The Spread of Jazz and the Effects on Society - 1288 Words

Black Face, Blue Notes and Whiteman The early growth and rapid expansion of popular American music in late nineteenth and early twentieth century America had widespread and irreversible effects on not only the growing black population, but also on America as a whole. The growth and evolution of music in this period, though fraught with racism and obstacles for the black performer, prepared the nation for the cultural revolution that allowed for the improvement of race relations and, ultimately, the gradual acceptance of a multi-racial national identity. Certainly this change did not come about easily, overt racism dominated the minstrel show even as it provided employment opportunities for black performers; revisionist histories†¦show more content†¦Again, though faced with a variety of obstacles and racists views, Tin Pan Alley afforded an opportunity for some black artists and served to spread the cultural developments of black performers, especially in the popularity of ragtime, allowing for future expansion and development in the years to come. As black artists merged the rhythms and feelings of West African music with the emotions of blues and ideas of ragtime and new type of music began to emerge from the South. With an eclectic mix of races, class and urban and rural environments, New Orleans came to be the center of early jazz development. The eventual explosion of jazz in the 1920s was foreshadowed by the quick rise to popularity jazz experienced in the city. Jazz music provided black artists with a possibility of relatively steady employment and eventually facilitated the dispersion of black culture throughout America. As jazz rose to popularity there was certainly a great deal of resistance on both musical and racial levels. Fearing perversions of moral and musical ideals, many whites resisted jazz initially. Once jazz experienced an increase in popularity revisionist histories appeared, removing black contribution or playing up whit e roles in the development of jazz. 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