Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington are some of the most classic jazz artists of the twentieth century. Their music characterizes the Roaring Twenties during the age of the Harlem Renaissance, a time of great artistic and literary development in the African American community. Jazz was not only a form of expression, but it also made strong political statements.
The history
of jazz music begins with the music of African slaves in the nineteenth
century. Slaves were known to Africanize psalms and make new hymns which
mirrored the rhythmic songs of West Africa. After the abolition of slavery, the
blues became the music of black people, as the somber tones were used in many
songs to describe the plights of slaves. Blues music was less structured than
music of Western origins, which is important for the foundation of jazz music.
While blues music began as a regional folk art in the South, it grew to mass
popularity by the turn of the century. Another important predecessor of jazz
music was ragtime, which has similar piano progressions to jazz music and
originated in the Mississippi Delta, nearby the origin of jazz in New Orleans
(Gioia). Ultimately, jazz music is the compilation of blues, ragtime, and
European music that became immensely popular in the twentieth century.
With all
the mixing of different musical styles in jazz, jazz had large political
implications. To begin with, jazz music made the gap between white and black
people smaller by taking aspects of both cultures and using them to create a
new form of art. In doing so, jazz artists criticized the racial tensions of
the era and attempted to create unity between Americans. Additionally, jazz
music made art more accessible to black people who were uneducated. According
to Alfred Appel, a jazz analyst, “the jazz of Armstrong, Ellington, Waller, et
al. is the touchstone of accessibility” (Appel 8). In the twentieth century,
many black people did not have formal education because the Jim Crow laws
following the abolitionist movement diminished their access to schooling. Jazz
music enabled uneducated people to enjoy music and understand messages through
song. The new musical style was also favored mainly by Republicans, who
supported a progressive ideology and supported rights for African Americans
(Donald 188). Thus, there were several political statements made with the
introduction of jazz music.
The styling
of jazz music was instrumental (pun intended) in the modernist movement. It “‘jazzed’
the ordinary and given it new life” (Appel 13), which caused modernist authors
and visual artists to look at everyday objects from a new perspective. This new
perspective inspired artists like Marcel Duchamp, who made “The Fountain” that
we viewed in class. Furthermore, the rhythmic sequence of jazz music is very
quick and upbeat, which inspired writers to integrate movement into their work.
For example, Hemingway’s “‘come’ and ‘go’ makes everything seem to move or
jump” (Appel 16). Hemingway was inspired by the jazz movement to make his
writings lively and mobile. Modernism was inspired and mobilized by the jazz
movement, its rhythms, and its musicality of common objects.
I think
jazz music is important for the appreciation of African Americans and their
culture. In a time of intense racial discrimination, jazz music united
different racial groups, which was an important step forward for the Civil
Rights Movement. Some questions for discussion:
How else
might jazz music have affected modernist authors?
Are
there any examples of jazz-like influences in The 42nd Parallel?
Works Cited
Appel,
Alfred, Jr. Jazz Modernism: From
Ellington and Armstrong to Matisse and Joyce. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
2002. Print.
Donald,
James. Some of These Days. New
York: Oxford UP, 2015. Print.
Gioia, Ted.
"The Prehistory of Jazz: The Africanization of American Music." New York Times. Oxford University Press,
1997. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
I like what you wrote about blues being less structured and how this led to Jazz music. To me this ties in to the idea of authors in the Modernist era playing around with new forms of structure, including an apparent lack thereof. More specifically, this breaking down of traditional structure reminds me of the way Stein significantly altered sentence structure in Melanctha. It's interesting to see how the same forces had influence in both literature and music during the Modernist era.
ReplyDeleteThe way you compared the rhythm of Jazz to the rhythm of Modernist Novels is very fascinating. It seems as though everyone in the early 20th century was concerned with communication. The variety of origins in both Jazz and the American Voice is incredible. I find it interesting that the structure of the language and the music mirror each other. Both express the same desires, the same rhythm, the same challenges. I think that what musicians were trying to achieve with Jazz is the same as what writers were trying to accomplish in Novels, Artists in Paintings, Directors in Film, People in Society.
ReplyDeleteI like that you really emphasized jazz's role in bringing two groups together and referring to them as "Americans." However, this also made me wonder the role of jazz in other cultures. Although it is inherently American, I wonder if jazz played a large role in the Modernist movements in other countries like, for example, France. I know Paris has a big jazz culture now. To what extent did American jazz play a role in this, and was it during the Modernist movement that jazz also went international?
ReplyDeleteAlso, nice job with the pun. It got me. It got me good.
I really like your post! It's interesting how music played a role in the education of minority groups when formal education was of limited access to them. I'm curious if, in some ways, African Americans had a stronger sense of emotional nurturing or 'education' as opposed to other minorities and majorities during the jazz period? I wonder, due to Jazz's distant origins from Africa (and the cultural heritage that came with it as you mentioned), if in some sense African Americans during the Jazz period onward have a stronger, more "necessary" and "dependent" link to understanding their culture through song than other minorities and majorities? Or, is music just as culturally "necessary" to each respective groups heritage as it is to those of African Americans in retaining knowledge of their heritage and ancestors?
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned Jazz's bridging of the blacks and whites by melding aspects of both cultures and how Hemingway's writing was influenced by Jazz... this adds meaning to Jazz that I've never had before reading your post! Thank you for sharing! Interesting and enjoyable :)
-Chris Newton
It seems that jazz is a truly avant garde genre of music. As it was breaking countless boundaries in the way music was written and performed, jazz defined a new and original sound that has stood the test of time, while many trends in music tended to fade. So I guess it goes to show that traditions have to broken every once in a while for artistic innovation to happen.
ReplyDeleteI think the connection you made between the linguistic influence that jazz had on literature was very interesting. It was insightful to read how musical developments can inspire writers to incorporate new techniques within their work to reflect changes within their culture.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog as it showed how the avant garde changed people's perspectives in America. Whether it was musically, like with jazz, or artistically with the work of Duchamp, the new influx of ideas that these artist's brought challenged traditional modes of thought. I thought it was great how you mentioned Jazz was purposefully off-beat as this captures how artists strove to create something unconventional and redefine what music could or couldn't be.
ReplyDelete