Music, Dance and Historical Gathering Places of the Harlem Renaissance

Jazz music was a vital element of the Harlem Renaissance. Every period in the history of black people in America had its peculiar style of music. This was certainly true during the year’s right after the turn of the 20th century. As this group of recently freed people began migrating to the north from southern states, they carried with them their various styles of music including ragtime, blues, jazz, gospel and others.

Ragtime piano players such as Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and Count Basie, set the stage for dance bands. A ragtime pianist could play a melody and chords in his right hand, bass in his left hand, and rhythmically create the sound of a drummer. They were essentially a one man band. Ragtime began to take shape into jazz where it was heard all over Harlem in New York.

By the spring of 1926 the demand for black entertainment in the United States had blossomed. Black dance bands such as Fletcher Henderson’s, Duke Ellington’s, Chick Webb, and Jimmy Lunceford’s began to emerge and were rising in popularity. Given this interest in black entertainment, it occurred to some promoters to open nightclubs in Harlem. Out of these were the Cotton Club (where Ellington’s band played), and the Savoy Ballroom (where Webb’s band played). Dances like the “Jitterbug”, “Lindy hop”, and the “Charleston” were born here.




The Cotton Club was one of the most famous nightclubs in history. The original Cotton Club was located on 644 Lenox Avenue, New York and owned by Former heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. It first opened in 1920 as Club Deluxe and then Owney Madden took over and changed its name in 1922 to the Cotton Club. Many famous jazz entertainers such as Duke Ellington, The Nicholas Brothers and Billie Holiday performed here. Ironically, the Cotton Club denied admission for African Americans. This was where they would host “Celebrity Night” and invited celebrities. This club played jazz music since that was the most popular music at that time.

The Apollo Theatre, originally called the Bryant, was built in 1920 and was located on 219 West Forty-Second Street. The theatre housed a mixture of the then "up and coming" motion pictures and the ever popular vaudeville shows. In 1920, it was renamed the Apollo when the Selwyn brothers took it over as an addition to their Times Square Theatre. The Selwyn's also changed the theatre's genre into plays and musicals and it was known exclusively for its run of George White's Scandals, which ran annually from 1924-1931.

The Savoy Ballroom was located in Harlem, New York City. Savoy was a popular dance venue for about 30 years. The Savoy was appropriately nicknamed, "The home of happy feet," and it was also known among the regular patrons as "the Track" for the elongated shape of the dance floor. This was a very hot spot to be at during the 1920’s.