Music+in+the+1920s

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In 1924 a man by the name of Louis Armstrong single-handedly invented a new style of playing and listening to music. This new style was known as swing jazz. Swing played a big role in the developement of many new styles of jazz. Armstrong was thought to be a major factor in the rise of popularity in all jazz styles. With his amazing trumpet playing and singing he carried the message of New Orleans jazz around the world in the 1920s. Armstrong is known for his trumpet playing, but also his singing, in some of his music, was something no one had ever heard before. It was known as [|scat], because the singer sings without words or texts. [|Louis Armstrong]1196377848
 * Louis Armstrong**

Jazz originated in the early 20th century in the African American communities in the Southern United States. Some of the characteristics of jazz is its use of blue notes, call-and-response, syncopation, improvision, polyrhythms, and the swinging of notes. Jazz also incorporated sounds from New England's religious hymns as some of its main influences. Some of the standard instruments used to play jazz are the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, piano, guitar, double bass, drum set, and of course, vocals. Over the years, many other genres have spawned from jazz. Such genres are: Big band, Swing, Bebop, Latin-jazz, Jazz-rock, and Acid jazz. [|Jazz link]1196819620
 * Jazz Continued**




 * Swing Music**

In the mid 1920s a new brand of music developed as an offshoot of Jazz. This new style became known as Swing and was a dance form of Jazz music. This type of Jazz emphasized the use of horn/wind instruments while the vocals melody were mainly improvised right on stage. This faster, more risque version of Jazz was a type of Western African music blended with a western (American) style. Though, for some of the previously stated reasons, swing was not wholly popular until the 1930s and 40s. Because it was an African hybrid, this style of music was forbidden in Nazi Germany, and (whether for the same reasons or not) dubbed "politically unacceptable" in Soviet Russia.

For more information on the types of swing instruments and popular swing musicians, click [|here] 1196379374




 * Orchestra**

[|Orchestra] (<--source)

In the 1920s, the formation of small orchestras was a result of economic and artistic opinions. The formation of smaller orchestras then caused society to begin creating summer music festivals as well as orchestras that performed for smaller works. 1196389552


 * Big Bands and Swing Era of the 1920s**

[|Source]

In the 1920s jazz music began to form into big bands that included ragtime, black spirituals, blues, and European music. As the popularity of swing music increased, Americans invented new dances to go along with the music. In the Savory Ballroom in Harlem, NY, a new swing dance style called the Lindy Hop was discovered. Because big bands required a more preserved way of playing music than smaller jazz bands did, many musicians in these bands moved toward a more arranged and easier flowing style of jazz (known as "swing"), instead of music full of "blowing". Musicians of some popular big bands include [|Duke Ellington], [|Ben Pollack], [|Don Redman], and [|Fletcher Henderson]. The main sources of swing music and big bands during this time were crowd-filled ballrooms and radio remote broadcasts. Although historians indicate the 1930s as the beginning of the Big Band era, big bands certaintly have been recorded as early as the 1920s.

[|**JDunn4**]

In the novel //The Great Gatsby//, Gatsby's parties were full of many different people with different cultures and nationalities. The music that was played during these parties were also from various cultures and nationalities. Many orchestras were the life of Gatsby's parties. Much of the music was played in a preserved way to accomodate the size of the band, just as bands such as [|The Casa Loma Orchestra] and Duke Ellington's orchestra had to accomodate. Louis Armstrong, another popular composer, started his career in New York City, which is the same place the Great Gatsby takes place. His style of music is described at some of Gatsby's parties. Also, Armstrong's style was listened to by many people, from the poor lower class all the way up to the rich upper class. In addition, Gatsby's guests enjoyed dancing for hours to the live, exciting music. Many danced to different styles such as the Lindy Hop and other popular moves. Gatsby's extravagent parties were a huge source for large crowds to dance and enjoy themselves.