In psychology, zest and vitality are a combination of the physical sense and the psychological sense of feeling well. Zest is about exhibiting enthusiasm and feeling energised.
In the 1920s, this was what jazz was all about.
It broke the rules to become a new way of making music. It brought about new ways of performing by offering a new and different rendition every time musicians performed, depending on the people’s mood and reactions. It was resilient to be written down. It suffered from recording.
Jazz expressed the exhilaration for a new life, new values, new possibilities and also the unpredictability of the outcome.
It expressed a need for freedom and the opportunity to come together and make something new, even when detractors thought this only created noise without harmony.
It expressed the break from the past. Not the rejection of it, but the breaking away in search of new paths and new possibilities.
It was music that seemed to destroy and create at the same time. That created divisions, even if it was all about collaboration. Music that was deemed devilish and deviant even when encouraging free expression.
For so many reasons, jazz was indeed the more precise definition of the Jazz Age.
RESORCES
Ogren, Kathy J., The Jazz Revolution. Twenties America and the Meaning of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York, 1989
34 Comments
Sophie Duncan
Congrats on making it all the way through the A to Z – and a great way to end – Jazz grabbed/s life by the short and curlies and goes for it – great message and thanks for enlightening me on the history of this art form.
Sophie
Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles | Wittegen Press | FB3X
jazzfeathers
You bought out a very good point, Sophie: jazz a really about enjoying life and fight for the right to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for going along during the challenge. I really enjoyed writing mine and reading others 🙂
Tasha
What a great choice for Z and thank you for sharing your Zest for the Jazz age all through the AtoZ. It’s been an awesome AtoZ and I have very much enjoyed reading your posts.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
jazzfeathers
Thanks so much, Tasha 🙂
It was a demanding challenge and for many reasons (I’ll blog about it in the reflextion post), but such a good experience. And you people made all the difference 🙂
Kathleen Valentine
I have learned so much from your posts and enjoyed every one of them! Well done. Thanks for playing. I enjoyed it so much.
@Kathleen01930
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#AtoZchallenge
jazzfeathers
And I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
It has been a very demanding challenge, but knowing that readers enjoy it makes for it completely.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Susan Brody
Sarah, it’s been wonderful getting to know you and your curious mind through reading your A to Z posts. I’ve learned a lot! And thank you so much for generously promoting my posts too. Ciao for now but I hope to catch up with you again soon!
jazzfeathers
Susan, I enjoyed your posts about the past a lot too. Do come by whenever you want. I know that I’ll drop by you again and again. I’m afraid you haven’t seen the last of me 😉
Susan Brody
I hope not!
Roland Clarke
Well done Sarah, you got to Z and taught me so much about the early days of Jazz. And with enjoyable recordings and videos from the Jazz Age. Many thanks.
jazzfeathers
So happy you enjoyed it, Roland. It was a great ride and it was so great because of all the wonderful people that came along.
Gail M Baugniet
Your A to Z posts have added zest to my life over the past month. Thank you for sharing so much information about JAZZ!
Gail’s 2016 April A to Z Challenge
jazzfeathers
And thanks for dropping by, Gail 🙂
It was a learning experience fro me (that’s why I love the AtoZ, always something to learn from it) and I loved sharing).
Anabel
Congratulations! You made it! As I said on Twitter (I think) I haven’t always commented but I have read every post and enjoyed learning more about jazz from you.
jazzfeathers
And thanks so much for your support, Anabel. I can’t start to tell you how much I’ve appreciated it.
But next year, I want to see you on the challenge too! 😉
Anabel
Maybe – I’ve sort of missed it.
lynneinpborough
Dancing to that looked like a full on workout. There’s so much everyone can learn from you AtoZ challenge this year. Well done for getting through to Z. Will look out for your reflections post. No idea what mine will be about bar my slow broadband.. Love the links you put on, some classic recordings and many I hadn’t heard before.
Glad we finally managed to catch up.
jazzfeathers
Happy you enjoyed what you saw 😉
It’s been a crazy month for me.. and not just because of the AtoZ. That’s what I’ll blog about in my Refrections post.
Last year I blogged about what I learned from the challenge.
Molly
What a great Z entry!
I so enjoyed learning about Jazz through your entries, and getting to know you through this challenge.
I hope we can keep in touch 🙂
jazzfeathers
Thanks Molly. I enjoyed your challenge a lot too… and I’m not yet caught up, now that I think about it. But I will 😉
Jeffrey Scott
A fitting end to the series. For me, a well known song. Though I can’t seem to recall where I may have heard it from. I’m not familiar with many of these age old songs, even if I do like jazz.
Congratulations on completing the challenge!!! 🙂
jazzfeathers
Thanks Jeffrey 🙂
I think this is one of the most famous songs from the Twenties, very often cited. I don’t know where I first heard it either, but it’s a good one.
Zeljka
Congratulations on completing the challenge Sarah! Great tune for finishing it (as always). I enjoyed learning and listening to Jazz with you! 🙂
jazzfeathers
I’m happy to hear that. I enjoyed your challenge very much too 🙂
Roshan Radhakrishnan
Speaking from a personal point of view, while I don’t know most of the songs that come under the ‘jazz/blues’ category, I remain a big fan of the music and really wish it would make a big comeback in the years to come – there was so much life and energy & yet it could be melancholic too.
Congrats on AtoZ 🙂 We made it 🙂
jazzfeathers
Jazz is a very versatile music. Not an easy one, I’d say. I had may commenters say they aren’t particularly into it, but I think that knowing its history and phylosophy helps appreciate it more. It certainly did it for me.
Celine
Well done on finishing A to Z! Champagne uncorked and in the flutes 😉 or rather in the cups, as would be more suited to the Roaring Twenties 😉
I loved the ideals that went behind Jazz, the breaking of the norm and doing new things. I have to admit I’m not a huge jazz fan myself, partly because I can never quite make sense of it, but I like this idea that it’s all about breaking away from the well trodden path. It makes me want to give jazz another go.
jazzfeathers
I think jazz is one of those music you learn to love, not one that you love strat away as soon as you hear it. I did learn to love it. And knowing about its history really make me appreciate it even more.
Alex Hurst
I’m sorry that I missed this year’s A-Z posts! I literally had no time for anything in April except the Move, which will forever after have to be written with an ominous capital letter. 😛
I’m not a huge fan of jazz, but earlier jazz isn’t so bad. 🙂 Maybe you have some artists you can recommend?
jazzfeathers
And I thought you were all happy and settled!
Well, I’m happy you are, now. I had to move from one flat to another when I lived in Dublin. I had very few things and I walked from one place to the other. I can’t imagine moving across continents (shudders).
There are many great artists from the 1920s jazz environment, but if you shoudl only listen to one, I’d sure recommand Bessie Smith. She’s my absolute favourite. She had a great voice (I always think that she gives me shivers listening to the poor quality 1920s recordings, I can’t imagine what might have been like listenign to her live), a great personality and such a verve.
I’ve only inlcuded a couple of her songs, because I thought I shouldn’t be too partial 😉
But I really like Jerry Roll Morton too. Joe Oliver Creale Band has such a typical 1920s sound to me, I enjoy that too. Cab Calloway is also great fun (though his recording are more from the 1930s). And of course Louis Armstrong.
I know I’m naming soem of the gratest, but you know, there’s a reason why we’re still listening to them nearly 100 years later 😉
Kristin
I’ve enjoyed jazz for many years. I remember the summer I discovered my mother’s old 78 records when I was in college. some of them are still among my favorites.
jazzfeathers
Hi Kristin and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Lori
Sorry to be late to the party, but looking forward to reading your a-z posts. Your theme is a decade behind mine, and I could have learned a lot following you. Signing up now.
jazzfeathers
I’m happy I’ve found your blog too. I love connecting with writers who write in eras close to mine.
I’d have loved to meet you doring the challenge, but it’s good that we finally met, don’t you think? 🙂