Harlem's The Cotton Club Cab Calloway Archive

Cab Calloway Harlem’s Cotton Club

Archive

Harlem Jazz Club, The Cotton Club, a cornerstone of African American entertainment during the Harlem Renaissance and Swing Era, music sheet archive from the 1920s-30s. Includes 3 music sheets: Cotton Club Parade (World’s Fair Edition) featuring Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Cab Calloway; Cab Calloway’s Jive Jubilee of Songs, a compilation of hits by the legendary bandleader, and; Cotton Club Parade: 24th Edition featuring Adelaide Hall and music by Harold Arlen. Illustrated staple bound wrappers. Each measure 11" x 9". Established in 1923, the Cotton Club became one of the most famous nightclubs in New York City, drawing both Black and white audiences to its lavish revues. Although the club was segregated and only admitted white patrons, it became a showcase for Black talent, including Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, and notably, Cab Calloway. Cab Calloway was a pioneering jazz singer, bandleader, and showman who rose to fame in the early 1930s and became a mainstay at the Cotton Club after replacing Duke Ellington as the house bandleader. His energetic performances and charismatic stage presence helped define the club's exuberant, theatrical style. Known for his high-flying vocals and signature "hi-de-ho" scat phrases, Calloway brought a unique blend of swing, humor, and cultural flair to Harlem nightlife. He also helped popularize jive talk, a slang style that spread across jazz culture, some of which appears in the lyrics and content of the Jive Jubilee songbook. These music sheets offer a vibrant visual and musical window into the world of 1930s Black performance at the height of the Cotton Club's popularity. They reflect not only the artistry of performers like Calloway, Bill Robinson, and Adelaide Hall, but also the complicated racial dynamics of an era when African American creativity flourished onstage, even as systemic barriers persisted offstage. Today, these artifacts stand as both cultural treasures and reminders of the segregation that shaped American entertainment history. Some minor edge wear and semi fragile binding. Overall very good condition.

Item #21759

Price: $385.00