Prompt:
Which city was
more important to jazz in the 1920s--Chicago or New York? What role did the
particular social, economic, and racial conditions of that city play in
creating the cultural conditions for jazz to triumph in that city? Was
there a Chicago or New York style of jazz (depending on which of the two cities
you choose)? If so, what was it, who played it, and what distinguished it from
other styles? Whose (band or individual) art best represents the culture
and community of the city you choose? Why? Please provide
references.
Jazz
progressed from its blues and ragtime roots beginning in New Orleans at the
turn of the 20th century. The style originated from a mixing of
cultures in this city, which became known as the ‘melting pot’ of America. Once
the jazz fever had begun to spread, it was no longer the melding of cultures,
but the style itself that propagated its own evolution. By the 1920’s, Chicago
had developed a strong passion for this smooth, syncopated and rhythmic new
style of music, and became a centerpiece city for the genre’s development.
The primary
reason that jazz was able to emerge in Chicago when it did was the great
migration. Tales of opportunity and decreased racism with a better chance at
prosperity for Negroes caused many to migrate to Northern cities in the 1910s. Whether
or not these anecdotes were accurate, they caused 60,000 Negroes to migrate to
Chicago alone during this decade (Jones, p. 95). According to Wikipedia, “at
least 40 prominent New Orleans jazzmen” were part of this migration, many of
whom, including Armstrong, Hines, Morton, Oliver, Noone, and Dodds (Gioia,
chapter 3), eventually settled in Chicago. This is no surprise, as according to
Gioia, “Sidemen in Chicago bands could earn $40 per week…a far cry from the
$1.50 to $2.50 per engagement a New Orleans player might have commanded during
that era.” (chapter 3) Thus, economic opportunity was a primary factor.
However, there was much opportunity elsewhere—the factor which separated
Chicago from other cities, such as New York, was its thirst for the music
itself, which in turn led to the creation of its own unique style.
Of the
1920’s jazz artists, one group that stands out boldly is McKenzie and Condon’s
Chicagoans. The band originated as a group of high school students who had an
avid fervor for jazz. Calling themselves the Austin High School Gang, they spent
all of their free time listening to any live jazz band or orchestra they could
find, or repeating records of the greats over and over, stopping and learning to
play the songs along the way (The Best Of
Jazz, p.153-154). This devotion to jazz was not unique to the Chicagoans, instead
it was the factor that made Chicago the centerpiece of jazz in the 1920’s. Bix
Beiderbecke, another jazz artist located in Chicago, shared their obsession
with jazz. He in fact proved to be a role model for these young musicians,
among others, being similar to them in age and social standing (The Best Of Jazz, p.154). Beiderbecke
came from a family who wanted him to go to college and lead a normal life with
a reliable job, but his love for music was so great that it eventually became
his life’s work (Gioia, chapter 3). The passion that these artists shared for
jazz was common among musicians in the area, causing Chicago to become the
heart of jazz in the 1920’s.
What
happens when music comes from the soul of the artist as opposed to the blending
of preexisting styles? In one simple word, ‘improvisation.’ Although this does
not encompass the entirety of the style, it does provide a hint for its
direction. Another quality was epitomized by Frank Teschmacher. He played
slightly, “‘out of tune’, used a ‘squawky’ tone and often let fly
carelessly-articulated phrases” (The Best
Of Jazz, p. 159). In Chicago,
jazz was played from the heart and soul, resulting from a deep passion that
nearly every musician and fan possessed. This was the culture, and it
ultimately led to the city’s ubiquitous influence on the genre as a whole in
the 1920’s.
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