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Questions and Answers
According to Mendl, why did he believe it was imperative to understand the appeal of jazz?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Which cabaret was more popular among non-Blacks?
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Who was known as a Jelly-Roll singer at Connor's?
Who was known as a Jelly-Roll singer at Connor's?
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Which performer visited the Oriental according to the text?
Which performer visited the Oriental according to the text?
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Where was the Oriental located?
Where was the Oriental located?
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Which performer sang blues numbers that emanated tragedy and heartbreak?
Which performer sang blues numbers that emanated tragedy and heartbreak?
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Who became a vaudeville attraction with the name Ethel Waters?
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?
'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?
'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?
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?
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?
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?
What is the main topic of the text?
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Which specific cabaret is mentioned as a popular open-air establishment?
Which specific cabaret is mentioned as a popular open-air establishment?
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Why was the author turned away from Barron's?
Why was the author turned away from Barron's?
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In what way has the situation reversed according to the author?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
What race are the predominantly black patrons that attended the cabarets?
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What was special about The Garden of Joy?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.
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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.
