway (Stewart 2/3). The revues evolved jazz to a performance art, unique to New York and provided a “stage on which to display that jazz was more than music” (Stewart 2/3). Most well known for playing this New York style, Duke Ellington and his band flourished through the 1920s and 30s. During this time, most audiences tended to be white and the performers black. Radio took over as the primary form of disseminating information and music and racism led to black performers not getting the same opportunities as the white performers.

Fletcher Henderson lost his band due to this racism but not before becoming the epitome of New York jazz. He furthered jazz’s multi-genre reach by increasing its speed and improvisation to make it swing. His band played at the Roseland ballroom which later became the “best known dance club in New York” (Stewart 2/3). This epitomizes the New York jazz style, one of collaboration between the art genres.

Commented on Leah Bleich’s post at < http://leahbleichblst14.blogspot.com/ >