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.
Commented on Pritika Nandakumar's blog.
I found your argument really fascinating, and I like how you focus mainly on the jazz market as a way of opening up the discussion on race. We talked a lot in class about how black musicians almost relied on the white audience as a means of survival. I thought Benny Goodman was a great example of this situation and how he was able to market himself. I also like that you touched on the historical aspect of coming out of the Great Depression and that it almost lead to a rebirth of American society and the way people started viewing its culture.
ReplyDeleteYour argument is well stated in that the Great Depression and emergence of Swing due to the radio and other technologies brought jazz music into a period of mainstream culture that everybody participated in, including whites. I like how you pointed out the competition between whites and blacks in the swing era and the certain advantages that the whites had due to the control in the production and distribution portions of jazz. The tension between blacks and whites is very evident and prominent in the swing era, since jazz and swing became a mainstream music genre that everyone was involved in, it increased the racial tension, however, this tension seems like it also led to more integration and communication between the races.
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