New York: Before the Big Bands

The big Apple became jazz's capital during the late 1920s and early 1930s, but it had been a vital jazz city since the turn of the century. Several artists sealed New York's place in early jazz history.

James P. Johnson (1894-1955)

Blending the primal power of blues with the more elaborate song structures of ragtime and classical music, Johnson was an innovative pianist and founding father of ragtime - as well as one of jazz's greatest composers. Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he was writing sophisticated original music and playing it in New York by the teens. Whereas New Orleans jazz was loose and largely spontaneous, the music that Johnson played in New York City's upscale nightclubs was meticulously composed

James Reese Europe (1881-1919)

Europe laid the groundwork for the greatest big bands of the 1930s with music he made in 1923 and 1914. Europe composed pieces for ensembles as large as his 50-piece Hell Fighters Band, yet he infused the music with ragtime's rhythmic momentum. His bands also served as a training ground for early jazz musicians. Europe proved that tightly composed music played by a big band could swing even harder than the ragtime's careful compositions

Will Marion Cook (1869-1944)

Yet another major mentor to young musicians (including clarinet/saxophonist player Sidney Bechet and pianist/band leader Duke Ellington), Cook was a classical violinist who led the 50-piece New York Syncopated Orchestra. Cook was African American, and he wanted his orchestra to capture some of the raw power of authentic African music. He believed that James Europe had watered down African American music for the sake of commercial success. Cook also helped open Broadway productions to black players.

Born in the plantation South, the best New Orleans jazz was played by African Americans. New York City's jazz was made from a slightly different recipe. Big bands in New York City didn't really swing until the Original Dixieland Jazz Band came up from New Orleans in 1926. new York players began to transform the feel of their music by heating it up with New Orleans and Chicago flavors and rhythms.

Big Bands take over Jazz

Thanks to Chicago's radio and recording outlets, jazz was a part of America's national culture by the end of the 1920s. Heading into the Great Depression years of the early 1930s, jazz's new popularity and expanded big band lineups meant more work for jazz players. But the fledging recording business that had given jazz a big boost in the 1920s came tumbling down with the stock market crash of 1929, RCA was the only company making many jazz records - it also had the foresight into commercial radio with NBC.

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