How Did Jazz Make People Forget the Great Depression?

The Great Depression was a huge problem in not only the economic life of Americans, and in all other spheres of life as well; however, jazz had a huge influence in helping people emotionally survive the Great Depression.

Stating that jazz made people forget the Great Depression seems to be an oversimplification of this painful and terrible ordeal that so many people went through. Most people probably did not "forget" the Great Depression while it was occurring, but they were able to turn to it in times of trouble.

Looking to the Past

Jazz saw a huge surge of popularity in the 1920s. That decade was a wonderful time for jazz music and it helped to lift peoples' spirits.

Ten years later, in the early 1930s, the Great Depression showed mercy to no one, including jazz musicians. The Jazz Age ended when this period of financial turbulence began. Every single industry suffered. No matter who you were, you were not safe from the problems of the Depression.

Therefore, when people were able to find their beloved jazz music during the Great Depression, they were reminded of happier times. Even if their lives were not going well at all, listening and playing jazz helped them forget the problems of the Great Depression and they could mentally transport themselves back to a time of complete and utter joy.

Part of surviving the sad times such as the Great Depression is having a positive frame of mind. When you cannot change the external factors, you must try to change the internal ones.

Spirit of Happiness

Although jazz musicians and the profits of jazz music started to die off, the spirit that jazz music brought with it could not be killed. Many people had to escape in their minds to a time when jazz music ruled the world and the economy was not in utter disarray and chaos.

However, think about a band of people gathering together to listen to some jazz. Some people were lucky enough to retain their instruments. Some who used to perform for money would perform for free because they loved the music so much. These fans of jazz would band together and listen to the tunes that they loved.

Even though the financial situation that they were in was horrible, the jazz music provided an escape. They were able to come together and spend time with their family and friends. Those were extremely valuable moments.

Freedom from Stress

The chains of financial stress were tightly wrapped around people during the Great Depression, particularly the African American community.

In addition to letting them experience moments of happiness and togetherness during these times, jazz music also gave them an outlet for freedom in several different ways.

• Those who could play music or sing could express themselves through this genre of tunes.
• Those who could not play were able to listen to the music to which they  could relate.

People had the opportunities to see shows for free. Of course, that is not necessarily a good sign, since it showed how poor the economy was. Individuals who had never experienced jazz music before were now free to get some taste of it.

Jazz as the Outlet for Distress

We cannot pretend that the Great Depression was some magical time of jazz music. Jazz soared before the Great Depression, and the Depression absolutely crushed some of its success. During this time period, jazz was not the flourishing magic it had been before, but rather provided an outlet for temporary happiness from the distress and fear.