Jazz Age

            
             The Jazz Age was the time in history where the soulful ness of the East met the American "white" culture. At the time of the Jazz Age the creation of jazz music and jazz singers became popular. Another event that is the outcome of the Jazz Ag is the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time where many black artist and writers became popular. These events help to show the slow acceptance and influence of African American culture on white America. .
             Jazz's influence on America could be most aptly described as a positive for cultural diversion, for free thinking, and for new ideals. This new genre of sound was not only a new type of entertainment, but also a genuine American lifestyle. Working its way north from its beginnings in New Orleans, jazz became the musical symbol of the age. A uniquely American art form, jazz traced its birth to a combination of ragtime, marching band music, and the blues. " The spontaneity and excitement of the music produced by black artists 'riffing' on old blues and classical themes found a ready outlet in the New York of the post-war era."(Rhodes, Page 64)).
             Musicians like Buddy Bolden, Clarence Williams, King Oliver, and Kid Ory laid the groundwork for jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who followed them and helped produce the Jazz Age. These musicians helped the African American culture by producing a type of free music that was a culture strike to many whites in the United States. By doing so breaking the lines of entanglement and allowing the beginning of the influence of black culture.
             With jazz music so popular many jazz nightclubs started to open. The most popular at this time was the Cotton Club. Harlem's Cotton Club illustrates the concretely the paradox of black-white relations in many northern capitals. Still even with the performances of black bands and singers, blacks were not allowed to be in the audience. Many large groups of jazz musicians began to play together, after the model of society dance bands.