Blog #2: New York's Renovation of Jazz

As an artistic component of African identity in America, jazz became integral to black culture by the early twentieth century, and with the Great Migration, the music style demonstrated a thriving resilience in New York and Chicago. With continued racism placed on the African American population, musical forms evolved to serve as both sanctuary and opportunity in the face of oppression in the urban environment. Specifically, the transformation of jazz in New York served as an indicator of social renovation in the black community, and, unattached from many of its original roots that were present in New Orleans, it is evident that the Big Apple’s form of jazz played the most influential role in reconstructing the art style.   

The migration of thousands of African Americans to New York gradually created a novel cultural domain, fundamentally changing black identity and jazz. The introduction of southern African American culture to wealthier blacks formed a divide that inadvertently spread their musical popularity to the white demographic. In History of Jazz, Gioia notes, “In almost every sphere of day-to-day Harlem life, the desire for assimilation into the ways of the Northeast exerted a powerful motivating force” (91). Unlike other cities, the new arrival of southern blacks spurred many to partially renounce their origins and adopt a cosmopolitan identity in Harlem, for both profit and assimilation into white society. The pressure of integration in New York created a rift in Harlem’s populace, who desired to maintain Southern tradition, yet sought assimilation for a better life. These conditions of black confusion of identity and desire for wealth cumulated in a mix of both modern and traditional styles, serving as a catalyst for the creation of New York jazz.

The New York style of jazz permanently sculpted the genre through its massive appeal to richer audiences, and although it may have lost key elements present in New Orleans, black musicians became widely acclaimed and demanded. The adoption of the piano, as well as the creation of ragtime by Benny Goodman further demonstrated a push towards the genre’s mainstream acceptance in New York specifically. In the passage James P. Johnson, the author states, “We have arrived at a picture of a breed of highly-skilled and intensely professional freelance piano-players who, largely through their own pride in their calling, had mastered an enormous repertoire of works, both popular and classical” (26). Jazz in New York represented both tradition and modernity in trying to earn wealth from a largely white audience, who preferred music that “wasn’t too black” (Stewart, Lecture). The combination of classical music to African rhythm created the fundamentals of modern jazz, and would permanently ingrain itself into American culture from its success in New York through rent parties and performances.

The modernization of jazz is a key trait of the New York style, and though Chicago did not lack innovation, its connection with New Orleans was far too strong for it to embrace cosmopolitan adaptations of the music. To succeed in New York, a musician had to leave behind some of their Southern traditions, and instead embrace American culture as a whole for an audience. Gioia, referring to Fats Waller, states, “With a winning, warm demeanor, Waller made them feel like they were honored guests at his party, drinking from the best bottle in the house, privy to the wittiest asides…”(95). This flashy and magnetic personality defines a successful jazz player in New York, vastly contrasting with the blues players in Louisiana in both personal qualities and music style. Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and Willie “The Lion” Smith all demonstrated that the identity of a modern black musician was more than an instrument, but a personality and appeal to mainstream America.

Regardless of New York’s effect on black opportunity, it is evident that the city caused an evolution of jazz through a displacement in audience demographics, coupled with the chance for African Americans to finally gain prosperity. The long-valued traditions of the music spatially clashed with the contemporary environment, to produce the most dramatic and important changes in jazz. No other city had the magnitude of black musical reconstruction, and in effect no other city could replicate the New York style.

Commented on Morgan Brubaker's blog