Harlem renaissance was a black cultural movement in the 1930s. Many African Americans were moved from the south, landed in Harlem a borough of Manhattan. But don't make the mistake of measuring Harlem by its boundaries. Harlem has always been measured by a spirit and way of life, which has touched all of America and has created a legacy that continues to inspire today.
Jazz music was created during this time. Quickly, Jazz became a major influence. It was quoted as being the “peoples” music. Gioia and other jazz and cultural historians believe there was a profound desire for well-to-do blacks to assimilate into the white business culture of the large American north-eastern cities where jazz was gaining in popularity: New York, Chicago, Detroit, Saint Louis and others.
The advent of the "Harlem Stride Style" of piano helped bridge the gulf between the "low life" culture as jazz musicians were perceived, and the black social elite. The piano (for many was a symbol of affluence), rather than the brass band (a symbol of the south), defined this style of jazz.
With the Harlem stride style of jazz, the music became more accessible not only for wealthy blacks, but also for whites. Jazz's popularity was at an all time high as the fervor grew throughout the country.
In the 1920s, African American music was the rage. Every night, white people took taxis and subways uptown to Harlem to listen and dance to music by black musicians and singers at the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom. White publishers went to Harlem to find black writers and poets to publish. In the 1920s, black people, in Harlem at least, began to feel that they were an important part of the nation's cultural life.
In 1927, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington began a fabled career as a bandleader, composer, and pianist with a four-year stint at Harlem's Cotton Club. A succession of popular radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club made his name famous throughout the world. Ellington composed such songs as "Mood Indigo" and "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." Ellington's band made the Cotton Club the "in" place to be in New York City. But he wasn't alone.Jazz singer Lena Horne and legendary blues singer Bessie Smith (1894-1937) also began their famous careers during the days of the Harlem Renaissance.Ellington was once asked what Harlem was like during those heady days. Without hesitating a moment, he answered, "Why, it was just like the Arabian Nights."
