Jazz and the influence it had on the 1920's - Research Paper Example

? Jazz and its influence it had on the 1920’s JAZZ AND ITS INFLUENCE IT HAD ON THE 1920’S Jazz is over hundred years old. The actual circumstances of the birth of this music are rarely known because the recordings of the first jazz band were lost and therefore it is difficult to assume as to how it sounded, but it is possible to create an account of its emergence by gathering scraps of tit bits and information pieces. Jazz originated in the 20th century in the communities of the African American in the South America. It is an amalgamation of African and European music (Kirchner, Bill 2005). Jazz is a piece of music which is difficult to define and there have been many attempts to define jazz by the help of other musical pieces. One solution to this is to define jazz more broadly and hence, Berendit defines jazz as one form of art which originated in the America through the confrontation of blacks with European music. He further argues that jazz has a special relationship to time, which is defined as 'swing’ (E, Joachim and Berendit.1981). The 1920’s is commonly referred to as the jazz age but was also an age of contradiction because there was prosperity on one hand and isolation on the other hand. As already mentioned, Jazz is a term which is difficult to define but yet there are many definitions of it. J A Rogers defines it as “A joyous revolt from convention, custom, authority, boredom, even sorrow from everything that would confine the soul of man and hinder its riding free on the air” (Rogers, J.A 1925). Fitzgerald was the first one and is therefore responsible for coining in the term ‘jazz age’ but his knowledge in music was not vast. He was the first one to include perceptive reactions to the jazz performances (Denner, Yvette) The early 1900’s witnessed the spread of Jazz music. The earliest recording industries were dominated by three firms, namely Edison Phonograph Company and Works which was founded in 1887, Columbia Phonograph Company which was founded in1891 as American Gramophone Company, and Victor Talking Machine Company which was founded in the year 1901. As jazz music emerged from New Orleans and eventually came to the Midwest with musicians, both African-American and lower class whites migrated from Louisiana (Peretti, 1992) (Schuller, 1968). New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz and Chicago and the Midwest were the home of recorded jazz until the late 1920s (Phillips, Damon J and Owen, David A. 2004). Jazz has always been a utilitarian music that is it is intended mostly for dancing. King Oliver’s jazz band, one of the excellent jazz bands’ recorded 40 title in the year 1923. The Jean Goldkette orchestra of 1927 which featured Cornetist Bix Beiderbecke was relegated to recording a mostly dreary group of pop songs. The great jazz numbers arranged by Bill Challis were unreleased by Victor Records which considered them commercially unacceptable. The period from 1929 to 1940 is when most of the jazz standards were originated. During this era, there were many great and excellent song writers who contributed for Broadway shows, for example, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorentz hart, Irving Berlin and Walter Dinaldson. Most of the historians agree that jazz began just prior to the turn of the twentieth century, and the most likely birthplace of this great piece of music was the city of New Orleans. The city of New Orleans is on the Mississippi River, the major waterway from the southern to northern United States which made it a conduit for music of all types, especially ragtime from Missouri and the blues from Mississippi. A person could hear a brass band playing ragtime, string trios playing popular ballads, the street musicians singing the blues and early jazz bands playing all of these things. The first Blues number, which was written as a popular song was the ‘Dallas Blues’. Tunes with the word Blues became very popular from then onwards. The decade of the 1920s was marked by huge advances in the music industry. The music industry became ever keen to discover new ways of making profits. It soon realized that record, sheet music and piano roll sales could all be tied with each other together. The decade was marked by the beginning of many new independent record companies. Small companies became unafraid to take chances on music and artists that the bigger companies shied away from. Some of the great early jazz bands and music pieces, blues and country performers appeared on independent labels like the Gennett, Paramount and Okeh. Towards the end of the decade, radio turned from being an expensive novelty into a commodity of mass usage and into an inexpensive entertainment. Jazz music, which had been originally originated in the city of New Orleans in the early 1900s, began to spread throughout the country of United States. As more employment opportunities opened up in Northern America, both black and white musicians migrated from New Orleans to Chicago. In the beginning of 1922, Gennett Records, which was an independent company located in Indiana, began recording jazz groups performing in Chicago. The very first group which they recorded was the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. This was followed by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band with young lion Louis Armstrong on second cornet in 1923. In the same year Gennett waxed a series of solo piano recordings by the famous Jelly Roll Morton. The following year they recorded with the Wolverines group which had been influenced by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and as well as by the King Oliver’s Jazz Band. Another independent company in Chicago, Paramount Records, was competing with Gennett and Okeh for jazz talent. The King Oliver’s band recorded for all of the three companies during the year 1923. Although, the 1920’s is commonly referred to as the Jazz Age, that era could be more reasonably named as the Dance Age because the Americans were extremely fond of dances like the Charleston and the Black Bottom. The music they danced to were usually played by nearly seven- to twelve-piece dance orchestras. In the city of New York, a very popular dance orchestra which was led by the pianist Fletcher Henderson had been playing a more ragtime-influenced style of jazz. Louis Armstrong joined up in 1925, causing a major and deep change in the group’s sound. Another New Orleans native, Sidney Bechet, master of the soprano saxophone also caused a similar change in the orchestra of Duke Ellington. The blues, which were responsible to influence jazz from the beginning of its birth, became increasingly popular due to great singers like Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith and Bessie Smith. The latter also sold thousands of tapes, including a national hit, “Down Hearted Blues”. Many great and successful musicians who eventually became stars of Jazz in the 1930’s , for example Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden and Glenn Miller began their careers first working in dance bands in the 1920s. From the mid-to-late ‘20s, New York which was already the center of the music industry became a magnet drawing musicians from other parts of the nation. During the same time, the city of Kansas which was known for dance clubs and dance halls created a haven for jazz singers and musicians in the South America and the also the Midwest. Jazz songs of the decade 1920’s can be characterized as happy go lucky songs. For example, the dong ‘rainbow round my shoulder’ has quite heart turning melodies in it with very simple harmonies. These types of songs were the bulk of most popular jazz music during the jazz era. The recording companies in the 1920’s wanted popular jazz songs and therefore many tunes became enduring standards. For example, sweet Georgia brown, Avalon, deed I do and if I could be with you (Tyle, Chris). The Depression of the late 1920s blew jazz with a strong blow. Unemployment and poverty rose amongst the black workers, much more than the white workers. Dance halls were closed down and records stopped to sell but Black music didn't disappear as the sales of Bessie Smith's records kept high through the late 1920s (Brendit, J.1984). In spite of all this there wasn't enough work for the musicians who had been playing Jazz music. There were exceptions though, and the major one was Kansas City. The city of Kansas produced an enormous number of the influential musicians of the 1930s and 1940s, among them Lester Young, Ben Webster, Count Basie and Charlie Parker. There were many reasons for this but mainly economic ones. Kansas City had long been the most dominant one in business and entertainment. To add further to it, it had been the second major centre for jazz, next to city of New Orleans since World War I. Kansas city produced a massive entertainment district which was full of opportunities for musicians (Hore, Charlie.1993). In the year 1921, in a town of Illinois, jazz performances were banned and were termed sinful. In 1922, pianist Fats Waller and Pianist William made their first recordings while Blues singer Mamie Smith continued to grow in popularity, recording twenty songs with her bands the Jazz Hounds. It featured saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. In the year 1923, Blues singer Bessie Smith made her first recording which sold a million copies in six months. This led her signing a nine-year contract with the company of Columbia Records. In 1925, Louis Armstrong made his very first recording with his group, the Hot Five. On the other hand, James Johnson recorded Charleston, which becomes a huge hit (The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, 2000-2001). On the Liberty Theatre stage, 1st December 1924, ‘Oh lady be good’ was introduced by Walter Catlett. In the year 1925, this jazz song became a hit on the pop chart with Paul Whiteman, Carl Fenton and Cliff Edwards and their orchestras. The song had a playful, slow and gracious tune. Quoted by Marty Heresniak, “Great song for either up-tempo or ballad treatment. Broken I and V7 chords in the melody help the tuning-impaired and help build accuracy and agility” (2001). ‘Oh, lady be good’ was included in the films: symphony of swing, Manhattan and many more. There are many songs which have persisted as the top Jazz standards but the song which is endured the most is ‘sweet Georgia Brown’. The song became immediately popular as soon as it hit the ears of its listeners. Musician Ben Bernie and his orchestra stayed with this song on the top of the charts for five weeks. The song has been tuned keeping in mind jazz improvisations. Sweet Georgia Brown was included in many films, for example, widow from Chicago, Young man with a horn, Oscar, American pop and many more. The song, ‘honeysuckle Rose’ was a dance number which was introduced in the year 1929. It became one of the most enduring compositions. Marty Heresniak quotes: “Chord-outline melody requiring some definite vocal agility: quasi coloratura. Chromatic melody in bridge provides good tension arc for breath maintenance. Excellent improvisation medium” (2001). In the year 1927, on 31st October, musician Hoagy Carmichael and his folks recorded the song ‘Stardust’ at the Gennett Records studio in Indiana. In the year 1928 Carmichael again recorded the song but this time he used those lyrics which he had written previously, but the Gennett Studio had rejected it because of the instrumental. The song star dust is known to be the one recorded most of the times in the history of Jazz. This song has appeared with almost 15 artists on the pop chart. This song was included in the films Hi Buddy, casino and many more (Tyle, Chris). Unidentified Denver Coed quotes, “To me the Jazz Age signifies an age of freedom in thought and action. The average young person of today is not bound by the strict conventions which governed the actions of previous generations” (1926) Early jazz was deemed illegitimate by the elites even though it had proved profitable to the business. The main reason can be attributed to the association of Jazz with African-Americans. Many people spoke against Jazz. Anti-jazz sentiments also emanated from governmental agencies, periodicals and academic activities. The New York state legislature passed a bill to regulate jazz which was called the Cotillo Bill. Members of the business elite banned jazz from their plants. Many elites worked against jazz through music and dancing clubs, women’s organizations, and public health agencies (Leonard, 1962). Anti-jazz sentiments recorded in periodicals including both the trade and popular presses. The list of prominent individuals who were anti-jazz includes Thomas Edison who publicly condemned jazz, and the wives of leading industrialists of the period (Phillips, Damon J and Owen, David A. 2004). When the sound of jazz spread across the continent of America in the early twentieth century, it was welcomed by both delight and controversy among the people. As it became popular, it was criticized by many but the music survived. Jazz music was different as it broke many rules both musical and social. It also featured improvisation over the traditional structure of music. Before the advent of Jazz, many musicians had worried about the impact of Jazz on the young generation, as such its interest in the classical music but this proved wrong. Jazz reached beyond the night clubs as New York radio and recording companies began to dominate the music industry by replacing Chicago as the centre of Jazz. In the 1920’s, the arts movement of the black community known as the Harlem Renaissance began solidifying the city. Jazz was an important part of this movement but not all the blacks were fans of jazz music, including the leader of the movement (Morton Jelly). The influence of Jazz music in the United States of America was positive during the 1920’s. It bought together with itself free thinking and new ideas were generated. It gradually became more than just a piece of music; it became part of the lifestyle of most Americans. During the jazz age, its rise reflected deep changes on the life of black people. It was played by many musicians for a living unlike many of the gospel singers. It was music made for both the rich and the poor. Jazz music arouse as a piece of music on which the people, especially the black community spent money with a desire of entertainment and who wanted to listen to something different they had left behind in the countryside. Jazz became one of the most heard and enduring music in the 20th century. Jazz has spread its wings that are its audience has grown in number and diversity. There are many people who don't accept themselves as jazz fans but even though listen to Jazz music regularly. There are millions of Pubs and bars which feature live music often based on Jazz (Hore, Charlie. 1993) WORKS CITED: Kirchner, Bill (2005). The Oxford companion to jazz. Oxford University Press, chapter two. E, Joachim and Berendit (1981). The jazz book: From ragtime to Fusion and Beyond. Lawrence Hill Books. Denner, Yvette. The 1920’s are often called the jazz age. To what extent did the novel and the lifestyle of F. Scott Fitzgerald reflect or define this label. Peretti, Burton (1997). Jazz in American Culture. Ivan R. Dee, Chicago Schuller, Gunther (1968). Early Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York Phillips, Damon J and Owen, David A (2004). Incumbents, innovation, and competence: the emergence of recorded jazz, 1920 to 1929. Tyle, Chris. The trends, people, and events that shaped the jazz standards canon. Jazz history in standard time. Brendit, J (1984). The Jazz book. The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (2000-2001). Timeline. Jazz in America. Heresniak, Mary (2001). Changing the standards-Alternative teaching materials. Journal of singing, vol 58. Coed, Denver (1926). Sunset magazine. Leonard, Neil (1962). Jazz and the White Americans. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Morton, Jelly. Culture Shock. TV series and beyond. Hore, Charlie (1993). Jazz-a people’s music. International Socialism Journa, Issue 61. Read More