1. The 1920’s
The “Roaring Twenties”, after the end of the grueling First World War, were a time of great opulence and extravagance
The Twenties were very different from the time before the war, when people embraced economy and simplicity
The decade was a time of great change, when there were great advances in technology, the economy was strong, and America flourished culturally as well with new, more daring clothes, movies, ideas and music
This period ended in 1929, when the stock market crashed, sending the country into turmoil and destroying this atmosphere of extravagance, reverting back to the cautionary ideas and lifestyles of the previous decade

2. What is Jazz?
Jazz is a uniquely American musical style which came into its formative years during the Twenties
Jazz combines European harmonic ideas with African rhythms and African American spirituals and blues
Jazz in the 1920’s was played both by big bands and by smaller combos with only a few instruments
The 1920’s were known as the “Jazz Age”, a term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald, (author of “The Great Gatsby”) due to its great popularity throughout the decade
Syncopated
(accents on 2nd and 4th beats)
Unsyncopated
(accents on 1st and 3rd beats)

3. The Origins of Jazz
Jazz began in New Orleans, which is called the “Cradle of Jazz”, due to its large role in shaping jazz in the early part of the 1920’s
In the late teens and early twenties, New Orleans was a crossroads for many different cultures; European, African and Caribbean cultural traditions crossed in the city
The result of the blending of these different cultures was a new style that combined different pieces of each culture’s musical traditions to create a new kind of music
Jazz’s growing popularity was fueled by rapid population growth, a move away from rural areas and the increase in technology, which permitted music to be transmitted by record and radio, further increasing the circulation of the new music
New Orleans,
1900

4. Jazz in the 1920’s
The rhythms and style of jazz inspired many different dances of the time, as well as made it the favored music of many high society parties that would have previously played classical music
Jazz was embraced by many young people who thought of it, along with flappers and frequenting speakeasies, as part of a culture of rebellion against the old, pre-war stuffy society
The Cotton Club
in Harlem

5. 1920’s jazz bandleader Duke Ellington (piano), playing “Mood Indigo”
Jazz in the 1920’s
1920’s jazz bandleader Duke Ellington (piano), playing “Mood Indigo”

6. The Jazz Controversy
While jazz was cheered by many, it also had many detractors. Critics called it savage, crude, noise, and even tried to ban it from being played in many public places
This controversy was rooted as much in the music itself as in the social ideas and norms at the time
Jazz band,1920’s

7. The Jazz Controversy: The social conflict
Jazz was often attacked for the strong feelings it incited in people at the time
One newspaper even charged that putting a movie theater that featured live musicians playing jazz next to a maternity hospital would instill “jazz emotions” in the babies born there
Supporters of jazz argued that it was simply a mode of expression and had no harmful affects on the listener
This conflict was really rooted in the tensions at the time between the old establishment, and the younger people, who were more inclined to participate in all the fads of the time; dressing like a flapper, going to speakeasies, and listening to jazz
Speakeasy, 1920’s

8. The Jazz Controversy: The Music
While there were many social conflicts that occurred during the 1920’s involving jazz, the music itself also was very controversial for these reasons:
Jazz uses a lot of improvisation, both by individuals and by a group
Broadway show tunes and spirituals were often used as source material for jazz in addition to original compositions, making it seem to be derivative, unoriginal music
Jazz also redefined the relationship between the composer, singer and player.
Jazz was also cited as “simple” because there was often no written music involved,

9. The Jazz Influence
Jazz is present today in many ways; through samples of older jazz that show up in new songs, and through new jazz artists that have expanded upon the foundations of the music of the 1920’s to create many new styles of jazz throughout the years

10. Works Cited
"Jazz Age." American History ABC-CLIO. 20 Oct <
"jazz." American History ABC-CLIO. 20 Oct <
"jazz." Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 24 Oct <
Ogren, Kathy J. The Jazz Revolution: Twenties America & the Meaning of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
“United States." Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 24 Oct <