There is a school of thought that says that most American classics ARE Jewish music, written by first-generation American-Jewish songwriters, who borrowed heavily from the Jewish musical traditions of Eastern Europe, including sacred music. Quite a few were sons of cantors.
To quote Jerome Kern’s (a great American composer of popular songs, born in America of two immigrant parents) conclusion on Israel Isidor Beilin (changed his name to Irving Berlin, he was the son of a cantor): “”Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music.”
And I can mame Jacob Gershowitz (George Gershwin, son of Jewish immigrants from Europe), Samuel Cohen (Sammy Cahn, ditto), Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Sondheim, Harold Arlen (Chaim Arlook, son of a cantor), Kurt Weill (another son of a cantor).
These men alone are responsible for over 1/2 of the great American songs we regard as standards. Cole Porter, another of the great 20th century songwriters, regarded himself as the token goy on tinpan alley.
Then, of course, you can’t ignore the players and purveyors of that music, who wove the rhythm of Jewish Klezmer into American Jazz- Benny Goodman comes to mind – did you ever notice the resemblance between “The Grine Cuzine” and “My Country Cousin?”
I’ve always considered the bulk of American music to actually be Jewish music.