The radio, jazz music, and the Emergence of a National Culture
During the 1920’s, a new form of popular culture began to develop, and a very distinct one indeed. It is now regarded as the first decade of our modern era. With scientific advancements as well as technological advancements and the rapid growth of urban life, it became increasingly common to have leisure time, which led to the development of a newfound American culture. These developments in popular culture encompass; music, sports, art, literature, and more. Music developed significantly at this time. The creation of the radio helped encourage this. The radio was a very important technological advancement, as it brought events into people's homes such as plays or boxing matches. Also, many musicians played a big role in the Jazz age (Lapansky-Werner 231-245). The Original Dixieland Jazz Band and King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band started this new Jazz age. Also, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five represented the spirit of the era. New York became the center for jazz performance and recording, and some other successful jazz artists included Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, and Fats Waller. Jazz was very important in the creation of modern times because it expressed individual voice and impacted genres and styles in visual arts such as film and modernist literature. Jazz musicians were very popular and were successful in conquering racial boundaries (Schalkwyk 2).
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