During the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, jazz music and dance flourished within the African American community in Harlem, New York. Jazz originated in the early 20th century in the United States and had its roots in African dance traditions. Major performers like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong influenced the Harlem Renaissance with their performances in nightclubs like the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club featured only black entertainers but was segregated, allowing only white patrons. Jazz became a popular music genre during this time, reaching audiences of diverse races. Music and dance were highly celebrated during the Harlem Renaissance.
2. History of Jazz
•Jazz originated in the early 20th
century in the United States.
•Some say the word, “Jazz” was a slang term related to sex
and romance, while others said it had its origins in the
English writers Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare.
•Early roots of Jazz dancing originated from the African
American Culture. Natives in Africa danced to celebrate the
cycles of life; birth, puberty, etc.
3. Major Historical Influences
• In the 1920's African American literature were
music and dance and it began to flourish in
Harlem.
• This African American cultural movement
became known as the "New Negro Movement"
and later as the Harlem Renaissance.
• This was more than a movement, the Harlem
Renaissance was a way for African Americans to
redefine themselves.
4. Charlie Christian
• Benny Goodman was the first
white man to hire a black man,
Charlie Christian to play the
guitar.
• This was a major influence
because it broke the cycle of in
society of only white men
performing in clubs, ect.
• After this many other men,
African American men, began
performing. Soon, society was
look upon in a whole new
different way.
5. Performer's &' Their Contributions
There were many Performers in that era one
of the them was Duke Ellington.
•Moved to NYC to start a band
•Him and his band appeared in many
Nightclubs and theaters, One of them being
Carnegie Hall
•He is considered to be one of the greatest
composers & Musicians
6. Performer's &'their contributions 2
Louis Armstrong
•Considered to be One of the greatest jazz
players of all time
•His first performance was at the age of 7
•Louis influenced the harlem renaissnance
and played with the Fletcher Henderson By
band
•He is knownto be the True King of Jazz
7. The cotton Club
• The cottons club location during the harlem
renaissance era was 644 Lenox ave &'
14th street.
• It opened 1920 and it was segregated
where only white patrons can enter the
service and entertainment was by black
entertainment
• In the early years legendary jazz became a
part of the cotton club
8. The Cotton Club performers
• Many known jazz performers performed
such as :
• Duke Ellington, Cab callowway,
BessieSmith, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole,
Ella Fitzgerald,
• Today there is a new Cotton Club which
sits under the massive Manhattan Viaduct
9. Major Cultural Influences
• The African Americans who made their way to
Harlem during and after the First World War found a
political and intellectual leader in W. E. B. Du Bois,
who advocated a forceful, militant approach to the
struggle for black self-determination.
• At the same time as these writers and artists launched
the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem was full of other
important political and cultural activities.
• Marcus Garvey: the leader of a Back to Africa, Black
Nationalist movement centered in Harlem.
• Jazz itself, formerly a music limited to an African
American audience, became the dominant popular
music of the 1920s, reaching a diverse audience that
included a good many urban—and, for that matter,
even rural—white Americans.
10. Music & Dance in Renaissance
• During the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans loved
music and dance. There were new types of dance and music
that became significant to them, and changed many of their
lives. Music during this time was valuable to them, Jazz most
importantly. African Americans came together at night clubs
like the Savoy and Cotton Club to hear some of the jazz
musicians do their work. At night they went to the clubs,
listened to the performers and danced all night.
