important ideas
- During the Jazz Age, music was a force that could not be held back. Jazz brought the people of America together through "happy music." (Cruice) For most people, jazz was nothing like they had ever heard before with its "lighthearted, improvisational" sound.
- Huge cities that jazz flourished in such as New York, Chicago, and New Orleans were able to bring jazz into the homes of their citizens through the power of radio. Jazz was broadcasted and spread to the country.
- Jazz Bands and solo performances were the form in which jazz was introduced to the nation. Bands such as King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, the Red Hot Peppers, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra were especially successful.
- Some solo acts that were popular among Americans were Louis Armstrong, pianist Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holiday to name a small few.
- During the Jazz Age was also the Harlem Renaissance which produced several artists and made huge names for them in this time period.
- The Cotton Club, one of the most popular venues for Jazz performances in Harlem was abundant with talent. Artists flocked there in hopes of making their big break.
- "By the mid-1920s, jazz was being played in dance halls and roadhouses and speakeasies all over the country. Early jazz influences found their first mainstream expression in the music used by marching bands and dance bands of the day, which was the main form of popular music." (McDonald)
- Jazz was a form of art that changed people's view on the world. No matter what kind of person someone was, where they came from, or what color their skin was, jazz was a form of expression that was universal among the nation.
- Issues such as organized crime and prohibition brought the country down socially, weakening the unity the United States was known to maintain. Jazz music was an expressive and fun outlet for people, helping the nation progress by providing a way to expand its cultural horizons.
- Before jazz broke down racial barriers, races (among many human differences) were incredibly prejudiced and distinct. With the mutual interest of jazz, all people could unite and bond over this newfound passion.