The Swing Era: Race Becomes Leading Debate Issue

“’The white folk still cannot compare to the really good Negroes in relaxed unpretentious dance music’” (Swing Changes 60)

This quote by John Hammond illustrates the racial tension and competition that Swing brought to Jazz. Hammond was very dedicated to bringing racial equality to the US (Swing Changes 64). In the 1930’s Swing was on the rise and quickly became a nationally recognized and highly debated music form. The race problems behind Jazz were exacerbated, and thus more publicly debated about, by the nationalization of Jazz, the heightened racialized competition during the Great Depression, the politicization of Jazz and the formation of mixed-race bands. These factors interacted to bring racial issues to the forefront of public debate and the new white Jazz critic was the prime entity that facilitated the public and intellectual debate about race and Jazz.  

               Through the invention of the radio, Swing spread across the country (Gioia 127). This nationalization of Jazz interacted with market pressures of capitalism to turn the music form into a commercialized product. Musicians now had to compete nationally in order to survive and thrive. The following Great Depression exacerbated this competition, as it drove many white musicians into playing Jazz to make a living (Gioia 128, Swing Changes 64). This new competition was highly unequal along racial lines and was intensified by white social and political dominance (Stewart 2/12). Since bands now had to travel and perform around the country in order to survive and make money, differing segregation laws in diverse states made it extremely difficult for the black musicians to compete with white ones (Stewart 2/12). This intensified racial competition led to an increased visibility and debate of the underlying racial and structural inequalities.

               Furthermore, Jazz at this time was politicized especially by left leaning Marxists as a revolutionary force (Swing Changes 73). Also, the magazine “Down Beat” wrote that “’Jazz, black and white, and democracy go hand in hand’” (Swing Changes 73). Jazz was displayed as highlighting and embodying deeper political ideologies and was used by the left and by “American Dream” promoters as a way to advocate for more racial equality (Swing Changes 73). This politicization helped spur even more debate and writing about the racial issues underlying the art form. 

               At the same time Jazz experienced some of the first interracial bands and thus directly brought racial issues to the forefront and to the audience. Benny Goodman, after being urged by Hammond “to break with the segregated tradition that had governed public performances and recordings,” attempted to integrate black musicians into his band (Swing Changes 55, Stewart 2/12). He was the first Jazz musician to play in Carnegie Hall, in order to promote Jazz as a respectable art form and his band included white and black musicians (Stewart 2/12). After than other bands tried the same strategy, as blacks were considered to have the superior musical ability. This combination also highlighted racial issues and spurred discussions about them.

               These three events in the 1930s facilitated the emergence of the white Jazz critic, who had the biggest role in writing, and promoting debate, about Jazz and the racial issues behind it. John Hammond, introduced in the beginning, was the most prominent figure in critiquing Jazz, especially concerning political and racial issues. He, for example, openly criticized black musicians, such as Ellington, “for distancing himself and his music from the troubles of his people” (Swing Changes 51). Further, he was a strong advocate for racial equality and his influence in the music genre promoted increased debate and writing about racial issues in Jazz (Swing Changes 63). 

               In sum, increased visibility of Jazz through nationalization, economic competition, the politicization of Jazz and interracial bands interacted to spur increased debate about racial issues. The prime movers behind this writing and debating were white Jazz critics, like Hammond, who elevated the debate to an intellectual and public level. Thus, all these factors contributed to the “Swing Era” being the age that race issues became ever more evident and thus were more talked and written about.

Commented on Jason Ortenber's blog