Following the incredible chaos of World War One, the restlessness in America shaped into a new era: the Jazz Age. “The Jazz Age is the name given to the era in American history between the end of WW1 and the start of the Great Depression in 1929 (Alchin, Linda. 1913-1928: WW1 & Prohibition).” The Nineteen Twenties were a time of many radical cultural changes in America. Young men who had returned from combat longed to make the most of the rest of their time, and began living rather reckless pleasure seeking lives. Young people began abandoning traditions and taking advantage of the freedoms new technology, such as the automobile offered (Halttunen, Karen). Women gained new independence and freedoms, after receiving the right to vote in
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Langston Hughes, an African American poet who lived through the Jazz Age describes Jazz like this: “Jazz, to me, is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul - the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile (Langston Hughes Quotes).” Oxford Dictionary describes jazz as “A type of music of black American origin which emerged at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm. Brass and woodwind instruments and piano are particularly associated with jazz, although guitar and occasionally violin are also used; styles include Dixieland, swing, bebop, and free jazz (Jazz | Definition of Jazz in English by Oxford Dictionaries).” Jazz music was different because it did not require a formal music education, like classical music did. Most jazz musicians were self taught and could not even read music (Schuller, Gunther). Additionally, another distinguishing characteristic of jazz musicians is most were also the composers of the song (Schuller, Gunther). This differs greatly from classical music, which is written by a composer and played by an orchestra. Jazz music set a specific mood and inspired a new culture. Jazz culture was characterized by bootleg liquor, speakeasy clubs, illegal behavior, new dances, and promiscuous behavior. In 1920, Prohibition was made law, and the sale, distribution, and manufacture of alcohol was illegal. All alcohol available at that time was bootlegged, so clubs that served alcohol, like Speakeasies, were generally managed by organized crime. So Jazz clubs made way for giant crime bosses like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano to run their operations. New and exciting illicit dances, like the Charleston
Langston Hughes, an African American poet who lived through the Jazz Age describes Jazz like this: “Jazz, to me, is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul - the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile (Langston Hughes Quotes).” Oxford Dictionary describes jazz as “A type of music of black American origin which emerged at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm. Brass and woodwind instruments and piano are particularly associated with jazz, although guitar and occasionally violin are also used; styles include Dixieland, swing, bebop, and free jazz (Jazz | Definition of Jazz in English by Oxford Dictionaries).” Jazz music was different because it did not require a formal music education, like classical music did. Most jazz musicians were self taught and could not even read music (Schuller, Gunther). Additionally, another distinguishing characteristic of jazz musicians is most were also the composers of the song (Schuller, Gunther). This differs greatly from classical music, which is written by a composer and played by an orchestra. Jazz music set a specific mood and inspired a new culture. Jazz culture was characterized by bootleg liquor, speakeasy clubs, illegal behavior, new dances, and promiscuous behavior. In 1920, Prohibition was made law, and the sale, distribution, and manufacture of alcohol was illegal. All alcohol available at that time was bootlegged, so clubs that served alcohol, like Speakeasies, were generally managed by organized crime. So Jazz clubs made way for giant crime bosses like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano to run their operations. New and exciting illicit dances, like the Charleston