Jazz Music A Black Art - 2297 Words

Birsa Chatterjee Ms. Kuryllo AP English 12 Jazz Music: A Black Art in American Literature In America, the 1920s was an extremely critical time, especially for the African-Americans of the time. The Harlem Renaissance was booming. Citizens were bringing all poetry, art, and music to the next level in the roaring 20s. They call this the â€Å"Jazz Age† for a reason. Jazz music started to appear in dance venues and clubs. One such club was the famous Cotton Club. People were either enamored by it, or appalled by it. Jazz was all about movement; it was driven by syncopation and improvisation, and for some it was highly regarded as â€Å"the devil’s music. â€Å"Music, is a cultural reaction to specific environmental factors. As the new music of the 1920s, jazz utilized various elements and a new and greater sense of individual freedom and accomplishment. As the most revered, and emotionally fulfilling contemporary reaction to the world in Africa-American society, this music became parallel with the culture from which it had originated, overcoming barriers of gender and class. (Ludigkeit 6). Jazz music was created out of the black tradition of call-and-response. In the South (plantations), slaves utilized work songs to communicate with each other, maintain a working pace with their peers, and also as a type of worship. In the creation of jazz, the music was built in a similar way: a basic form was created, that followed a specific melodic structure and chord progression. Then musicians beganShow MoreRelatedJohn Altoon s Jazz Players From 19501396 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Altoon’s Jazz Players from 1950 is an oil on Masonite painting located in the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, Ca lifornia. Altoon’s piece conveys a sense of art deco style with his use of bold contour line outlining geometric shapes along with his use of strong saturated colors. Altoon’s Jazz Players reflects Modernism by exemplifying cubism as well as Harlem Renaissance art through the use of angular, geometric shapes and the depiction of the â€Å"New Negro.† John Altoon was bornRead MoreThe New Negro Movement, By Zora Neale Hurston1720 Words   |  7 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was a time of cultural endeavors of intellectual and artistic African American leaders during the 1920s. It was a manifestation of embracing poetry, literature, music, art, film, fashion and all things synonymous with creativity. It begun during the end of World War 1, in a relatively small section in New York City and ended during the aftermath of The Great Depression. This was by far one of the most influential movements in African American culture. African Americans tookRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance, A Cultural Movement Essay1063 Words   |  5 PagesHistory Art, Music, Literature†¦Freedom. The Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that began in the 1920s and continued until the early 1930s, brought excitement and a new found freedom and voice to the African-Americans who had been silent and oppressed for far too long. â€Å"Centered on the Harlem district of New York City, the Harlem Renaissance was part of a nationwide urban revolution sparked by World War I. The cultural outburst, which followed the dramatic influx of Southern blacks into NorthernRead MoreAfrican Americans Influence On Music1229 Words   |  5 Pagesday and age, it’s easy to hear black culture represented in most hip-hop; that is the dominating music genre that expresses African American views. It’s not so easy to remember where African Americans influence on music al began. Black influence on music today is really unrecognized but it’s important to bring to light just how much African Americans really have contributed to the sound, style, and feel of today’s music. No t just hip-hop or rap, but all kinds of music. There was one particular soundRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : A Period Of Ethnic Rebirth1664 Words   |  7 Pagesviewed black culture and their art. During the Great Migration, hundreds of African Americans packed their bags and moved north in search of a better life. There, they were given the chance to express themselves through their music and literature. New artists, musicians, and writers emerged from the city. Musicians like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday performed in clubs, showcasing their talent to white audiences. Artists and photographers like James VanDerZee captured the real lives of black peopleRead MoreMusic And Its Influence On Music1590 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: Music is a very telling form of expression. Whether it is the lyrics themselves, the tone in which they’re said or the rhythm of the music, there are many methods in which music expresses the artist’s opinion to his audience. The introduction of new methods of expression in music by tinkering with old methods are how new musical ideas are discovered. In the past, Miles Davis’ explorations into jazz fusion and modal jazz music pushed the envelope. Now, Kanye West’s explorationsRead MoreThe American Dream727 Words   |  3 Pagesdream a reality. The Jazz age and the music introduced to the world, the march on Washington where Martin Luther King gave his â€Å"I have a dream speech† and the fair housing act that was introduced in 1968 are only but a few, but critical examples among a number of doctrines and events that paved the way for these dreamers. There are many art forms that exist in the world but none that has left a lasting impact on the world like Jazz. Originating in the south, Jazz music was an art form that truly unitedRead MoreJazz Music Of The Time1559 Words   |  7 PagesMusic such as jazz was commonly used mediums where African American musicians sought fame and fortune. Many influential artists took to the stage in clubs such as the Cotton club. Notorious gangster Owney Madden took over as the owner, where he used the club’s popularity as a platform to sell his alcohol in the face of prohibition. It came to be known as a hub for alcohol, drugs, marijuana, and interracial sex. Despite being a white-only establishment, this Harlem nightclub lent itself to some ofRead MoreLouis Armstrong And Jazz : Comparison1270 Words   |  6 PagesArmstrong and Jazz Between the years 1910 and 1920 the first great migration of African Americans from the Jim Crow South to the more urban and modernized sent shockwaves throughout African American community and culture. Isabel Wilkerson states in her book the warmth of other suns â€Å"Six million black Southerners moving out of the terror of Jim Crow to an uncertain existence in the North and Midwest. (Wilkerson 56). After the Emancipation Proclamation and the abolishment of slavery, black Americans wereRead MoreJazz Influence On Jazz1469 Words   |  6 PagesThe Influence of Jazz in Toni Morrison’s Novel Jazz â€Å"It is only in his music [ ... ] that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story.† James Baldwin. â€Å"Jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A robust, rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, â€Å"call-and response† patterns, and improvisation of melody all characterize jazz music.† In Jà ¼rgen Grandt’s analysis, he states that in order to use jazz to look at African American literature, the critical