Swing

The big swing era of the 1930’s captures jazz music in its prime, “if jazz ever enjoyed a golden age, this would be it”, (Gioia, 145). The 1930’s also acted as a catalyst for integration and miscegenation in America. The swing era mirrored the United States as there was now a choice between black and white in what was to be considered, American culture. The partial unionization caused also created tensions and raised issues of race in the communities and media. With the help of the radio, for the first time blacks and whites had a common ground in terms of culture. Race is written and talked about like never before during the swing era because people were interacting like never before. The only issue was not race; there were also a conflict of “musician vs. critic” (Stewart, 14, February 2013), and competition among one another to be the best.

The legendary Duke Ellington can be seen as the musician who was the epitome of the big swing era conflicts. Ellington was able to cross over and become widely popular. He also played at venues, which were segregated, to Black people, such as the Cotton Club. Because of his decisions he was heavily criticized for abandoning his own people and conforming to white standards in terms of his music. Among his worst critics was John Hammond, who was a white man, and had large influences on jazz by discovering legendary players. Although Hammond was a white man, he critiqued a black man for selling out to the white popular culture. They’re feud brought about many racial tensions. Among the racial tensions underlies the evidence that jazz was in white homes, (Swing Changes). With popularity in white homes come white musicians. Competition of whether black or white people play better jazz remains a trend. The battle at the center of black vs. white jazz musicians was the Benny Goodman vs. Chick Webb play-off in Carnegie Hall. Benny Goodman, also known as the “King of Swing”, lost to Webb, a less popular black musician.

The swing era was able to create a common ground for white and black people. The music brought these people together to create true “American Culture”. Although the process of integration may have not been a smooth ride, it sparked the beginning of a revolution. Race is central to the Swing Era because it worked to put blacks on a more equal level with whites, “swing was in fundamental sense an African-American music that somehow, for the first time since antebellum minstrelsy, black culture had become for may of its young people the American culture of choice”, (Swing changes, 54).

B14 Blog #2

New York: Hot & Cold

         Compared to Chicago in the 1920’s New York was more important to the development of jazz. Chicago is in fact, significant to jazz through its mass migration of African Americans and development of jazz through its innovation of influences from New Orleans. However, New York proved to be essential to the continued developments of jazz influenced by both major cities and the music that originated from New York. Harlem was also the next step for prospering Blacks still seeking opportunity in the North, “As such, Harlem in this era symbolized a coming of age for all African Americans”, (Gioia, 93). In addition, New York’s capitalization of jazz is responsible for the exposure of African American music as a desirable element of their culture, and passing on the torch of jazz to create styles such as Swing.

       In accordance with the dialogic theory, which argues that community plays a role in the musician’s art, the two Harlems created two distinctive styles of New York Jazz. The hot and cold styles of jazz were between “the Harlem of literary aspirations and the Harlem of Jazz and Blues” (Gioia, 95). The Harlem renaissance co-existed among the less talked about impoverished Harlem of lower-middle class African Americans. Tension between the two Harlems also existed as the upper-middle class African-Americans looked down upon the lower-middle class and their interest in jazz. The lower-class Harlem provided the struggle needed to make quality music, “but the Harlem of rent parties and underground economies created music” (Gioia, 94). Lack of financial stability, and rent parties allowed for the popularization of piano, and development of Harlem jazz styles from ragtime and popular trends in music. Central to the styles of Harlem jazz is the stride piano. The piano acted as a distinctive feature for music in Harlem and separates New York from other places such as Chicago and New Orleans. The piano also holds significant metaphoric meaning for Harlem. According to Gioia, “The instrument represented conflicting possibilities- a pathway for assimilating a traditional highbrow culture, a calling card of lowbrow nightlife, a symbol of middle-class prosperity, or quite simply a means of making a living”, (96). This is said because stride piano players insisted on maintaining a middle ground, neither highbrow nor lowbrow (Gioia). By keeping a middle ground the stride piano bridged the two Harlems together. Stride piano also gives way to the other cultural factors affecting the style of jazz in Harlem. European culture contributed the piano to jazz in the 1920’s. The tradition of classical piano in New York made it a breeding ground for piano players.

      James P. Johnson, Fats Walter, and Duke Ellington are among some of the most influential Harlem jazz musicians. Johnson is accredited with being the first to make a transition for ragtime to jazz. He also is documented creating music before New Orleans jazz was created or recorded (Stewart, 2013, February 5). Johnson is said to have great influence on Ellington and other greats. Johnson is the most important to Harlem jazz in the 1920’s because he was the first to do it and he did not go on through out his career unaccredited, he influenced other great musicians and without him jazz in New York may have not existed.

            Harlem’s unique influences and factors that were significant in creating hot and cold jazz proves once again, “jazz flourishes on diversity”, (Stewart, 2013, February 5).