Soldiers on the Battlefields of War and Style

As Jazz (capitalized to represent the cultural machine, rather than the genre) moved into the Swing Era of the 1930's and 40's, discussions of race became more and more commonplace. Race has, of course, always been involved in the music's evolution–racial tensions were at the heart of the blues, and stride piano grew out of a social landscape that definitively differentiated black urban culture from white–but until this era it was often brushed aside or under the table. From a modern perspective, blacks may have dominated the musical scene since the "race record" took hold, but for many years the conversation of race was simply not on the table. I think that there are two reasons for this:

First off, black America was getting a much stronger political grip. During and after World War I, blacks began to experience the world much more than they ever had since the Emancipation. Blacks who served as soldiers soon realized the freedom available to them. Shack says it best: "The philosophy of war entailed a double meaning for black soldiers: freedom abroad; freedom at home...This philosophy was to repeat itself, instilling patriotism in black soldiers responding to the call to arms a generation later"(Shack). Throughout the 1920's and 30's, Paris became a popular destination for black jazz musicians because it offered escape from (or at least reduction of) discrimination. This was huge. Throughout these two decades, the black cause for equality grew stronger because of this real example of an attainable standard. What had previously been accepted as a sad but true status quo was shot down because of the black exposure to equality in Europe. It is easy to see how black political efforts must have increased: the European example fueled desire, and this desire sparked more dialogues. By the 1930's, the norm was no longer hopeless inequity, but rather a growing battlefield of rights.

Once the wars got the ball rolling, it was the work of individuals on the home front that made the difference. But it was not necessarily black activists who brought up the conversations about race–often it was the work of critics. One such critic, John Hammond, serves as a perfect example of how people on either side of the racial divide could have sparked racial dialogue in Jazz. Hammond, a critic and producer, was an influential voice in the Jazz sphere, sometimes driving hundreds of miles in a night to follow the ever-shifting center of Jazz culture. But on top of that, he was a political radical who campaigned and lobbied for numerous causes, as evidenced in Swing Changes: "By 1941 Hammond had had also joined the National Committee for People's Rights; he was a sponsor of the American Council on Soviet Relations and of Russian War Relief, Inc.; he was a guest of honor at the American Peace Mobilization Testimonial Dinner for Vito Marcantonio and at the Fourth American Writers' Congress and Congress of the Artists' Front to Win the War..."(Swing Changes, 62). Hammond saw political involvement as a necessity for responsible Americans. This had two effects. First, by seeing race relations as a political reality rather than an idealistic battleground, Hammond dedicated himself to a variety of discussions on race. Being an influential figure in the Jazz world, his actions prompted others to do the same. Second, his opinions on the necessity of political activism prompted him to "call out" any artists who did not take some political stand for their side of this political issue–in 1935 he published an article that criticized Duke Ellington's apparent apathy toward race issues. Nobody who was anybody could escape the debate with critics like Hammond regulating their involvement.

In conclusion, it's easy to see how the heightened racial dialogue of the Swing Era came about through both large-scale social phenomena as well as the work of some powerful individuals. But in a much larger sense, I believe this effect occurred simply because black culture and music needed time to develop and ascend. Even if there had been no world wars or political critics, the issue of race relations would have entered into Jazz discussions, albeit much later and much less excitingly.


Commented on Connor Way's blog.