Keep Cool

The jazz age is rooted in the direct action quickly taken by Black Americans when a rare opportunity for social change opened with the African American exodus from the rural south to the urban north during World War I. For those escaping the social oppression in the south, the new urban environment provided opportunities for Black artists in the north and jazz became an expression for the new found liberation. But who were the founders of this new movement? This book traces the movement from its roots at the turn of the 19th century and the contribution of the all-star Army bands of the 1910s through to its "discovery" by the white music industry in the 1920s. Focusing on pioneers at each stage of its development - for example Lester A. Walton, W.C. Handy, Paul Robeson and Clarence Williams - the author also illustrates the importance of Black activists to the development of jazz and its links with the broader spectrum of Black politics. The influence of radicals such as Cyril V. Briggs, Chandler Owen and A. Philip Randolph and bodies such as the Garveyites and the militant African Blood Brotherhood is detailed. The organisational grounding for jazz is explored through the work of individuals such as Rev Daniel J. Jenkins and James Reese. The contribution of Black intellectuals and interviews with early members of the jazz community complete a history of the origins of American popular music.