Race in the Swing Era

Prompt

Given that race has always been a discourse in the history of jazz, why did race become explicitly written and talked about in the 1930’s in the “Swing Era?”

The melting pot of races, cultures and traditions that was New Orleans in the early 20^th century gave rise to the amazing musical genre of jazz. It was inevitable that the culture resulting from this genre would eventually become very entangled with racial issues. Specifically, jazz of the 1930’s, also known as the swing era, brought light to much of the racial discourse present in America at that time.

Jazz had classically been a colored peoples’ music; whites would listen, but rarely played. This changed in the early 1930’s, partially due to the invention and popularization of radio and records, and partially due to the Great Depression. Radio made it hard to distinguish what race the artist was, and so whites could play without being immediately judged negatively by the color of their skin (blacks were often seen as superior in their jazz abilities (Swing Changes, p 61)). The Great Depression also caused such a shortage of jobs that becoming a jazz artist seemed like a much more realistic opportunity for many whites. Unfortunately for the existing jazz artists, however, this provided them with a lot of competition. Not only were there more aspiring artists with their same profession, but their music was broadcasted for free, and distributed in a large scale on records. (Stewart, 12 February, 2015) In addition, the end of Prohibition in 1933 meant that, “Both [alcohol and jazz]  could now be easily consumed at home.” (Gioio, chp 5) This decrease in demand and increase in supply of jazz artists meant that a few of the top artists could provide all of America with a satisfying amount of jazz, leaving much less of a market for jazz played regularly at night clubs and theatres. Due to the racism present at the time, whites began to have a much easier time getting radio segments and releasing records. This was catastrophic for many of the beloved jazz artists of the 1920s, including Bechet, Morton, King Oliver, Smith, and Beiderbeck. (Gioia, chp 5)

Thus far, most of the discussion of jazz has centered around Negroes. Whites had participated, but mostly in the role of mistreatment of the jazz artists, owning the clubs and paying unfair wages, with unfair hours. Now that whites began to enter the industry as artists, several became prominent figures. John Hammond, for example, played an interesting role, as he was not a musician himself, rather a reviewer that was so deep in the culture, and so in love with the music that he made his name almost as famous (if not more famous) than many of the artists he reviewed. (Swing Changes, p 55) Being part of the community, so closely involved with (and thus such good friends with) so many Negro jazz artists naturally made Hammond into a civil rights activist. He saw the cruelty and unfairness that blacks had been enduring for all of their lives, and wished to put it to an end.

What is possibly the most astounding, however, is that the so-called ‘king of swing’ was actually white. Benny Goodman, raised in Chicago with influences such as Bix Beiderbecke and The Austin High Gang, had a father who pushed him into his musical career. (Gioia, chp 5) This in itself is telling of the time—had he been born twenty years earlier, this would have been impossible, especially in a white family. With the dedication to jazz of a true Chicagoan, alongside natural talent and support from his family, it is no surprise that he became the father of the “Swing Era” of jazz in the 1930s. Changes like these caused race to be a prominent subject of the 1930s.

Many factors contributed the issue of race in the jazz culture of the 1930s. The most important players here were the Great Depression, the technological advancements of the time, as well as the more intimate relationships developing between people of separate races, specifically people such as John Hammond, who fought for race equality. In addition, the migration of jazz from being an all-black genre to being a mix-race phenomenon gave rise to much discussion of race in the Swing Era.

Comment – Jenny Eberle

Chicago’s Contribution to Jazz

Prompt:

Which city was more important to jazz in the 1920s--Chicago or New York? What role did the particular social, economic, and racial conditions of that city play in creating the cultural conditions for jazz to triumph in that city?  Was there a Chicago or New York style of jazz (depending on which of the two cities you choose)? If so, what was it, who played it, and what distinguished it from other styles?  Whose (band or individual) art best represents the culture and community of the city you choose?  Why?  Please provide references. 

            Jazz progressed from its blues and ragtime roots beginning in New Orleans at the turn of the 20^th century. The style originated from a mixing of cultures in this city, which became known as the ‘melting pot’ of America. Once the jazz fever had begun to spread, it was no longer the melding of cultures, but the style itself that propagated its own evolution. By the 1920’s, Chicago had developed a strong passion for this smooth, syncopated and rhythmic new style of music, and became a centerpiece city for the genre’s development.

            The primary reason that jazz was able to emerge in Chicago when it did was the great migration. Tales of opportunity and decreased racism with a better chance at prosperity for Negroes caused many to migrate to Northern cities in the 1910s. Whether or not these anecdotes were accurate, they caused 60,000 Negroes to migrate to Chicago alone during this decade (Jones, p. 95). According to Wikipedia, “at least 40 prominent New Orleans jazzmen” were part of this migration, many of whom, including Armstrong, Hines, Morton, Oliver, Noone, and Dodds (Gioia, chapter 3), eventually settled in Chicago. This is no surprise, as according to Gioia, “Sidemen in Chicago bands could earn $40 per week…a far cry from the $1.50 to $2.50 per engagement a New Orleans player might have commanded during that era.” (chapter 3) Thus, economic opportunity was a primary factor. However, there was much opportunity elsewhere—the factor which separated Chicago from other cities, such as New York, was its thirst for the music itself, which in turn led to the creation of its own unique style.

            Of the 1920’s jazz artists, one group that stands out boldly is McKenzie and Condon’s Chicagoans. The band originated as a group of high school students who had an avid fervor for jazz. Calling themselves the Austin High School Gang, they spent all of their free time listening to any live jazz band or orchestra they could find, or repeating records of the greats over and over, stopping and learning to play the songs along the way (The Best Of Jazz, p.153-154). This devotion to jazz was not unique to the Chicagoans, instead it was the factor that made Chicago the centerpiece of jazz in the 1920’s. Bix Beiderbecke, another jazz artist located in Chicago, shared their obsession with jazz. He in fact proved to be a role model for these young musicians, among others, being similar to them in age and social standing (The Best Of Jazz, p.154). Beiderbecke came from a family who wanted him to go to college and lead a normal life with a reliable job, but his love for music was so great that it eventually became his life’s work (Gioia, chapter 3). The passion that these artists shared for jazz was common among musicians in the area, causing Chicago to become the heart of jazz in the 1920’s.

            What happens when music comes from the soul of the artist as opposed to the blending of preexisting styles? In one simple word, ‘improvisation.’ Although this does not encompass the entirety of the style, it does provide a hint for its direction. Another quality was epitomized by Frank Teschmacher. He played slightly, “‘out of tune’, used a ‘squawky’ tone and often let fly carelessly-articulated phrases” (The Best Of Jazz, p. 159). In Chicago, jazz was played from the heart and soul, resulting from a deep passion that nearly every musician and fan possessed. This was the culture, and it ultimately led to the city’s ubiquitous influence on the genre as a whole in the 1920’s.