Post 3: Smooth Swing and Racial Friction

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?”

Race did indeed become a prominent issue during the 1930s, or the “Swing Era”. Due to recent technological advances such as the radio, a single Black jazz artist’s music could be heard across the nation with ease. However, the means of distribution of music via recording companies and booking agencies came into the control of white citizens. This cause a power struggle between the agent putting music out there and the artist themselves. Furthermore, the Great Depression brought about a period of unemployment that was unseen by the country before. As a result, many white citizens sought jazz out as a career and created a more competitive environment for Black jazz artists.

As stated by Professor Stewart in lecture, the emergence of a national market for music that could now easily be distributed by means of radio allowed for white agents to take control. They owned “the recording companies, booking agencies, festivals, nightclubs, and magazines”. Although the Black performers were arguably doing the most work in making the music and providing their creative talent for sale, the white-controlled agencies took control of the distribution and, hence, the profits that the performers’ music brought in.

White jazz artists during the time entered the market due to the potential for “going big” and therefore surviving the Great Depression (a career means survival, of course). Although the market was open to any and all with the proper musical talent, white people did indeed receive greater social benefits by means of their race. Artists like Benny Goodman (of European descent) generally “encountered easier working conditions” and “were not forced to suffer the indignities of racism that even the finest black jazz musicians faced on a regular basis” (Gioia, 231).  

A lot of tension arose during the 1930s as swing came about. The Great Depression made many white musicians seek work in the primarily-Black field of jazz. Indeed, amazing talent came from this. David Goodman, Benny Goodman’s father, sent him and his brothers into the field of music hoping that it would give them an opportunity to make a stable living (Gioia, 225). Later on, Benny came to be known as an incredible soloist on the clarinet and an impeccable bandleader. Such talent could only have been brought about in an era when an influx of young artists showed their potential. However, the segregation that Black people still faced at this time along with the added stress of fresh competition and a sense of control by white agencies was a noir aspect of this period. For this reason, the issue of race is a prominent one when discussing the “Swing Era”.

Commented on Pritika Nandakumar's blog.

Post 2: The Germination of Jazz in the Windy City

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.

Chicago was a city of interest to many African American jazz musicians after the decline of Storyville. The Great Migration brought. influx of millions of Blacks from the rural South to the urban and bustling cities of the North. This included artists such as Joe Oliver and, following him, Louis Armstrong. In 1914, the “largest exodus began” of African Americans to the North due to the South “lagging behind the rest of the country in its move toward industrialization” (The City, 95). The move was mainly into large cities; the availability of higher paying jobs made the North a land of promise to Blacks. Jazz musicians, such as Oliver and Armstrong, found more promising pay in Chicago than they had in New Orleans.

A Black culture came to form in the midst of Caucasian population. Compared to their fellow European immigrant neighbors in laboring parts of the city, African Americans were more willing to “[participate] in mainstream cultural life” (Cohen, 147). This brought their culture to the foreground, unlike Europeans whose culture for the most part melded into that of white middle class society.

Of course, one of the most important musicians to bring jazz influence to Chicago was Louis Armstrong. At the time, he may have been “neglected by the general public, but [was] amply recognized by the musical community” (Gioia, 94). His move to Chicago and his opportunity to perform in the Lincoln Gardens with fellow jazz cornetist Joe Oliver served as more of a sponsorship to his career than did working in the red light district of Storyville. The city was a place that offered Armstrong with higher pay and a chance to spread his music to a more industrially advanced area.

Armstrong also met his wife, Lil Hardin, in King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, whose “aspirations for his career...were responsible for his break with Oliver and his decision to join Fletcher Henderson” (Gioia, 101). She was also responsible for his return to Chicago in 1925 to start his recordings of the Hot Fives and Sevens. Indeed, it was the Windy City that brought these two renowned musicians together and furthermore bring Armstrong’s influence to jazz in the United States. It is fair to say, with the offer of a true living that Chicago made with money available to musicians, the careers of jazz musicians such as Armstrong germinated in this city.

It seems that Chicago and New York jazz were similar in many aspects, such as by creating a nightlife for both black and white citizens. However, Chicago jazz seemed to put less of an emphasis on big band music. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band had 9 members, whereas Fletcher Henderson’s contained 69. The smaller bands consequentially contained fewer players on each instrument, so there was more of an emphasis on the communication between individuals and their sounds. The way smaller jazz bands, such as King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, performed in the Lincoln Gardens differed from how New York jazz was performed. King Oliver’s Jazz Band best demonstrates the communication between the art and the community of Chicago. The influential figures in the band, such as Armstrong, Lil Hardin, and Oliver, found the true beginnings of their careers as jazz musicians in the Windy City.

Commented on Steven Bennett’s blog