Jazz music became very popular during the “Roaring Twenties”, which was a time in history that had a great success in economic growth and prosperity for the United States in a lot of different areas (music, literature ,science..). The appearance of inventions like the radio and the telephone helped the industry of entertainment. From that time on, musicians could record in a phonograph their compositions, which for Jazz music, that was a totally improvisational style, was life-changing. So people could, in addition , listen to the radio and even buy their favorite recordings to listen to them at home, instead of going to a bar or to a Jazz concert.
After Congress passed the Volstead Act, which prohibit the sale of alcoholic drinks, a lot of Americans went to illegal bars or other entertainment places to listen to jazz and dance Charleston (“America in the 1920s: Jazz Age & Roaring 20s (Article)”). American white artists, such as Fletcher Henderson in New York, received much more attention and publicity than black artists, due to the continuing racial prejudice of the decade. Even amidst the negative racial environment, black American jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Joe “King” Oliver succeed in this industry (“A Culture of Change”). During this period, women, known as ̈flappers”, were also important. They were young and independent women who did not live by the conventions of society. Flappers, involved in the feminism movement, had the liberty to perform activities such as smoking, drinking or dancing, which were mostly done by men (“History of the Jazz Age”).
Works Cited
- “America in the 1920s: Jazz Age & Roaring 20s (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/ap-us-history/period-7/apush-1920s-innovations-in-communication-and-technology-lesson/a/jazz-and-the-lost-generation.
- Boundless US History. “A Culture of Change.” Lumen, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/a-culture-of-change/
- “History of the Jazz Age.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/history-of-the-jazz-age.html.
