The Effect of Jazz in the 1920s-40s

 The Jazz Age was more than solely a musical epoch, it developed the culture and character of America. It was the first truly modern decade, and for better or for worse, created the model of society today. The music style of jazz included Syncopation and swung rhythms, Walking bass and Scat singing. The backbone of Jazz came from the instruments including  Trumpets, Saxophone, Piano, Trombone and double bass.  Jazz music made people feel either sheer joy or pain. This era impacted history in the 1920s by impacting the fashion industry, Breaking racial barriers in music and creating strong women, called Flappers.

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Jazz has long been a relief to racism in America. The African-American art form has brought together blacks and whites.  Jazz was bringing blacks and whites together to collaborate and socialize decades before court rulings and the civil rights campaign made strides toward equality.  “Such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and Dave Brubeck fought to gain access for black jazz musicians through “the front door”. Numerous musicians participated in marches, in fundraising events for civil rights organizations, and in a variety of other numerous activities”[1]. Beginning in 1926, an increasing number of black jazz performers broke through the resistance of the white musicians’ union and secured contracted jobs in Loop clubs and hotels. Two of the Big Apple’s most popular speakeasies were The Cotton Club in Harlem and the Stork Club, which was originally on 58th Street in Manhattan then moved to 53rd Street.[2] “The history of jazz is the history of black musicians and singers struggling to survive and surmount the racial barriers and racist distinctions that permeated American life. It was more a matter of confronting and transforming these barriers and distinctions in the world of music making. So while rebelling was a consistent theme in the evolution of jazz music, so was its signifying racial struggle and rebellion”[3] (Lopes, Paul Douglas). But as jazz music evolved the once strong racial barriers shattered.

Flappers were a cultural force of the 1920s that would later be regarded as an emblem of the era. A new, modern woman who was self-assured, exuberant, adventurous, and sophisticated, the flapper embraced unconventional behavior and represented America’s changing attitudes toward cultural norms, language, and dress. They rejected conventional female behavior in favor of what was perceived as a boyish style; they wore short skirts and makeup, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, danced the Charleston, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes. Early in the 1920s, flappers epitomized the battle for freedom in terms of self-expression, female equality, and indulgence in pleasures. They believed that life should be lived moment to moment, not according to moral or societal conventions. “The ladies’ franchise movement gained steam within the Nineteen Twenties as women entered the workforce once warfare I and gained the vote in 1920. Many men had died within the war, leaving opportunities open to women. The image of the flapper, with its associated notions of equality and sexual freedom, allowed some women to live more liberated lives. Women musicians specifically, such as African American singer Bessie Smith and pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, were widely popular. Paradoxically, however, the image of the free-spirited flapper began to reduce social support for ancient suffragettes and feminists, who currently appeared unfashionable and old style in comparison[4]. Following a 72-year struggle, girls had gained the valuable right to vote. The generations of suffragists that had worked for thus long proudly entered the political world. Carrie Chapman Catt carried the struggle into balloting awareness with the innovation of the League of ladies Voters. Alice Paul vowed to fight till an EQUAL RIGHTS correction the Constitution was made. MARGARET SANGER declared that feminine independence might be accomplished solely with correct contraception strategies.[5]Flappers and ladies normally began to more and more take hold new ideas like personal selection and consumerism whereas ridding themselves of rigid and older concepts concerning the role of girls.Flappers were ofttimes spoken within the context of a culture war of the anti-traditional versus the normal. In this approach, flappers were more and more being considered an emblem of the larger, social modification that was underfoot, like the primary time ladies were permissible to votein the U.S.However, for all the speak and therefore the recognition regarding however flappers were a part of the women’s movement and were symbolic of women’s empowerment.

  The 1920s brought many fads and fashion crazes. At the start of the era there where noticeable changes in previous fashions. Women began to wear more comfortable apparel. One of the most well-known fashion icons of the roaring twenties was Josephine Baker. She was the walking definition of the flapper aesthetic. Baker was an African American dancer, showgirl, and vocalist. She was a bridge between the two cultures of the United States and France, who at the time looked to each other for inspiration. Bakers nicknames given to her were “Black Pearl” and “Bronze Venus”. She was a hugely idolized figure in the flapper mindset. Early in her career, she was known to star in such musical including Shuffle Along ( 1921) and The Chocolate Dandy (1924)[6]. Josephine’s success came alongside the Art Deco movement in Paris. Sleek lines and geometric shapes are what Art Deco is. Baker was the muse of the movement with everything from what she wore to her slick hairdos. Women’s fashion characterized the free-spirited modern ear of the 20s. Trends of the roaring were short,low-waisted dresses with revealing styles, ‘bobbed’hairstyles and cloche hats. The Art Deco style included brightly colored clothes, scarves, clothes, ings with bold geometric designs. Men’s fashion included well-tailored pinstriped suits, silk shirts, raccoon fur coats, fedoras, bow ties, and black patent leather shoes. The greatest jazz pianist Bill Evans musical style is thoughtful and contemplative. Evan’ style was simple, yet elegant and timeless. He wore perfectly slicked hair and signature glasses, clean dress shirt, and blazer. Evens’ style encapsulates the “classic jazz” look that would forever serve as the epitome of cool[7]. Fashion and music go hand in hand because it gives you the visible and audible experience of an epoch which you can relive over and over. The Jazz Age appears to be one of the most prominent fashion eras of our time, with remains still resonating our runways and sidewalks.

The Jazz Age was a time of modification and new beginnings for Americans. Because of the jazz age, racial barriers were broken, women became more confident and fashion back then influenced modern times. With World War 1 at the forefront of the 1920s, Jazz music and flappers changed the world hidden by the war.

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