Music of the Harlem Renaissance



This site, my course, this section, would be remiss without sharing with my students the music of the Harlem Renaissance. Music so powerfully identifies a generation, an age, and to hear the sounds of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, one is instantly swept back in time to the days of the Cotton Club. 


"Juke Joints" and nightclubs began to spring up throughout Harlem during the early days of the Renaissance and immediately became the haven for Harlem notables and nightlife. There a space was created to ignite the imaginations of Langston Hughes ("Dream Boogie," "Weary Blues,") and Claude McKay ("The Harlem Dancer") among many, many others eager to capture the zeitgeist of the day. Not surprisingly, the nightclubs and musical performers of Harlem would draw revelers from all around, including white folks eager to soak up the culture of African American jazz and blues. Individuals like Carl Van Vechten would frequent the Cotton Club and other joints--like the Savoy Nightclub--and would build rapport with many of the Harlem literati and other personalities closely tied to the spirit of Harlem.

Many Harlem notables were discovered by Hollywood and enjoyed long, illustrious careers, like Ella Fitzgerald, Ethel Waters, and the beautiful Lena Horne...

Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performing "It Don't Mean a Thing..."

Billie Holiday's unmistakable voice helped to shape the signature sound...

Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train" elevated Harlem to a cultural phenomenon.

Any guesses where the A Train will take you, even today?

Finally, the stunning Lena Horne shares a famous anthem: "Stormy Weather"

Though the Harlem Renaissance would ultimately give way to the influx of crime, drugs, and urban blight, the sounds and voices of the era live on in their full glory. Harlem is making a comeback and with any luck will see another reign of glory.








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