4/16/2020 The Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance | Discovery Education
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Pioneers of Jazz Who were the pioneers of jazz?
Louis Armstrong was a famous African American musician of the Jazz Age. He sang and played the trumpet. His fans called him by the nicknames “Satchmo” and “Pops.” Armstrong began playing and recording in 1922. He played around the world. He even starred in a Broadway musical in 1929.
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was one of the greatest jazz composers and bandleaders. He played piano and led the famous Duke Ellington Band. Ellington created a popular “big band” sound that his band performed all over the world. During his career, Ellington recorded hundreds of his own songs and longer compositions. The “Duke” won many awards, including the President’s Medal of Freedom, 13 Grammys, and a Pulitzer Prize for his original music.
Count Basie and Fats Waller were also important musicians of the Jazz Age. Like Duke Ellington, Count Basie performed “big band” style music. Pianist Thomas Wright Waller, known as Fats Waller, was born in Harlem in 1904. Waller was a very talented stride piano player. “Stride piano” is an energetic style of jazz piano playing. It requires a great deal of skill and practice. Fats Waller was one of the best.
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Billie Holiday, also known as “Lady Day,” was one of the greatest singers of the Jazz Age. Many consider her to be the greatest jazz singer of all time. Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in Baltimore, Maryland. Holiday started her jazz career by singing backup for stars such as Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. Later, Holiday moved to New York and began singing in Harlem nightclubs. At that time, she began using her stage name—Billie Holiday. She quickly became a popular recording artist. In 1938, she became one of the first African American singers to work with an all-white orchestra. Her songs were often about important topics, such as lynching and other injustices. Her dramatic singing style matched these topics.
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Duke Ellington Performs at Carnegie Hall Duke Ellington was one of the musical geniuses in the United States. His genius was on display at Carnegie Hall where he played a song called “Black, Brown, and Beige.”
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