Jazz Influence On African Americans

Words: 844
Pages: 4
Open Document
For many years, African American slaves were part of the American culture, until The Civil War ended. The North won the war, which settled the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Therefore, African Americans dispersed in many directions of the United States; however, many of them flocked to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Jazz is American music developed from ragtime and blues, created by rhythms and ensembles. Jazz not only gave its name to an age, but also it was a unifying social force and a powerful movement in cultural identity of blacks and whites. Nevertheless, jazz was founded in New Orleans by African Americans and European immigrants. One of the most successful and famous jazz founders was Scotty Joplin. Also, the …show more content…
Blacks used music as a weapon against the oppressive whites; however, the battlefield was big. One major race relation was the abolition of slavery, which created difficult circumstances for both races. Also, the society was oppressive against blacks, which meant blacks had to adapt to resistance and fight against a nation. However, whites did give a popular status to Creoles during the time, due to their creation of jazz. Jazz was a way for blacks to maintain their humanity, because jazz brought African traditions, tools, and style into their new genre of music. A wide majority of whites during the jazz age were oppressive. Many public sanctions were segregated and did not allow blacks in the facilities, however many places did. Nevertheless, blacks did perform on stages or in concert halls in the later 1920’s, but mostly performed in speakeasies, which were owned by Jewish or Italian mobsters. The opposing side of jazz and blacks perceived a greater danger, by joining the Ku Klux Klan, which prominently gained a large amount of members during the jazz age. Middle-class whites during the jazz age were split, because of the struggle between modernists and traditionalist. According to Peretti, “Jazz music and the behavior it nurtured illustrated both the racial, social, and sexual daring of some white rebels and the greater caution of the larger mass media, a group enticed by the allure of both nostalgia and novelty.” (45) Jazz created a divide between two races and whites’ themselves. However, blacks were free during the jazz age, but they were not totally free. Blacks had little rights and were barely respected, until jazz blown up on radio stations. Most black jazz artists gained a much better reputation and respect in the community. On the other hand, middle-class whites enjoyed watching these black jazz artists perform at
Show More

Related Documents: Jazz Influence On African Americans

Ralph Ellison Jazz Influence

example of this than Jazz and Blues music. Gaining popularity in the early 20th century, Jazz and Blues music was pioneered by African American musicians. The lyrical content of songs in this idiom usually spoke about issues that pertained to the African American experience at the time, such as racism and poverty. The melancholic yet defiant nature of Jazz and Blues music eventually found itself creeping into other idioms including poetry, art, and Literature. The musical stylings of Jazz and the Blues…

Words 1093 - Pages 5

Essay on Ragtime and Blues Influence on Jazz

as Parents of Jazz Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also…

Words 1368 - Pages 6

Jazz Ken Burns Essays

Jazz by Ken Burns “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,…

Words 1457 - Pages 6

African-American Influence On African American Music

INTRODUCTION African-Americans have had a notable influence on American music. Since the days the slave trade began African slaves brought over, to this New World, their customs and tradition of music. They used music to give themselves some sort of cultural and ethnical identity in the New World. They also brought a rich African heritage, including songs. Adapted to reflect the experiences of life of hard labor on plantations, these slave work songs, laments, and shouts of protest evolve into…

Words 1159 - Pages 5

History of Jazz Essay examples

Jazz Music When one hears the word jazz a few things come to mind such as; Louis Armstrong, saxophones and beatniks. Some might even associate jazz with the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance, but mostly it is associated with black culture. All of these associations about jazz are true, the most important one being that jazz is purely an American made form of music. The influence of jazz comes from African and European cultures put together in the one place where these and many more cultures…

Words 602 - Pages 3

How Did Jazz Culture Impact The 1920's

Jazz Culture: Jazz started in New Orleans as a fusion of African and European music and played an important part in wider cultural changes in this period, and its influence on pop culture continued long afterwards. How did jass impact the 1920’s: Throughout the 1920s, jazz music changed into integral part of american popular culture. Jazz Culture Facts: Jazz started in New Orleans in the early 1900s. The jazz age is the name given to the age in American history between the end of WW1 and the start…

Words 229 - Pages 1

Essay about The Jazz Age

The Jazz Age Jazz was a form of music that developed from the blues. At the time jazz had a very significant impact on society because it challenged traditional culture. It change the way that people thought of music and dance. The Jazz Age was the time in the 1920's (also known as Roaring 20's) where jazz became immensely popular starting a new revolution in music. Jazz was originally a mixture of Blues and marching bands played on old U.S Army instruments like the cornet or marching drums. It…

Words 719 - Pages 3

How Did Louis Armstrong Impact Society

great impact on America. This was the time of the Harlem Renaissance; music, literature, and art were a big part of this movement. The African American culture was recognized and appreciated greatly at this time. Jazz became very popular because of an African American, Louis Armstrong. “Louis Armstrong brought New Orleans jazz to the North in the 1920s” (The Jazz 717). His music continued influencing people long after the Harlem Renaissance. Louis was born and raised in New Orleans, La, but his…

Words 565 - Pages 3

jazz dance Essay

varieties of jazz dance reflect the diversity of American culture. Jazz dance mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influences, historic events, and cultural changes. Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by social dance and popular music. But, like so much that is “from America”, the history of jazz dance begins somewhere else. The origins of jazz music and dance are found in the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves. The style of African dance is…

Words 2766 - Pages 12

Essay about Harlem Renaissance

average everyday person, does not mean you are not able to be an artist of any kind. In the 1920’s this was possible for any African American who had any type of money. In 1918 millions of African Americans decided they were going to move north as a result of the poor conditions in the South (Perry 1). This movement became known as the Great Migration. Many African Americans moved to Chicago or New York due to others already living there. Sadly “the Harlem Renaissance movement ended in the late 1930’s…

Words 1194 - Pages 5