Swing, That Modern Sound

229 Pages·2001·4.42 MB·English

by  Kenneth J. Bindas

Swing,
That
Modern sound
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Swing,
That
Modern sound
Kenneth J. Bindas
UniversityPressofMississippi
Jackson
www.upress.state.ms.us
Copyright(cid:2)2001byUniversityPressofMississippi
Allrightsreserved
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 4 3 2 1
(cid:3)(cid:2)
AllMartinadvertisementsappearcourtesyofTheMartin
Company.AllBuescher,VincentBach,Bundy,andSelmer
advertisementsappearcourtesyofTheSelmerCompany.The
illustrationfrom‘‘SWING—WhatIsIt?’’appearscourtesyof
MusicalAmericaArchives.AllConnandKingadvertisements
appearcourtesyofUnitedMusicalInstrumentsU.S.A.,Inc.The
twocartoonsentitled‘‘ForMusiciansOnly,’’thephotoofAnita
O’Day,andthefrontcoverofDownbeatappearcourtesyofMaher
Publications,Inc.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Bindas,KennethJ.
Swing,thatmodernsound/KennethJ.Bindas.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1-57806-382-5(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN1-57806-383-3
(paper:alk.paper)
1. Swing(Music)—Historyandcriticism. I. Title.
ML3518.B56 2001
781.65(cid:3)4—dc21 2001024068
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataavailable
ToJean-Anne
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
TheSwingGeneration
WhatIsSwingandHowIsIttheMusicofItsEra? 3
Machine-AgeMusic
TheConnectionofSwingtoModernity 20
SwingingtheMarketplace
AdvertisingandSellingSwing 39
TheAmericanSwingDream
TheRoleandInfluenceofClassinSwing 76
TheSwingStew
Ethnicity,Race,andGenderwithinSwing 103
Swing’sLow
TheDeclineofSwing 145
Notes 169
Index 199
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Acknowledgments
This project reflects the contributions of many people. When I first began
readingandgatheringresearchinformationandworkingoutinitialoutlines
andtheoreticalmodels,thelateEdwardPessen,KathyOgren,andBurtPer-
etti provided direction and critical comment. Later, as the monograph
began to take on a clearer patina, William Kenney provided musical and
historical insight and critique. I presented several papers concerning this
topic at a variety of conferences and research colloquia and the questions
raised andthe conversations afterward helpedclarify specific aspectsof the
textandsharpenedtheargument.Ireceivedresearchgrants,fromtheState
University of West Georgia and Kent State University, which allowed me
to do research at Rutgers University’s Jazz Oral History Project collection
andtheHoganJazzArchiveatTulaneUniversity.Atbothofthesefacilities
Iwasgivenopenaccess,andBruceRaeburnandTadHershornhelpedlocate
materialsandaidedintheacquisitionofmuchoftheprimarysourcemate-
rial.LoriLestertookmuchoftherawdataandentereditintoSPSS(Statis-
ticalPackageforFlexsocialSciences)sothatitmightyieldinformationnot
obvious at first glance. Seetha Srinivasan, University Press of Mississippi’s
director,providedregularencouragement;andtheeditorialstaffhasworked
hardtoguidethismonographtoitspublication.Allofthesefolks,andmany
more, helped me find the voice to write this book. While I am responsible
foritsflaws,theydeserveashareinanyofitspraises.
ix