Literary midwife to the Harlem renaissance
‘Harlem Rhapsody’ reclaims Jessie Redmon Fauset’s role in shaping a cultural revolution
The Harlem renaissance, from the 1910s to the end of the 1930s, was the epicentre of black artistic and intellectual life in the US. An explosion of literature, music, theatre and visual arts helped to shape a new African-American identity.
Shuffle Along, one of the first all-black Broadway musicals, ran for an unprecedented 504 performances and launched the career of Josephine Baker. Jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith turned Harlem into the cultural heartbeat of the Jazz Age. Iconic venues such as the Cotton Club, Savoy Ballroom and Apollo Theater became the lively, electrifying backdrops for this creative revolution...
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