Music of the 1920's "The Devil's Music"

"When my grandmother found out that I was playing jazz music in one of the sporting houses in the District, she told me that I had disgraced the family and forbade me to live at the house...She told me that devil music would surely bring about my downfall, but I just couldn't put it behind me." -Jelly Role Morton, jazz composer-

Jazz, a well known genre of music today, was born in the 1920's. Jazz is a whole different world in comparison to other forms of music. Jazz appealed to audiences in the '20's because it broke the rules of traditional music, and allowed musicians to improvise, and or make up whatever they wanted to on the spot. Ragtime, and Broadway musicals also became very popular. The catchy tunes, and upbeat rhythms caught listeners attention and dragged them into the sound.

Many artists derived from this time period. A lot of which are still listened to today. Some of these include Duke Ellington who defined the jazz era, and was known as the best composer of his time. He led his own orchestra, and his career lasted for over 50 years. His reputation got stronger after his death and is still a huge jazz influence today.

Another musician known as Louis Armstrong also got his start in the '20's. He is known for his amazing trumpet playing and his improvisation skills. He was also a great singer, and started the idea of solo players within jazz.

Jazz kept progressing into society, and many states such as Chicago, and New York became main areas of where jazz migrated to. Not only was jazz being brought into the world, but so was the idea of using the radio. The radio during these times was known to be expensive, however but the end of the 1920's, it was rather inexpensive. This decade also marked the beginning of independent record companies.