New York and Chicago During the 1920's The 1920's was a huge decade for the phenomena known as "Jazz". Due to the closing of the seaport in New Orleans, musicians were forced to travel up the Mississippi to find work. Two of the cities most affected by this move were Chicago and New York. Chicago was home primarily for New Orleans traditional music during the 1920's. From this New Orleans style came four major types of jazz: Boogie-Woogie, Chicago Jazz, Urban Blues, and Society Dance Bands. Because of the ever-growing popularity of nightclubs during Prohibition, these styles of jazz thrived so musicians were guaranteed jobs. The popularity of the phonograph also provided a huge boost to the music industry during the 1920's. Boogie-Woogie was a style of improvised piano music played during the '20's in Chicago. It got its start in the mining areas of the Midwest. The rolling, repetitious style was the beginning of the Midwestern shuffle style. The second type of jazz popular during this time was Chicago Jazz. It was played mostly by white musicians. Chicago Jazz tended to be very aggressive and usually ended abruptly. Since Chicago had more nightclubs than New York, it held a bigger attraction for musicians. It was only after the stock market crash in 1929 that New York replaced Chicago as a jazz capital. This style of jazz was tighter and more rehearsed than others. The next kind of jazz to emerge during the 1920's was Urban Blues. This was played primarily in an area known as the "bucket of blood." This referred to an area along the South Side of Chicago. The clubs there were known to hire the "who's who" of blues musicians. The last major style of jazz to emerge from Chicago during the '20's was Society Dance Bands. These bands were usually big with plush arrangements. They were loca...
