43 Questions
According to Mendl, why did he believe it was imperative to understand the appeal of jazz?
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What is the interesting feature of jazz's popularity, according to the text?
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What does Mendl cite as contradictory explanations for jazz's success?
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According to Mendl, what led him to reject the highbrow/lowbrow split?
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What did Mendl believe was imperative in understanding the appeal of jazz?
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What did Mendl primarily focus on in terms of jazz's appeal?
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What does Mendl consider as the reason for jazz's popularity among different races and classes?
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What did Mendl find amazing about jazz's reach?
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What is the unique feature of jazz's popularity according to Mendl?
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What did Mendl emphasize in understanding the appeal of jazz?
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Who was a famous performer at Edmonds' in Fifth Avenue at 130th street?
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Which cabaret was more popular among non-Blacks?
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Who was known as a Jelly-Roll singer at Connor's?
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Which performer visited the Oriental according to the text?
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Where was the Oriental located?
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Which performer sang blues numbers that emanated tragedy and heartbreak?
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Who became a vaudeville attraction with the name Ethel Waters?
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'Tryin' to Teach My Good Man Right from Wrong' gained popularity due to whose performance?
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'Caucasian Storms Harlem' gained popularity during which era?
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Which Chinese restaurant in 136th street was a favorite among the Black community?
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Who was the main attraction at The Oriental on the south side of 135th street beyond Lenox Avenue?
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Where did people from the church go at night according to the text?
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What is the main topic of the text?
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Which specific cabaret is mentioned as a popular open-air establishment?
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Why was the author turned away from Barron's?
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In what way has the situation reversed according to the author?
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What does the author express feeling in predominantly white establishments?
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What activity are white people observed participating in at predominantly white cabarets?
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What does the author wonder about regarding white people's interest in Negro entertainment?
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What does the text mention R.W.S. Mendl's first book about?
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What race are the predominantly black patrons that attended the cabarets?
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What was special about The Garden of Joy?
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What does the author recall being turned away from Barron's due to?
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What is the main focus of Rudolf Fisher's essay?
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What was the significance of Duke Ellington's stay at the Cotton Club in 1927?
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What was the main reason for the reopening of Harlem nightclubs for white audiences in the 1920s?
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How did Fisher feel about finding himself as the only black patron in the once-black clubs?
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What was the impact of prohibition on the reopening of Harlem nightclubs for white audiences?
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What was the primary reason for the attraction of white audiences to Harlem nightclubs in the 1920s?
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What impact did the transformation of Harlem nightclubs have on Fisher's old crowd?
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What was Fisher's profession apart from being a writer?
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Who were presented as glamorous and desirable in the shows at Harlem nightclubs?
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What was the main reason behind Harlem nightclubs becoming predominantly white?
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Study Notes
- The text is about Rudolf Fisher's essay "The Caucasian Storms Harlem," published in 1927 in The American Mercury.
- Fisher was a black radiologist, writer, and musician who wrote about the experiences of displaced southern Negroes in Harlem.
- The essay describes Fisher's shock at discovering that the Harlem nightclubs he used to frequent had become predominantly white.
- He had graduated from Brown University in 1919 and spent his summer in Harlem before the white influx.
- The essay recounts Fisher's memories of the cabarets and his disappointment at finding himself the only black patron in the once-black clubs.
- Harlem nightclubs had reopened for white audiences in the 1920s due to the prohibition of alcohol and the appeal of the "exotic" black entertainers.
- White audiences were attracted to the clubs for easier access to alcohol and the preservation of stereotypical black characters.
- Black women were presented as glamorous and desirable, but the shows continued the stereotypes of minstrelsy.
- Duke Ellington's stay at the Cotton Club (1927) provided him with stable personnel and varied challenges, contributing to his development as a composer.
- Harlem nightclubs had changed their names and turned white, leaving Fisher's old crowd without a place to go.
- The essay was published in The American Mercury, a publication popular among dissident college youths and white musicians who adopted jazz as a religion.
- Fisher's essay reflects on the cross-cultural attraction of white audiences to black entertainment during this period and its potential implications.
Test your knowledge of the vibrant cabaret scene in Harlem just after the war, a gathering place for the swellest set. Explore the romantic and lively atmosphere of the Lybia and the people who frequented it during those happy days.
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