Why Were the 1920's Referred to as the Jazz Age?

The 1920s became known as the Jazz Age as a result of the growing popularity of the music and the growth of radio listening throughout the United States, enabling millions of Americans to enjoy jazz music.

There were a number of reasons why the 1920s were referred to as the Jazz age, mainly owing to the popularity of jazz. Some key reasons and facts include:

• Jazz was popularized by the end of World War I, and remained popular until the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• Jazz is believed to have started with African-American music, and expanded through radio to other middle-class Americans through radio.

• Jazz soon became more popular and expressive than the classical music that was often preferred by older, more affluent Americans.

• Big band jazz musicians were often played on radio, where African-American jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong were more popular in on-stage performances.
• Chicago and New York were considered jazz headquarters for the movement, where jazz was played more often on radio than it was in rural and suburban areas.
• Dances soon accompanied the jazz movement. These dances, like the Charleston, were often begun among African-American dancers and then spread to others.

Both African-American and white American musicians and music lovers appreciated jazz music during the 1920s, the Jazz Age, and it was considered a unifier among these worlds.