4 – THE JAZZ AGE

Jazz AgeThe Roaring Twenties really began at the end of World War One and ended on Black Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929 when Wall Street collapsed. In between, the world entered the modern age. People migrated to the big cities. Americans grew up and went crazy - all in the same breath. Morals changed radically and many of the old taboos were dead. It was the most hysterical and frantic era of the 20th century, a decade of hedonistic escapism.

America went on a ten year binge. Although Prohibition (the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol, enforced by The Volstead Act of 1920 to 1933) was in effect, Americans surged to speakeasies, the underground nightclubs which featured watered down booze and a wild new music called jazz. In Manhattan alone, there were over 500 speakeasies. Radio came into its own and in 1927, the first partial talking picture, "The Jazz Singer" starring the one and only Al Jolson, revolutionized the industry.

If anything, the 1920's encouraged lunacy on a grand scale. It was the decade of "flaming youth," flappers, rumble seats, petting parties, marathon dance events, goldfish eating contests, racoon coats, bathtub gin, yo-yos, flagpole sitting, six day bicycle races and an energetic dance craze called the Charleston. The new heroes were Rudolph Valentino, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Charles Lindbergh (Lucky Lindy) and F. Scott Fitzgerald. "It," the ultimate in sexual attraction was a commodity originated by "The It Girl" herself, film star Clara Bow.

Women shed their high button shoes and restrictive hobble skirts of the previous decade in favour of low waisted chemises cut to the knee. The modern woman bobbed her hair, rolled her stockings below the knee, donned fringed shimmy dresses and smoked in public.

Hip flasks filled with "hootch" became the rage and rum running between Canada and the U.S. was a quick way of making money. The mob moved in and bootlegging became big business. The newspapers were full of the scandalous escapades of gangster kingpin Al Capone.

The Roaring Twenties came to a shuddering halt when Wall Street laid an egg on that fateful day in 1929, triggering the beginning of The Great Depression. People were jumping out of windows while others sat stunned, trying to figure out where they'd been for the last ten years.

But what of the commercial music of that zany era? The songs were bright and bubbly, full of wonderful nonsensical lyrics and most of all, memorable. Many of our greatest standards were created by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths during this period. And more than anything, America wanted to dance!

DANCING DAYS

The 1920's was "the" dance era. There were exciting little "speaks" featuring small jazz combos and gigantic ballrooms which presented the popular dance bands of the day such as Whiteman and Goldkette. Mirrored balls rotated overhead and taxi-dancing (featuring the ten cents a dance girls) was in full flower.

Many of the popular dance trends had originated in the black community, later going mainstream. The most celebrated dance fad was of course the Charleston. No other dance before or since has generated such fanaticism. It was performed in some of the oddest locales including the wing of an airplane in flight. Women's fashions were specifically designed to allow the full freedom needed to execute the dance. Fringes and tassles were hung on loose waistless chemises to give the illusion of constant motion. All of the new dances were energetic to say the least.

In the late 1920's, the college campus was one of the main breeding grounds for the new dance styles. Those days, if you didn't dance, you were a wallflower. Everything was "razz-ma-tazz," "boop-oop-a-doop" and "vo-de-oh-doh." It was the decade of "shake it, break it, throw it on the wall."

DANCE CRAZES

THE SHIMMY (1918)

It was reputedly perfected by the fabulous Mae West and commercially popularized by Gilda Gray in The Ziegfeld Follies. The dance consisted of shaking the entire body seductively in time with the music. Simply put, it was a hoochie coochie dance.

THE CHARLESTON (1923)

The dance was said to be originated by black dockworkers in Charleston, South Carolina. It could simply be described as a one legged kick on a twisted hop. The most popular dance of the 1920's, it was first performed commercially by Elizabeth Welch in the all black revue, "Runnin' Wild." The hit song, "The Charleston," written by Cecil Mack and pianist/composer James P. Johnson was originally recorded by Arthur Gibbs & His Gang (Jan., 1924)#1 and later became a hit for Paul Whiteman (Oct., 1925)#5. As a dance trend, it was promoted by Charleston champion Bee Jackson. The world went Charleston crazy. Along with the twist (see American Rock And Pop Of The Sixties), it was one of the two most popular dances of the century.

THE BLACK BOTTOM (1926)

A dance involving the slapping of the posterior combined with sluggish footwork as if danced in mud. Blues singer Alberta Hunter claimed to have invented it. The hit recording of "The Black Bottom"(Dec., 1926)#3 was by Johnny Hamp.

THE VARSITY DRAG (1927)

A short lived Charleston-based dance introduced by Zelma O'Neal in the Broadway show, "Good News." The hit recording of "The Varsity Drag"(Nov.,1927)#4 was by George Olsen & His Orchestra. Both "The Varsity Drag" and "The Black Bottom" were written by De Sylva, Brown and Henderson.

THE POPULAR STARS OF THE TWENTIES

AL JOLSON

THE COON-SANDERS NIGHTHAWKS

EDDIE CANTOR

HELEN MORGAN

HELEN KANE

RUDY VALLEE & HIS CONNECTICUT YANKEES

WHISPERING JACK SMITH

CLIFF EDWARDS

GENE AUSTIN

RUTH ETTING

GEORGE OLSEN & HIS MUSIC

PAUL WHITEMAN

THE RHYTHM BOYS

GUY LOMBARDO

THE REVELERS

SOPHIE TUCKER

NICK LUCAS

BESSIE SMITH

IRVING AARONSON & HIS COMMANDERS

JESSE CRAWFORD

ROGER WOLFE KAHN

TED LEWIS

HARRY RICHMAN

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

BEN BERNIE & HIS LADS

ANNETTE HANSHAW

FRANK CRUMIT

MORTON DOWNEY

FANNY BRICE

ISHAM JONES

BEN SELVIN

JIMMY DURANTE

A SELECTED LISTING OF OTHER JAZZ AGE RECORDINGS

ALSO SEE

BIBLIOGRAPHY