er come close to capturing Louis Armstrong's amazing popularity. His style of playing was more European than most trumpeters of that time. Unfortunately, he was often unable to play due to his addiction to alcohol. New York was the other city greatly affected by the close of "Storyville". During the 1920's New York was known for two main reasons: the Harlem Renaissance and the Harlem Big Bands. Spasm bands also became popular in this area. The Harlem Renaissance was a shift in the jazz industry from Chicago to New York. This occurred during the mid 1920's. The Harlem Piano School was surrounded by small clubs featuring solo piano acts. One major difference between Harlem and Boogie-Woogie piano players was that the Harlem players were usually better trained. This is also the time period when African-American art and culture entered the mainstream. Secondly, the Harlem Big Bands were a new phenomena in New York during the 1920's. The major idea behind these big bands was to make the arrangements sound as close to an improv performance as possible. Here is a list of prominent names to come out of New York during the 1920's.Art Tatum (1909-1956) Tatum was among the most successful pianists to come out of the Harlem Piano School. Interestingly, he was almost totally blind and taught himself to read. He was said to have an understanding far beyond his contemporaries. This is due, in part, to the fact that he was born into a musical family.James P. Johnson (1891-1955) Johnson was another big piano player to come from the Harlem Piano School. He spent a lot of time working in clubs in Hell's Kitchen district of New York City. He wrote Broadway musicals and in the mid '20's he began composing large-scale orchestral works. Also, he was known for his great improvisation.Eubie Blake (1883-1983) Blake began playing at age six when his parents, both former slaves, bought a piano for their home. He began compo...
