Swing Changes Everything

Jazz has had a tendency to include racial discourse in its discussion since its founding. The racial roots and discourse, however, have been essential in its development through New Orleans, NY, Chicago, and into the Swing Era of the 1930s. With the end of Prohibition in 1933, the ethos and ambiance of jazz in the speakeasy was demystified as jazz moved from the underground to the mainstream. Race became an explicit topic, discussed in detail like never before for a number of reasons. The onset of the Great Depression accompanied by the end of prohibition and the invention of the radio developed a competitive environment for the jazz musician. This competition is antagonized by the integration of blacks into white bands, and black musicians hiring white agents. Together these factors lead to the explicitness of race in the 1930s.

The Great Depression devastated the music and recording industries. Record sales in the US had surpassed one hundred million in 1927, but by 1932 only six million were sold—a staggering decline of over 90 percent (Gioia 135). In addition, the creation of the radio now allowed a few bands to entertain thousands of people. Black and White musicians alike had to compete for what little financial benefits the industry had to offer. White bandleaders found much easier working conditions compared to blacks. Of the five major sources of big-band income—record sales, one-night engagements, theater shows, hotel location jobs, and commercially sponsored programs, black bands were restricted to the first three (Swing Changes 123). Without access to the latter two, black bands had to travel constantly; conditions which did not favor keeping a band together for very long. Duke Ellington was one of the few blacks who exploited this new economic game. He hired a Jewish agent to mainstream his music and book him at only the finest venues.

By 1941 barriers that had previously stood against integrated bands had fallen, with Benny Goodman’s hiring of Christain and Henderson (Swing Changes 129). Godman’s performance at Carnegie hall alongside two black musicians solidified jazz as a high culture musical form. Though both races seemed on equal platforms, whites received much higher pay than blacks. This made black bands vulnerable to white bandleader vultures that could pay the blacks a higher wage. Swing had made it possible for black and white musicians “to know each other on grounds of intimacy never dreamed of in the stilted days of ragtime and jazz” (Swing Changes 129).

The newfound “intimacy” of blacks and whites in the music industry during the 1930s made race an explicit topic. White critics were now able to critique blacks because they were on more of an equal playing field. While these critics lacked the empathy and criticism of the black musician needed to review their pieces, White critics such as Hammond exemplified the thoughts of the white fan during the time. The Great Depression and radio created a competitive enough environment which led to the integration of bands, and forced blacks to the front of the discussion in Swing Jazz.