JUNGLE ALLEY
The strip of 133rd street between Lenox and Seventh avenues was known as Jungle Alley. It held the most night clubs and cabarets in New York— most of which were owned by mobsters. The big three lounges were the Cotton Club, Connie’s Inn, and Small’s Paradise.
THE COTTON CLUB
The Cotton Club was dubbed “the Aristocrat of Harlem”. Established as an East Coast outlet for mob boss, Owney Madden’s bootlegged liquor, it was the largest, most elegant, classy club, exclusively for the white elite. It featured the best, most lavish shows, with the best names in entertainment, such as Duke Ellington and Ethel Waters, Earl “Snakehips” Tucker, “Peg Leg” Bates, Cab Calloway, and Adelaide Hall. The only blacks allowed in the club were staff and performers— the Cotton Club strictly enforced the color line, not allowing black people to enter, which drew in more white patrons, who were comforted by the distance between them and the colored.
THE SAVOY BALLROOM
The Savoy Ballroom was known as “the Home of Happy Feet.” This club was not nearly as high-class as the Cotton Club and was more for partying than anything else. It had a block-long dance floor where people danced all night while energetic music roared non-stop. Savoy was alive with jazz music and often hired big jazz bands to play, such as those of Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Fess Williams, King Oliver, and Chick Webb. From Savoy, many dances were made known, such as the Lindy Hop, an off beat, syncopated box step with some breakaway moves, which was popularized in 1927.
"LAP JOINTS”
Cheaper speakeasies were called “lap joints”. There were about ten joints to every square block and were always chock-full of patrons who drank mediocre liquor, listened to generic bands, and danced until they dropped. Because these clubs were less elegant, there was more of a mixing of races— most anyone was welcome.
RENT PARTIES
The most popular social gatherings in Harlem were rent parties. Adding to the fact that blacks were paid lower wages than whites, Harlem’s rent prices were $12 to $30 higher than other Manhattan areas. This caused countless African Americans to find a creative way to pay their rent— here’s where the rent parties came in. The public paid admission, prices ranging from a dime to a half dollar. Liquor and homemade southern food would be sold and usually a piano man would be hired for $5. Slow music would normally be played, but there would also be the occasional Charleston contests and breakdowns. Through rent parties, the tight-knit black community found a way to help neighbors and friends in their own lively way.