Blog 3

Throughout the rise and popularization of jazz music, racial injustices and segregation had always been an underlying issue.  Breaking grounds musically, socially, and culturally jazz had become a beacon for a new age in the black community, gaining its momentum in the 1930’s Swing Age. With the help of radio and magazines, a large scale market for swing music developed pushing not only music critics to address racial implications in jazz, but for society to acknowledge the injustices as well, thus propelling the discussion of race and jazz into the public light.   

A huge market for Swing music became nationally known and admired throughout the 1930’s and this was in part due to the radio. The radio allowed jazz music to be heard anywhere. Audiences no longer had to go to concert halls to hear “hot jazz” and instead could listen to it in the comfort of their homes. However this growing popularity began to draw more and more people to live performances and this, “required deference to the rituals of Jim Crowe segregation which meant black musicians were unable to play from the front line delivering music to the white audiences” (Stewart Lecture). This restriction directly displayed the racial injustice in jazz and sparked discussion and thought that would eventually lead to the push to break down racial barriers. 

With its successful integration into American Pop Culture, jazz began to receive more attention from music critics and these critics in turn brought light to the issue of race and jazz.  The most acknowledged critic was John Hammond. Hammond was the most prevalent writer that looked at the correlation between race and jazz and was an advocate of racial equality. He stated, “only by unity between Negroes and whites will they be able to survive and flourish” (Swing Changes 61). He wanted to bring light to the injustices against blacks in the music industry and attacked those who hindered his efforts, such as Duke Ellington. Hammond believed Ellington to be a betrayer of his race and that he had, “shut his eyes to the abuses being heaped upon his race and his original class” (Swing Changes 51).  Ellington was backing the abandonment of black culture in favor of white acceptance.

Black artists constantly faced the issue of respectability. The foundation of jazz music was built in bars and brothels. To counter this some black artists took on an air of sophistication to put the whites at ease and further their career; Duke Ellington was known for this sophistication (Swing Changes 53). This abandoning of black culture perpetuated white privilege as well as racial indifference and prompted Hammond’s comments. Hammond’s goal was to break the hegemonic role of the whites and expose the injustices as well as the creativity and beauty of the black role in jazz (Stewart Lecture). Some examples of his efforts include his discovery and push of Fletcher Henderson into Benny Goodman’s band. This racial mixing not only broke down racial barriers, but led to competition between black and white musicians in which the music not skin color took president (Swing Changes). The Savoy in Harlem was a music battle between two of the father’s of swing Benny Goodman and Chick Webb. Thousands of people from all social, cultural, and economic classes were coming to view both a black and white artist perform which helped to validate jazz as a genre and gain respectability for the craft (Stewart Lecture).

      The Swing Era led to the development of a market that popularized the genre bringing racial barriers and inequalities into light. Due to the determination of key figures such as John Hammond to ignite the push for equality in society, the 1930’s was a time of cultural and musical change that revolutionized the music and the message.  The direct attack on racism in the 1930s came about through the discussion of racial injustice, which in turn changed to action. Swing not only brought about a musical revolution but gave way to a racial revolution as well.

Chicago: The Jazz Hub

At the beginning of the twentieth century the booming industrial revolution led to an influx of African Americans leaving the south for the north in search of factory and city jobs. This was known as the Great Migration. As a result, Chicago became a hot bed for opportunity and entertainment and in turn the young working class created a desire for more nightclubs, bars, and cabarets acting as a magnet for musical pioneers. Changing social and cultural traditions, economic prosperity, and a booming population all combined to turn Chicago into a musical hub leading to the advancement of a distinct jazz style that paralleled and represented the African American community.

There were many factors that combined to transform Chicago into the perfect sphere to nurture the development of jazz as a major musical trend and tradition. Economically Chicago offered salvation to many African Americans to, “search for a better life, for greater opportunities to work, to support a family, to enjoy a modicum of personal freedom­­––options that were much harder for an African American to pursue In the segregated South,” and as a result black population more than tripled (Gioia 43). However this influx of people was not limited to African American, many different artists and musicians of different races made the migration to the South (Gioia 76). This sheer population growth and migration of African American musicians allowed for the blending of different styles coming from New Orleans and other southern states, while also allowing these musicians to expand and advance their audiences and style.

Racial intolerance in the South was another motivating factor of the New Orleans Diaspora. Chicago offered a more accepting environment; collaboration between white and black musicians even began to flourish seen in the alliance between Jelly Roll Morton and the New Orleans Rhythm Kings (Gioia 44). Although many white jazz bands were attempting to recreate African American jazz sounds, this cultural blending was the first of its kind and continues to display how, “Chicago was the hub of contemporary and forward looking jazz” (154 The Best of Jazz). As a result of white participation in jazz, recordings became more popular finding that white privilege allowed for greater interest from recording studios. As a result however, African American jazz artists began to benefit after being recognized for, “their commercial potential” (Gioia 44). As jazz began to be laid down on records, not only could it reach broader audiences, be played anytime, anywhere, but also allowed for more economic growth and expansion. The culture of metropolitan Chicago and its importance on various form of artistic expression also contributed to the rise and popularity of jazz. For example, “Lincoln Gardens, the largest dance hall on the south side,“ was built allowing for a venue for musicians to be heard, collaborate, and advance their style and skill (Gioia 44).

Many critics have discredited Chicago Style claiming, “that they tried to copy New Orleans jazz and simply got it wrong” (154 The Best of Jazz). However, I view this critique to be wrong; although Chicago jazz adopted its style and was influenced by New Orleans it completely transformed to embody an up-beat, fast paced style that not only revolutionized the sound but got people moving. “The work of these young Chicagoans seem to have been not so much a style, more schizophrenia set to music” (161 The Chicagoans). In an effort to prove their mastery of jazz and abilities beyond that of New Orleans jazz, Chicago jazz artists would overcompensate, “trying to show how good they were, they got too fancy…too ornate and over elaborate,” this high energy music at times would be too much for the listener who is stuck to their old New Orleans roots (160 The Chicagoans). However it is this risk of musical transformation that allowed for Chicagoan jazz to take hold of audiences and gain recognition.

An artist who best represents the culture and community of Chicago and the rising new Chicagoan style would be Louis Armstrong. “Armstrong’s stage presence, repartee and globe roving activities as an unofficial ambassador for jazz almost overshadowed his role as a musician,” however when he took to the stage he combined his expert musicianship with his creativity and ability to create a fun ambience for the audience (Gioia 66). Due to his impact on jazz and the rise and creation of Chicago style along with his expert skills and highly popular music, Louis Armstrong is an innovator in the jazz world. His music not only greatly impacted the Chicago community and the community of musicians but also inspired many artists and led to the development and inspiration for jazz as a forefront in music.