The Nazi's had a number of names for jazz and swing music including fremdländisch (alien music), entartete musik (degenerate music), and Negermusik (Negro music). Their hatred and fear of Jazz stemmed from many sides, which included the nature of the music itself and those involved in its creation. In many ways, jazz music was diametrically opposed to the ideology of social control and order that Nazi Germany envisioned. Moreover, it used instruments and musical sounds that diverged from the legacy of folk and classical music in Germany.
Before Nazi Germany, during the days of the Weimar Republic, Jazz was actually a flourishing musical art form. Jazz was embraced with great passion in Weimar Germany as it swept Europe in the post WWI environment.
Rippey, Thefora F., “Rationalizations, Race and the Weimar Response to Jazz”. German Life and Letters, vol. 60 no.1 2007
Before this time the most common type of jazz was swing jazz which was a type of music that people were able to dance to. In the 1940’s the popularity of this type of jazz declined while a new type of jazz called “Bebop” became more popular which was a genre that was meant to be listened to instead of being danced to. When Keiko and Henry go to the Black Elk’s Club they listen to swing jazz and have a sweet time. Later in the story, Henry visits Keiko at the internment camp. Keiko tells him about a dream that she had where Henry was dancing “‘I don't know how to dance,’ Henry protested. ‘You knew how to dance in my dream. We were dancing in some club, with all kinds of people, and the music—it was the song he played for us.’” (Ford 162). In this part of the story Keiko is dreaming of the sweet times with Henry dancing to swing jazz. However, the bitter reality was that she was stuck in the internment camp and Henry is unable to dance. This reflects the shift of jazz music from sweet, swing jazz that people can dance to, to bitter, bebop jazz that people can only listen
...came from jazz's popularity was positive. Although some people were not happy with it, it improved so many people's lives in such drastic ways that it can not be viewed as "evil" music. With every new age group there will come change, and the people before it will not be as accepting. If you look through a timeline of, say, music, you will notice that as time has gone on, the music has gotten more sexual, more outgoing, more "evil", noisier, even stupider. Each generation needs something to set them apart, and to one-up the previous one. It is a natural way of life, proven by history. Jazz also helped many people in the years to come, the depression years, by uplifting their spirits. The pros of jazz music surely outweigh the cons, which makes it clear that the negative aspects of the music are only based off opinions, and the positive ones are based off facts.
The word “jazz” is significant to America, and it has many meanings. Jazz could simply be defined as a genre or style of music that originated in America, but it can also be described as a movement which “bounced into the world somewhere about the year 1911.”. This is important because jazz is constantly changing, evolving, adapting, and improvising. By analyzing the creators, critics, and consumers of jazz in the context of cultural, political, and economic issues, I will illustrate the movement from the 1930’s swing era to the birth of bebop and modern jazz. As the 1930’s began, the effects of the Great Depression still ravaged the United States, which in turn caused a dramatic change in the music industry.
Jazz was introduced directly after World War I by African-Americans (Boundless.com par. 1). Although jazz was composed by many different African-Americans the main founder of jazz was Ethel Waters (McCorkle par. 8). Jazz was first played in New Orleans, but as the African-Americans moved north, white citizens caught on and tuned jazz into a new craze (Lindop 107). Even though jazz was created in New Orleans, Chicago became the home of jazz music (Bingham 8). The first jazz players derived the tune from a mixture of Latin American, African, and European rhythms, making it very popular among many different types of people (“Latin Jazz” par. 1). Jazz was so well-liked because it gave the artists the opportunity to make the predetermined tune their own (“What is jazz par. 1). When listening to jazz the same song is never heard twice because the band members each put their own spin on the way they play their instrumen...
To understand the genesis of Jazz one must also understand the setting of its origin, New Orleans. The city was founded by the French in 1718, then in 1763 the city ceded to Spain and remained under Spanish control until later being returned to the French in 1803, and then was immediately sold to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. New Orleans was also heavily populated by African slaves making up 30% of the total population of the city at this time; so New Orleans was experiencing a lot of cultural diversity and was being shaped and molded by the many different fashions of people who lived in the city. These different social groups along with their culture also brought with them their deep rooted musical traditions, the fusion and combination of these traditions would give rise to what we know today as modern day Jazz. Jazz is a genre of music that could only have formed in America; it draws from many different cultures and art forms creating a cocktail of traditional European and African music, mixed with a blend of Spanish tinge, with a strong base of blues filtered through the American experience.
This essay, as the title suggests, will be about the origins of jazz music. Starting from the roots when African slaves arrived in North America, they helped the development and the emergence of early jazz a great deal. It is also important to not forget the significance of the Congo Square which kept the music alive in New Orleans, never letting it die out. Then, continuing on with the slavery theme, the essay will talk about why and how jazz music appeared in its widely considered birth place, New Orleans. Also, as early jazz developed into different styles, the text will mainly be focusing on its two most prominent ancestors: ragtime and blues. Additionally, jazz would not exist as it is known today without the assistance of some of the
Imagine you are walking the streets of New Orleans. You are standing right where jazz was established in the United States of America. Jazz wasn’t just about music, it also affected the culture involving social, economic, artistic and jazz leaders.
Because jazz is not an identity statement, some of the feelings and expressions that were used during the beginning of the era have diffused. With this, jazz has become weaker, but well known. Jazz will always continue to have character. Jazz will always be art. Jazz will always have a story to tell.
For many members of middle class, the educated blacks, jazz was considered low class, worldly music from the devil. Due to the original reaction to Jazz music, it began with having little to
Jazz is an American genre that developed from ragtime and blues in the early twentieth century in urban areas of the U.S. This genre is characterized by strong, prominent meter, improvisation, distinctive tone colors, and performance techniques. The development of Jazz made a postive, lasting impact after World War One ended. It became a way of bringing young people together. Jazz became the basis for most social dance music and provided one of the first opportunities for public integration. Subcultures like the gangs of New York and Chicago encouraged the subjugation of the black artists to the white man’s economic and social power, often resulting in gang leaders having complete control over
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
a unique sincerity and magnetism that has withstood the test of time. From its humble beginnings in New Orleans, jazz quickly spread throughout the United States and soon became an illustrious component of American culture. This art form not only offered a distinct and musically euphonic prospect, but also gave voice to the African American community. The development of jazz tore down barriers and confines forever shaping music and culture around the world.
Now a days, many believe that jazz is not that important of music genre, but with our history, jazz plays a big role. “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but it is a gift that America has given to the world.”, quoted by Ahmad Alaadeen. Jazz in the 1920’s opened the eyes of whites and invited them into African American culture; it evolved Americans to where we are today since it brought a change to the music scene, an acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles.
The beginnings of Jazz are thought to be born at a specific time, but there is more to the birth of jazz. Jazz music was born more or less simultaneously in different parts of the United States and had many sources for its creation. Africans have contributed a lot to the style of making music, free rhythm, and the emotion with which they interpret their folk music that was later transformed into jazz. In the new world they absorbed the harmony and the concept of the Western form and condensed the African and European musical ideas, giving a musical style that can be called African American. Jazz became a type of urban expression that began to take hold in the cafes of New Orleans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.