Blog 3

            Prior to the 1930s race had always been an issue of concern in the jazz community, it is seen in New Orleans, Chicago and New York. It was not until the 1930s that race began to factor in so greatly and affect jazz in such an extreme way. The Swing Era brought with it new views, new musicians, and a new scene. Swing’s big breakout took place in New York and there many famous musicians such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman were able to make their mark. “The ‘colored market’ once considered ‘limited’ was now becoming profitable” (Swing Changes, 121). This new push for integration in the jazz scene that arose in the 1930s had a strong impact

            Duke Ellington was one of the musicians who had a strong impact during the swing integration era. He pushed for integration because he understood that it would help gain popularity. Ellington found himself a Jewish agent at the Cotton Club and they began to increase his popularity by putting him on the radio. The radio allowed for integration in jazz to greatly increase, listeners were not able to see skin color and therefore were able to appreciate music from both whites and blacks.

            Carnegie hall and the Savoy were two places that also greatly contributed to integration during the 1930s. The Savoy was a place where integration was occurring through competition. One of the most famous events that occurred at the Savoy was the “Musical battle of century” between Benny Goodman and Chick Webb. At Carnegie Hall rather than it being a competitive environment there was a breakthrough with the integrated quartet that included Benny Goodman and three black musicians, Drummer Gene Krupa, pianist Teddy Wilson, and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. The musical integration occurring at these places helped integration during the Swing Era take a huge leap forward, even though many people were against it during this time.

During this time we also saw a change in the attitudes of black musicians and towards certain critics. Musicians were now acknowledging critique from those who represented the white audience. One well-known critic was John Hammond, a man who came from a wealthy family and was given the opportunity to study at Yale although he dropped out to pursue a life around jazz. Hammond discovered many important musicians such as Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, and Billie Holiday. When Hammond criticized Ellington, Ellington did not feel that Hammond had the right to that critique. Ellington said his critique was “Laughable” He did not believe that a wealthy Vanderbilt descendent could understand what a black musician was going through during the Great Depression (Stewart, Lecture).

            The 1930s Swing Era brought about great changes, integration was now being seen more frequently for different reasons in this era. Ellington’s goals for commercial success created major changes just as places such as Carnegie Hall and the Savoy did as well. In their own different ways many components came together to create changes towards the views of race in 1930s jazz music.