History of Jazz and influence on the genre by Harlem, NY

Jazz, as a music genre, has its roots embedded deep within African-American communities. It emerged in the early 1900’s New Orleans, US. Jazz as a music genre is reportedly a derivative of distinct genres like Blues and Ragtime. Derived as though it may be, jazz has its originality laid in its distinctive attributes such as swing, blue notes, complex chords, and improvisation.

Since the early 1920s, a lot of artists have used Jazz as a form of musical expression and nonconformity. But the coinage of the term is attributed to musician Eubie Blake. When it reached the small town of Harlem, NY, the maestros out there gave the genre a new meaning and dimension and gave Jazz a whole new meaning. If one wants a catch a glimpse of this awe-inspiring, soulful music, Harlem Gospel Concert is the way to go about it.

Gospel Music has its origins in 17^th African-American slaves who would recite hymns taught by their ancestors, who were called spirituals. The call-and-response style of music when collided with expressionism and instrumentation of Jazz created a unique harmony with created a bedrock for the early Christian movement and faith in the form of music among African Americans all across the US subcontinent.

All of this is visualized and caught in action where the foot-stomping music is carried out by a choir of ensemble singers accompanied by a piano and saxophone at a Harlem Gospel Concert.

What caused the Harlem Renaissance?

A Harlem Renaissance Tour would explain why the phenomenon happened between 1918 to 1937 when the African American community embraced their culture while turning a blind eye to stereotypes propagated by racist beliefs. Harlem Renaissance bloomed and was nurtured into every facet of African American music, art, fashion, literature, and politics.

The top contributing factors to the movement can be considered the following:

1. The Great Migration caused the African-Americans living in the southern states to move to North America, including Harlem, and New York.
2. African-Americans were looking for channels that would hear them out without bias
3. To overthrow the racist judicial system in America
4. Harlem was chosen to be the home of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was built in 1909 to help advocate for the rights of African-Americans.
5. The National Urban League was started the next year to help African-Americans combat the socioeconomic struggles of settling in an urban area

Notable Figures

The notable figures during this era are:

1. Authors: Alain Locke, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, James Weldon Johnson
2. Poets: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay
3. Artists: William H. Johnson, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence
4. Actors: Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Charles Gilpin, Ethel Waters
5. Composers: Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, William Grant Still
6. Musicians: Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington

The role of Jazz during the Harlem Renaissance

Jazz, during the initial days of its emergence, has been marked as a tool to express and be the voice of the African-American People. Jazz had its root in slavery and was the fusion of African hymns and European classical music. Jazz was connected to judicial and social injustice, especially to the struggles of the new African settlers in city areas.

A lot of prominent names in Jazz came up during this era:

1. Fletcher Henderson
2. Duke Ellington
3. Cab Calloway
4. Benny Goodman

Radio Broadcasts during this era also helped spread the music among the African-American community. Most of the Jazz music that was broadcast on the Radio happened in the Harlem ballrooms

1. Early Jazz aficionados could hear the music of Duke Ellington’s Orchestra live from the most famous ballroom, the Cotton Club, from the 1920s to 1930s
2. Listeners were introduced to swing by big bands from the comfort of their homes.

The ramification of the Harlem Renaissance on Jazz

• Focus on sophistication: As the erudite and elite people of New York started being seen in the Jazz clubs, it was taken more seriously as an art form
• Widespread popularity: With the help of radio broadcasts the genre was reaching local, and national listeners and creating a bond with them
• Demand in different communities: The Harlem Renaissance ushered in a revolution in literature, drama, art, and music. This gained a lot of traction in the white communities and a demand was created among them
• Jazz caught the attention of the oppression happening in the US and displayed it for anyone who could see and listen. It made a lot of noise during pre and post-Civil War US and gained the African-American communities a lot of supporters for their cause. It also made space for appreciation of the performing arts in the minds of critics and the general population alike.

If one would want to reconnect with this soul-enriching experience to see where it all started, where one gets to learn about their past and the social evils that caused slavery and how to not repeat history, all the while, learning the power of music as a form of standing one’s ground without giving up and expressing the pain and grief a community had to go through, then the Harlem Renaissance Tour would be of immense help.

 

Photo by MART PRODUCTION: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-teal-suit-holding-trumpet-8107253/