Jazz may be what describes America to a “T” in the 1920s. It was very popular throughout the 1920s. This era was called “The Jazz Age,” a term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Campbell 52). It not only influenced music, but also contributed to an entire cultural renaissance in Harlem, brought other cultural groups together in a time of segregation, and contributed to the lifestyle of many Americans in the 1920s. Jazz would be the mold for everything American in the 1920s and it might be one of the best things to ever happen to this country. Jazz has a long and complicated history. He didn't switch from one musical style to another overnight. It was a mixture of multiple musical styles put together. This would be crucial to the development of Jazz over time. Jazz developed into what it is today by adopting multiple styles to fit the melody of the times. Ragtime, the precursor to Early Jazz, was a mix of the rhythms of a Cakewalk and a March (Atkins 16). To be precise, a composer took the rhythms from the Cakewalk and put music over them, thus creating Ragtime. Once Ragtime became popular, African-American spirituals were added to it. The Blues Style would also become very popular in America, but particularly in the North, right along with the still thriving Ragtime (Atkins 17). However, a new musical style was emerging on the scene. Dixieland was a combination of Ragtime and improvisation and was played by a brass band. The Dixieland style of music, unlike all the other styles listed above, which were usually played on the piano. Dixieland featured a lot of improvisation and was especially popular in the South, more specifically New Orleans (Atkins 18). Music was played for all kinds of occasions... middle of paper... Ampbell, Michael. “Unit 3 – The Emergence of Black Music.” Popular music in America: the beat continues. Boston, MA: Clark Baxter, 2013. 52. Print. Fourth edition. Feinstein, Stephen. "The Harlem Renaissance." The 1920s: from Prohibition to Charles Lindbergh. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2001. 26. Print.Harvey, Edmund H., Jr., ed. “The rebellious 1920s.” Our glorious century. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1994. 126-27. Print.Rodgers, Marie E. "Chapter 13." The Harlem Renaissance: An annotated reference guide for student research. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. 85. Print.Shadwick, Keith. “The classic jazz of the 1920s.” The Illustrated History of Jazz. Edison, NJ: Chartwell, 1995. 35-36. Print.Wold, Milo Arlington. "Chapter 13." An introduction to music and art in the Western world. Dubuque, IA: W. C. Brown, 1991. 350-53. Press. Ninth edition.