Phono/Prohibition Paper
Impact of Phonographic Record on Jazz - impact of Prohibition - did these einforce jazz as dance/social music? Tension between jazz as dance/social vs. artisitc instincts?
Commercialism with recording began to emerge (Collier 114-5).
In additional to the growth and spread of jazz music as a viable form of music, phographic recordings made it possible to raise a new generation of musicians into the jazz tradition. For example, a young Ella Fitzgerald heard Louis Armstrong's 1929 recording of ????? and this became a huge influence on her sound later on (Gioia ??).
Prohibition did have an impact on the great "Jazz Age" as termed by F. Scott Fitzgerald, although Collier remarks that it had a "marked, if difficult to measure" impact on jazz music. Although most Americans were probably against prohibition, the Victorians won out in banning alcohol in 1920. Suddenly alcohol, and its use were driven underground, fueling the rise of "speakeasies" and clubs where a lot of money flowed for alcohol, and hence money for live music and dancing. In part of this "more free" age, jazz with its experimental, improvisational qualities was a good match (Collier, ??) .
As Collier states and as we heard in lecture, the freedoms of the speakeasy culture also brought greater freedoms to middle class women. In part, because of the private, underground atmosphere of clubs, for the first time, women in polite society could go out and drink, party and have a good time listening to music, and men would follow the women. Dancing in clubs was part of the social norm, so all of these lent themselves to the hotness of jazz.
Perhaps even more marked than the effects of Prohibition on Jazz were its repeal in 1933, the time of the depression in which jazz and the recording markets, like many others in America, collapsed (Gioia, ??). In this way, Prohibition, or rather its disappearance, in part helped the emmergence of large jazz bands. This was because of the dire economic situation of the era, in which wages were deflated and suddenly many musicians could be hired at the same cost of few during the 1920's (Gioia, ??).
In big bands, with their larger orchestated arrangements, individual technical proficiency is not as important or necessary, so the virtuosuity that had characterized the rise of stars like Armstrong wasn't as much a selling point as having a biggeer "smooth" unison sound of large bands. The big-band model was a gap for a lot of Jazz artists to bridge - trying again to meld their soloist talents into a larger band was difficult for some, and the big band era was somewhat contrary to the individualistic, improvisational jazz of smaller soloist groups (Gioia, ??).
Commercialism with recording began to emerge (Collier 114-5).
In additional to the growth and spread of jazz music as a viable form of music, phographic recordings made it possible to raise a new generation of musicians into the jazz tradition. For example, a young Ella Fitzgerald heard Louis Armstrong's 1929 recording of ????? and this became a huge influence on her sound later on (Gioia ??).
Prohibition did have an impact on the great "Jazz Age" as termed by F. Scott Fitzgerald, although Collier remarks that it had a "marked, if difficult to measure" impact on jazz music. Although most Americans were probably against prohibition, the Victorians won out in banning alcohol in 1920. Suddenly alcohol, and its use were driven underground, fueling the rise of "speakeasies" and clubs where a lot of money flowed for alcohol, and hence money for live music and dancing. In part of this "more free" age, jazz with its experimental, improvisational qualities was a good match (Collier, ??) .
As Collier states and as we heard in lecture, the freedoms of the speakeasy culture also brought greater freedoms to middle class women. In part, because of the private, underground atmosphere of clubs, for the first time, women in polite society could go out and drink, party and have a good time listening to music, and men would follow the women. Dancing in clubs was part of the social norm, so all of these lent themselves to the hotness of jazz.
Perhaps even more marked than the effects of Prohibition on Jazz were its repeal in 1933, the time of the depression in which jazz and the recording markets, like many others in America, collapsed (Gioia, ??). In this way, Prohibition, or rather its disappearance, in part helped the emmergence of large jazz bands. This was because of the dire economic situation of the era, in which wages were deflated and suddenly many musicians could be hired at the same cost of few during the 1920's (Gioia, ??).
In big bands, with their larger orchestated arrangements, individual technical proficiency is not as important or necessary, so the virtuosuity that had characterized the rise of stars like Armstrong wasn't as much a selling point as having a biggeer "smooth" unison sound of large bands. The big-band model was a gap for a lot of Jazz artists to bridge - trying again to meld their soloist talents into a larger band was difficult for some, and the big band era was somewhat contrary to the individualistic, improvisational jazz of smaller soloist groups (Gioia, ??).
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