Blog 3

Jazz has its roots deeply rooted in African American culture that perpetuated throughout New Orleans in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As with any art form, an evolution of jazz occurred as it gained popularity and spread out of the condensed neighborhoods of Storyville and into the big cities in the North. With this progression of jazz music, jazz began to take on many different forms ranging from blues, ragtime, to the prominent swing era of the 1930s. One aspect of jazz that never changed though was its deep correlation to racial tensions. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the topic of race was explicitly discussed.

Prior to the 1920s, jazz was primarily performed in nightclubs and speakeasies. However, a technological invention was created during the ‘20s that would change the face of the music industry, the radio. Although the radio was important in the spread of the sound of jazz into American homes, the “change was hardly a positive one for most jazz players.” (Gioia, 127) No longer was there a need for many musicians as “a single bad could now entertain countless listeners through the magic of radio.” (Gioia, 127) With an economic downfall for many musicians perpetuated by not only the radio but the depression, big bands no longer were a luxury but became the norm. This push toward large bands was a major aspect of swing music.

With the radio came a soaring popularity for jazz music, primarily swing, which “characterized the popular culture of the 1930’s.” One aspect that made the radio unique was that the “airways were not strictly segregated.” (Shomer) If was not possible to distinguish between a black and white musician. Yet, many radio programmers used racial stereotypes of the day to market jazz to a wider audience, “labeling jazz as jungle music to suggest a kind of mysterious, erotic aspect.” (Shomer) Additionally, many of the radio stations were controlled by white men so many African American musicians suffered. Even black station owners office faced much adversity “to establish and maintain stations in a less than welcoming white nation.” (Shomer)

            Segregation was not a place for jazz music however as many of the best jazz musicians were black. This was evident in the efforts of the proclaimed king of swing, Benny Goodman. Goodman saw music outside of racial divide and appreciated a musician for the music they were able to produce. This led him to add members to his band such as Charlie Christian and Fletcher Henderson. The move to integrate an interracial band was a big step for Goodman. This move was met with mixed opinions at the time as some were quoted “the Negro has exceptional musical ability but unfortunately for him, there are social overtones involved which, although he is not to blame, still work against him.” Although music was supposed to contain no racial barriers, the underlying prejudice in American culture perpetuated the divide. Only did the integration of black and white bands and there increased popularity did the racial divide begin to subside, even if it was minimal.

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Blog Post #2: The Roaring 20's and Jazz in Chicago

"One of the supreme ironies of the history of New Orleans jazz is that so much of it took place in Chicago." (Gioia, 43) Within the early years of the 1900's the Great Migration occurred which nearly "a half-million African Americans left the South for more tolerant communities in the North." (Gioia, 43) Musicians were not the only ones to partake in this migration as there were a great amount of opportunities that the North offered over the South in the forms of work, social life, and "personal freedom." (Gioia, 43) However, Chicago was not the only destination for many jazz musicians as other major cities such as New York was also a viable option with its own unique opportunities. When comparing the two though, a shift is seen towards Chicago during this time, making it the more prominent hot spot for jazz in the 1920's.

With the migration from the South came an influx of the jazz culture into the Windy City. Chicago was an environment that allowed great diversity to flourish. The economic opportunities for jazz musicians were prevalent in Chicago during the 1920's. This inspired "musicians of all styles, all races, all instruments to come to Chicago not because of allegiance to a certain idiom of jazz, but rather to tap the opportunities to perform and earn." (Gioia, 72) I believe this economic draw is what greatly contributed to the Chicago jazz that formed. The opportunities provided allowed for many styles to converge into one region and soon a mixture of the styles was inevitable which created a unique sound for jazz. With such an influx into Chicago, "the conventions of New Orleans jazz began to change in this new setting." (Gioia, 73)

When listening close to the jazz performed in Chicago, one can notice the "subtle gradations of difference [as] a certain restless energy begins to reverberate in the music." (Gioia, 71) The Chicago style of jazz began to seem more aggressive and more abrupt. Also, it was noticeable that "various nonjazz musical traditions" were influencing the jazz in the region. "Popular songs and thirty-two-bar forms were increasingly used by Chicago jazz musicians" (Gioia, 73) not normally seen in traditional New Orleans jazz. Subtle changes such as this led to the evolution of jazz and eventually created the new sound in Chicago.

When analyzing the jazz spread into Chicago it is important to recognize some of the most influential musicians such as Joe Oliver, Pete Johnson, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman and many others. However, the most influential was Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was great at adapting to many situations which is a staple in jazz as improvisation is a key element. Additionally, Louis Armstrong was one of the first to become recognized for his ability as a soloist. Armstrong is seen "as the dominant jazz instrumentalist of his generation, perhaps of all time" (Gioia, 57) which was solidified with his sessions of Hot Fives and Hot Sevens.

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