The Jazz Age The 1920s were the most explosive 10 years of the century. It was a time of change for everyone and everything. New types of music were being developed and composers were trying their best to make advances to become known. Also many cultural changes occurred during this time,...

The Harlem Renaissance marked the first time that mainstream publishers and critics took African American literature seriously. It was also the first time that African American literature and art attracted significant attention from the nation at large. Although it was primarily a literary movement,...

The Harlem Renaissance was a period for blacks to engage in life. Life, which consists of good, evil, happiness, sadness, communication and expression, was more like a prison built on a foundation of hardship, suppression and all the counter parts of the good things, the things worth living for. Bu...

In the 1920's African American artists, writers, musicians, and performers were part of a great cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. After World War I many African Americans migrated to the North and settled in the city of Harlem, New York. It was during this time that the Africa...

J.J. Johnson was born James Louis in Indianapolis on January 22, 1924. At the age of nine, Johnson became very interested with music thus learning the piano with a church organist. He took further interest in music once he attended Crispus Attucks Senior High school playing the. He started out pl...

I remember it like it was yesterday, the day that I rose from the ashes at the Newport Jazz Festival of 1956. Our orchestra was just there to represent the older type of big jazz band, but we represented much more that night. It was a cold, moonless evening and everyone was there; everyone from reco...