Themes in American History

The HarlemRenaissance was a cultural movement that covered the 1920s. It was also known as the “New Negro Movement”.  During this time period, the musical style of blacks was becoming more attractive to whites.  In this time period, the “Jazz Age” emerged and with the introduction of jazz came a totally new movement in the United States. The jazz was mainly credited to African Americans, but expanded and improved to become socially suitable to middle class white Americans. Jazz was the sound of the 1920s; it became the “people’s” music despite some trouble being accepted by the black “cultural elite”. Music in general exploded during the 1920s. Jazz were key to nightclubs, Apollo Theater, and the Cotton Club. Harlem Renaissance music was defined by lively clubs and characters who constantly improved and modified jazz’s sound. Men like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Willie “The Lion” Smith were the “gladiators” of jazz. Harlem Renaissance music was more than just music, but for many, jazz was a way of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: 1920s, Harlem Renaissance

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