The Racialization of Swing

The political and economic conditions in America during the 1930's had a huge effect on the jazz, soon to be swing, era. White Americans began to participate in swing music due to its perceived political symbolism, as well as critiquing black musicians in what they felt was displaying their dedication to “black cultural production” (lecture). And while swing pierced segregation with its drawing of diverse audiences, it largely consisted of white male critics. Additional the emergence of the infamous Benny Goodman and his performances at Carnegie Hall gave audiences a white swing celebrity. Yet even with Goodman’s popularity white Americans could still not disconnect the origin or the co-existing forms of swing from black musicians. The combination of political climate, the emergence of the white music critic, and the effect of Benny Goodman’s success led to explicit conversations of race emerging in regards to swing music. 

Both the Great Depression’s tole on the American economy and the rise of Communism and the Left Wing created a growth in liberal and democratic perspectives amongst Americans. Between both WWI and WWII anti-fascist sentiments were strong in the United States, and nothing was more of a juxtaposition to fascism than having appreciation for races other than the Aryan race (Stowe). Recognizing this, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union formed alliances with groups that were not Communist but opposed fascism, naming the group the Popular Front. African Americans were included in the Popular Front, and in the case of the Scottsboro boys in 1931 who were wrongfully accused of rape, the Communist Party was intricate in there conviction (lecture). Radical white leftist developed an admiration for black culture, and thus swing music became associated with political radicalism and “music of the democratic class, a product of the people that had a spirit of collective cooperation and spontaneous individuality” (Lecture). Americans began to demonstrate their radical political views by associating with swing music, or in their minds black culture. Thus because it was a political demonstration to be listening to swing, the fact that swing music was predominately a part of black culture was emphasized and explicitly discussed. 

Because they believed “whites and blacks were working together under the populist front”, young white males, predominately from privileged families, took it upon themselves to criticize the music of black musicians (Stowe 52). Within these criticism the concept of race is very clearly discussed. Black artist are expected to be representatives of their race, while simultaneously trying to play to the extremely diverse audience that swing music attracted (Stowe). Music critic John Hammond accused famous jazz musician Duke Ellington of “disguised a willingness to tolerate racial indignities for the sake of commercial success” (lecture). Hammond continued to include race within his critiques of swing musicians with such comment as “the best of the white folk still cannot compare to the really good Negroes in relaxed, unpretentious dance music” (Stowe, 60). Another music critic Paul Eduard Miller resorted to emphasizing race in his appraisal of swing music when he wrote in an article “black superiority sprang from tradition, a familiarity with essential requirements of swing that white musicians had to laboriously strive to acquire” (Stowe, 78). By trying to demonstrate the musical talent black swing musicians had and feeling they now had the authority to do so, white music critics created a clearly racialized element in swing music and swing music analysis. 

Additionally the emergence of Benny Goodman on the swing scene in his appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1938 created discussion based on race. Goodman legitimized jazz for white society, and he was perfect to do so because he played the incredible music and was able to do so with a racial integrated band (lecture). Goodman created a huge stir in the swing era when he challenged the band of the black musician Chick Webb in The Savory Ballroom in uptown Harlem. The discussion around the competition became centered around race, as Goodman entered into a black space and brought with him an audience who may otherwise never have ventured there (lecture). Because white musicians were competing against black musicians racial differences were highlighted, making race more explicit during the Swing Era. 

Tolerance towards blacks was growing in American during the 1930s, as was the significance of race within music. The political sway of white Americans led them to encouraged black culture while simultaneously believing they had the right to critique it (thus critique something they did not understand). The success of white musician Benny Goodman further emphasized racial differences, giving a great deal of racially centered discussion within the realm of the Swing Era.