"In a Harlem cabaret"
The scene was full of life during Harlem Renaissance and attracted influencers of all genres. For many, like poet Langston Hughs, the “whirling cabarets” were rendered a “Jazzonia”; a utopian community of Arican American culture. As a consequence, many documented their experience through forms such as poetry, dance and music. Venues such as the Cotton Club and Lenox Lounge gave rise to new musicians like Duke Ellignton and Cab Calloway. These direct accounts would fundamentally act as a source of appreciation for future generations. The tangible creations, like Hugh’s words on paper and Calloways trendsetting talents, were intentionally fashioned, refined from experience and made for the public to consume. The conscious product of the renaissance was pure art.
Harlem Prohibition Nightclub Map 1962 by Daniel Hagerman
“Jazzonia” by Langston Hughes
Oh, silver tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!
In a Harlem cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
A dancing girl whose eyes are bold
Lifts high a dress of silken gold.
Oh, singing tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!
Were Eve’s eyes
In the first garden
Just a bit too bold?
Was Cleopatra gorgeous
In a gown of gold?
Oh, shining tree!
Oh, silver rivers of the soul!
In a whirling cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
“Jazzonia” by Langston Hughes from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (1994)
“Far shot of Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra during a performance; Sy Oliver on trumpet” 
Maude Russel and her Ebony Steppers – 1929 Cotton Club show “Just A Minute.” 
Lindy Hop showcase at the Renaissance Ballroom
Image Source: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division
