Jazz. Part 3. Our LanguageJazz. Part 3. Our Language

The stock market surged through the 1920s and jazz was everywhere in America. Now, for the first time, soloists and singers took center stage, transforming the music with distinctive voices and unique stories. This program introduces Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues, whose songs eased the pain of life for millions of black Americans; Bix Beiderbecke, the first great white jazz star, inspired by Louis Armstrong to dedicate his life to the music; and two brilliant sons of Jewish immigrants, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, for whom jazz offered an escape from the ghetto. Viewers also follow Duke Ellington's exploits at the Cotton Club and his entry into radio, which brought him national fame, as well as Louis Armstrong's return to Chicago, where he was now billed as "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player" and charted the future of jazz.