Swing Era in the 1930's

Jazz has always been a genre of music that had racial discourse in its history. Whether it was the tension between the Europeans and West African slaves that arrived to America that created the concept of jazz or the evolution of it in Chicago that was highlighted through “black nationalism” starting the assimilation of a black popular culture, race has always caused controversy in the history of jazz. There may not have been more explicit then in the1930’s and the swing era. 

The swing era, which is highlighted for the jiggerbug and white jazz. There was often tension between white and black musicians because they were in competition with one another for the financial awards and cultural respect for mastery of this role art form. Duke Ellington talked about how black people had to make a compromise with the racial and economic dynamics of success for a Black man by performing in front of predominately white crowds despite segregation policy and hiring an agent to mainstream his music. White critics and audiences were extremely rough on black musicians for not capturing the true essence of jazz.

In fact in order for black musicians to survive the racial barriers of the 1930’s they had to disguise a willingness to tolerate racial indignities for the sake of commercial success. This demonstrated another big point in racial tension: the artist vs critic in which the Black artist is asked to be a “representative” of the race that is not as fortunate to have access to the economies of commercial jazz. It stings so bad because jazz have been White. In conclusion swing was jazz as politics. And with it a popular audience- a largely White audience that could now critique Black jazz artist from a new subject position in American society and culture.