The K12 HeraldMusic and All That Jazz

They don’t call it the Jazz Age for nothing. Our talented King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band provide us with some spiffy tunes, with none other than satchelmouth Louis Armstrong leading the way. This is

genuine jazz. Each artist speaks not only to each other, but to us with their powerful instruments. Their improvisations are unbelievable, we can’t exactly comprehend the truthful harmonies these artists

produce. Head over to The Cotton Club of Harlem; you can’t miss the world-famous players, and you’ll meet many more.

Fads and Fashions:The Cat’s Meow

Sports: Record-breaking …!

We call them flappers. Young girls who are just here to have a good time. Driving to the movies, reading romantic novels, dancing the Charleston; what more could a girl want. But we all know that as the length of their hair and skirts decreases, their expenses increase. Whether you love them, or disapprove of them, they’ll dance ‘til the day they die.

Our infamous champion, Babe Ruth, has always had an affinity for baseball. As a kid, he attended a Catholic boys’ home, where he first started playing. 1914 he started his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He could hit harder than anyone, so he sometimes played first base. By 1918, he had lead the American League in home runs. Boston needed money, so they traded him to the New York Yankees, where he was put in the outfield. At that time, the all-time home-run record, which was set in 1884, was 27 home runs in one season. But Ruth set a new record in 1920, when he hit 54 home runs. Everyone admired Ruth; other players even started holding the bat the way that he did. Games became more heated, more exciting, which brought more people to games. In 1921, Babe beat his own record by hitting 59 home runs and scoring a total of 177 runs. In 1923, the Yankees built a large, beautiful Yankee Stadium that they called “the house that Ruth built.” Babe Ruth continued beating his record, and even when he got sick, he didn’t stop playing. This man has made himself a legend.

Another infamous Babe in sports. Babe Didrikson was an inspiring woman who’s making it big in many fields. As she was growing up, she played baseball with the neighborhood boys. It was when she began

hitting homers the boys couldn’t catch when they gave her the nickname, Babe. Babe is also an all-American basketball player, softball star, swimmer, tennis player, boxer, and runner. But she is best

known for being an outstanding female golfer. She once won 17 golf tournaments in a row. A reporter asked her, “Is there anything you don’t play?” And she replied, “Yes. Dolls.”

The Negro Leagues. Filled with wonderful players who not only play hard, but have fun doing it. Life isn’t just peaches and crème for these players, though. The equipment can be lousy, and traveling tough.

Blacks have trouble finding hotel rooms and restaurants. The Negro Leagues don’t have a ballpark of their own either, so they rent them. This doesn’t stop them from having fun. They really put on a show with their comic routines; clown costumes, ball tricks, and such. The crowd loves them for the loads of

entertainment, and great games they display. Blacks not being able to play in the major leagues does not stop them from doing what they love.

“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”

-Satchel Paige.

“(Josh Gibson) can do everything. He hits the ball a

mile…. Throws like a rifle.”

-Walter Johnson

The Harlem Renaissance: An Explosion of Creativity

We have an abundance, to say in the least, of artists. Some of which are breaking and bending the rules. Artists, such as Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer, have painted scenes of life as we know it- working people and shabby streets, urban scenes. Their paintings are bold, yet realistic. They’re called “Ashcan

artists.” But these artists are innovators, showing us something new. Now is a time where painters, writers, poets, musicians, actors- any artists at all- can come together. Nothing, not traditional methods of

painting, or segregation, can stop them.

U.S. Economy: Is Everybody Happy?

PROHIBITION LAWS PASSED. People were very angry and upset with the government when prohibition was amended in 1920. But everyone is finding their way around it. With illegal bootleggers and speakeasys, there’s still access to alcohol here, in the United States. People want their drinks. Will prohibition last?

STOCK MARKET RISES TO NEW HEIGHTS. People can’t get enough of the new, the old, and everything in between. New products are developing, and new prices with them.

Space Pioneers: in with the old, out with the new!

Robert Goddard has dreamed of space travel ever since he was a young boy. After experimenting for over 10 years, his rocket has lifted its feet off the ground. The old theories, ideas, and results have been

brought in to the laboratory, and out comes a new model; an improved model. Although it is an outrageously crazy idea, many scientists have been persistent on one day traveling to space. Could this,

one day, be the gateway to the moon?

EditorialI’m fond of where we’re going. There have been so many new innovations and ideas. Some of which

develop from breaking the rules, and not always following conventional ways. I’m fond of the creativity and talent brought to our country. There are so many things that bring us all together; that bond us.

This decade has certainly been a roller coaster. Everything can be steady for a moment, then before you know it, you’re screaming of excitement. Some people resist the change, the uncertainty, movement. But I say, let it happen. Let life surprise you. This is a decade where we live, where we do what we want, where we dance, sing, play new instruments, and paint new things. Sure, we’ll make mistakes, but that’s part of

it all. This is the time to be alive. We’re all just having fun. Why not call it The Youthful Years?

Jade Trinidad 1.4.16 history