Music and Art of the 1920s By: Frank Jackie Roberto

Music birth of the Harlem Renaissance During the Harlem Renaissance African Americans build a new type of music. This type of music came to be known as JAZZ. Jazz- was a mixture of West African, and Black folk music. Jazz was so popular that White folks traveled to Harlem to sing and dance. The types of jazz are swing, Dixieland, band, and orchestral.

The Cotton Club & The Savoy Ballroom The two most popular clubs where you could hear Harlem’s new music was in the Cotton Club or the Savoy ballroom.

The Cotton Club The Savoy Ballroom The cotton club operated during prohibition and was closed in 1925 due to the sale of liquor. It was operated by Owney Madden a white gangster. The club build many stereotypes by depicting blacks as savages. The club was made for white entertainment. The Savoy Ballroom was one of the first racially integrated public places in the country. Both African Americans and Whites could dance together in the ballroom.

Edward K. Ellington

Biography Edward K. (Duke) Ellington was born on April 29, Ellington aspired to become a musician since he was a little kid; his influences were ragtime pianists. When he was 17 he taught himself how to play the piano. In 1923 he moved to New York and got a job at the cotton club. At the cotton club he got worldwide recognition and is now considered one of the most influential figures of jazz. His jazz included vocals, he was leader of his band the Washingtonians. He was noted for his instrument combinations, which people referred to as the “Ellington Effect”. He also received doctorates from both Harvard and Yale. Ellington was a Grammy winner and was included into the Grammy hall of fame. He was also a nominee to the Pulitzer Prize. He died of lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974 at age 75. His son Mercer Ellington took over the band after his death.

Career Highlights Duke Ellington was a bandleader and composer. Some of Edward Ellington’s hits included: Do Nothing Till You Hear from me Caravan Perdido It don’t mean a thing Satin Doll Take the “A” Train Duke Ellington composed tons of music and sold enormous amounts of CD’s.

Art birth of the Harlem Renaissance During the Harlem Renaissance African Americans did not just give birth to music, theater, and literature; they also identified themselves with art. In their art they expressed depictions of the new African American and scenes of African American life from many perspectives. Through art, African Americans also fought for rights. They published their art in magazines like the NAACP’s “the crisis”, or “Opportunity”, and “New Masses”.

Edward Hopper

Biography Edward Hopper was born in the small Hudson River town of Nyack, NY on July 22, Born into a middle class family, his dad owned a store. When he was a teen he had already decided to become an artist, and his parents advised him to study commercial illustration. He attended the New York school of Illustrating and later on to the New York school of Art. Later on he went to study to France, while in Europe he visited England, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Spain. Edward Hopper loved Europe and many of his art represented what he saw in his trips. In 1920 he had his first solo art exhibition but he failed to sale any of his paintings, so he made his living through commercial illustrations. In 1924 he had his 2 nd solo exhibition but this time he sold all of his paintings. Most of Hopper’s art was realist. Edward Hopper continued to paint until his death on May 15, 1967.

Hopper’s Paintings Edward Hopper’s first designated painting was “The House by the Railroad”. The theme of this drawing was the loneliness of travel. “Early Sunday Morning” is the title of this painting. The Whitney Museum bought this painting at a expensive cost in 1930.

This is perhaps Edward Hopper’s most famous painting. It is titled “Nighthawks. The Theme of this painting may also be loneliness. New York is always filled with light, but in this painting Hopper chose to make it lonely, boring, and dull.

Aaron Douglas

Biography Aaron Douglas was born in Kansas on He received a B.A. in art from the University of Nebraska. He began to teach in Kansas schools and later studied with German artist Winold Reiss who encouraged Douglass to inspire himself from African art. Douglass’s style of art portrayed that of African. W.E.B. Dubois and Alain Locke noticed him because of his African style of art. They then hired him to illustrate their magazines, like “the crisis”. Alain Locke called him “Pioneering Africanist. His art influenced African heritage and pride. Douglass died in 1979.

Aaron Douglass painted these pictures on a mural on the 135 th St. branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. His paintings portrayed freedom in Africa, to enslavement in America, and liberty after the Civil War.

Bibliography King, Kwa. "The Jazz Age." 8 Mar "About the Savoy Ballroom." 8 Mar "Songs of the soul: the Harlem Renaissance, " 08 Feb Mar Jerving, Ryan. "Cotton Club." 08 Feb Mar "Edward K. (Duke) Ellington." April Mar "The Harlem Renaissance." EyeconArt. 8 Mar Powell, Richard. "African American Art." 8 Mar 2008.