Race in the Swing Era

Race was one of the key contradictions of jazz and swing and had been a central instigator in the formation of jazz. In the 1930s, race was thrust into the forefront of discussions on swing more so than the previous decades. The Swing Era, as it was later called, began when the Great Depression was economically devastating the country and many white people experienced a class shift that made them essentially equal to the black people. Competition for jobs increased but white artists were still at an advantage compared to black artists due to the Jim Crow societal norms. The market was dominated by white agents and audiences which made it easier for white artists to get gigs while marginalizing black artists.

One of the biggest reasons for the emergence of racial dialogue during the Swing Era was the jazz critic Hammond. Hammond was a well-educated, cultured, rich and white. He became a man who could make or break a band’s reputation (Swing Changes P 58). He criticized Duke Ellington for making deals with Irving Miller and the Cotton Club and for his “racial insensitivity to the troubles of ‘his people’” (Stewart 2/12). Hammond held the belief that black artists played “superior swing” than white artists and that Ellington compromising so worsened the status of black people in American society (Swing Changes P60). This compromise brought black artists further under the control of the “white hegemony” in jazz (Stewart 2/12). Paradoxically, Hammond was instrumental in furthering the hegemony.

Hammond’s rise to fame occurred with his insistence to Benny Goodman to integrate his band which pushed Goodman away from the mainstream and resulted in the declaration of Benny Goodman as the King of Swing (Swing Changes P55). This move exemplified the racism of the times where a white man was declared the best in what had previously been touted as a black art form. White bands did not have to perform as well as black bands because white audiences did not demand it (Stewart 2/12). Events such as this made race a central topic of discourse in the Swing Era.

Comment- Phil Coren < http://blst14philcoren.blogspot.com/ >