TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
The Cotton Club stands as one of the most legendary and complex venues in jazz history. Opening in Harlem in 1923, it became the epicenter of the Harlem Renaissance, showcasing the era’s most brilliant Black musicians while primarily entertaining white audiences.
Despite that contradiction, the club launched and elevated careers that influenced American music.
Duke Ellington’s orchestra gained national fame through its Cotton Club broadcasts.
Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, and Lena Horne all made their mark on its stage.
The Cotton Club’s lavish revues, big-band arrangements, and innovative choreography defined the glamour and energy of the Jazz Age.
Although its history is complex, its influence is undeniable.
This has been Rapp on Jazz—a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.