The Faculty, College of Arts and Humanities

Adventist University of the Philippines

Putting Kahoy, Silang, Cavite

Benjamin A. Gozar III

Second Semester 2019

In the 1920s, jazz music started to gain popularity in America. Taking place during the
Harlem Renaissance, jazz music helped define this time and the 1920s as the “jazz age”. The new
upbeat and exuberant style of music attracted many young people looking for change. Jazz is
termed as the musical fusion developed by combining R&B rhythms and funk, and amplifying
electronic effects of rock music. Jazz music is known to have originated in the southern region of
United States, and was composed by African-Americans. Jazz is an incorporation of music from
the nineteenth century, and that of the twentieth century. In addition to this, jazz music display
high level of creativity by its application of instrumental techniques.
Music such as jazz was commonly used mediums where African American musicians
sought fame and fortune. Many influential artists took to the stage in clubs such as the Cotton club.
Notorious gangster Owney Madden took over as the owner, where he used the club’s popularity
as a platform to sell his alcohol in the face of prohibition. It came to be known as a hub for alcohol,
drugs, marijuana, and interracial sex. Despite being a white-only establishment, this Harlem
nightclub lent itself to some of the greatest African American performers of all time. It was the
first time in history in which white and black people had interacted in a non hostile environment.
Jazz became the “in” music of the time. The new genre looked at an instrument as a simple
extension of one’s own voice and often was very interactive with the audience. Improvisation and
unique, celebratory tones grew in popularity, and the Jazz Era made its grand showing in the late
1920s.
Another factor that makes Jazz music so distinctive is its alternating rhythms. In jazz, the
rhythm or beat of the music is often sped up of slowed down at different parts of the piece to
increase the mood the musician wishes to display through the song (Matthews). Because jazz was
so heavily influenced by ragtime and blues, their styles were brought out during the times the artist
wanted to convey different messages. For example, if the song was upbeat and happy, then the
ragtime style was used. According to Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, ragtime is “A musical form
in which the right hand plays the melody while the left hand makes “stompy” sounds on the keys.”
In Jazz, however, the beats are often off count which differentiates it from Ragtime. If the jazz
musician wanted to bring out the sorrow of the song he or she would approach the song with more
of the Blues style (Blue and Naden). One jazz song could incorporate both the blues and the
ragtime styles, which is what made this genre so unique to other genres that came before it.
Rhythms are so important in Jazz because the musician has the ability to change the tempo or
mood of the song at any time. Since so many of the songs during the Jazz Age were performed so
many times by many different artists, Jazz musicians often reshaped the rhythms during the song
to express their own individuality in the song.