Jazz is perhaps the most purely American musical form. From its origins in the late nineteenth century, it reflects the historical changes of the United States. As the nation transformed from a rural, homespun culture to an urban, mass-produced culture, jazz also changed. What was once a musical form deeply rooted in black folk traditions now became a widely consumed product of the American entertainment industry.

Jazz as a whole actually encompasses a wide range of musical styles. Duke Ellington is said to have despised the word jazz because he doubted the ability of one word to describe so much music. Thomas Hennessey, in his book From Jazz to Swing, defines three separate eras of the Jazz Age. The first, from 1890-1935, unified the many different aspects of music forming a cohesive jazz style. The second, from 1935-1945, marks the Swing Era, when jazz was the popular musical form. The third and longest era is from 1945 to the present. During this time jazz has spread its boundaries and cemented its place in American culture.

Click on picture to hear "A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON" by Louis Armstrong

During the 1920s many black jazz musicians formed bands that were early counterparts to the big bands popular in the following decades. Rising from the Harlem Renaissance came a wealth of artistic expression and talent that found an outlet in jazz. The growing musical form soon merged with the concert band and society dance band styles that were popular elsewhere during the twenties to create the big bands of the Swing Era.

Benny Goodman's legendary performance at the Palmoral Ballroom in Los Angeles in 1935 is considered to be the birth of swing music. Goodman, pictured at right, had grown frustrated by the lukewarm reactions given by the audiences throughout his coast to coast tour. Finally, at the Palmoral, Goodman told his band to "get as hot as you wish" in a last ditch effort to engage the audience. They did and the audience went wild. Jazz officially shifted into a new age.

With the advent of swing music, jazz found a doorway to social respectability. Until this time the American public commonly associated jazz with either the brothels of New Orleans or the gin mills of Chicago. Also, because jazz was largely a product of black musicians it was shunned by a still prejudiced America. Swing was not only successful in making jazz commercial, but also in making it acceptable to the white population. From the late thirties through the forties, swing music dominated social events ranging from the upscale nightclubs of New York City to the backstreet juke joints of Chicago.

Unfortunately, racism was still an issue for the bands of the Swing Era. In order for swing to be popular to the mass public, the bands and their leaders had to have commercial potential and therefore had to be white. This largely influenced which bandleaders gained international acclaim. Not many bands were racially integrated, Benny Goodman's being one of the few exceptions.

Swing differs from Jazz in that it is arranged for larger bands--usually 16 pieces or more--rather than smaller ensembles. Instrumentation in swing bands includes trumpets and trombones which gives swing music a brighter, brassier sound than the more mellow jazz. Swing bands also usually included saxophones, clarinets, piano, drums, guitar, and string bass.

Click for example of brassier sound in "SING SING SING" by Benny Goodman

More than jazz, swing music is arranged for the dancers, whose artistic input is responsible for forming swing music almost as much as the music influenced the dance. Count Basie and Cab Calloway were particularly famous for their dance music.

Click for example of dance music in "SHOUT AND FEEL IT" by Count Basie

The role of bandleader also underwent a transition in the move from early jazz to swing. Rather than being merely a man waving a baton before an orchestra, the bandleaders of the swing era began to emerge as musicians in their own right. Both Duke Ellington (left), a pianist, and Artie Shaw (right), a clarinetist, also achieved fame for their bandleading. Other famous bandleaders were Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey (bottom center). Also, unlike in jazz, sidemen were given more opportunities to perform solos and achieve fame. Many of these sidemen such as Gene Krupa (bottom left and right) later went on to become bandleaders. themselves.

Click for recording of "HENDERSON STOMP" by Benny Goodman

Click for recording of "I'VE GOT A GIRL IN KALAMAZOO" by Glenn Miller