Cultural Effect of Swing and Jazz
- Before the beginning of the swing era culture was regionally specific
- Regions, such as New Orleans and New York, had very little cultural overlap
- Jazz music before the swing period solely existed in African American cultures
- life was often solemn and people were often focused on survival due to World War I
- Swing allowed for an increased widespread popularity of jazz style music infusing with other cultures and creating new branches and subcultures as a result of this
- Jazz and swing “Americanized” various different cultures for example
- this “Americanization” allowed for nisei, second generation Japanese Americans, to assimilate into American culture through various types of Jazz dance and music
- As this music infused into various cultures, such as the Nisei, subcultures began to grow and adaptations and variations on Jazz, music, bands, and dance began to take place
- various forms of dance were adapted to certain regions of America and the world such as Savory Swing in New York and West Coast swing in California, and Jive internationally
- common interest in Jazz and swing music created a “mass youth culture” uniting a new generation of people
- Dance competitions integrated fashions, social roles, and allowed for the sharing of ideas and options expanding cultural homology over large expanses of the world
- As jazz music became popular the fun upbeat and often improvised music translated into daily life reflecting that of dance clubs, flappers, and a life of sophistication and freedom adjusting lifestyle and daily routine
- swing music evolved, and with it so did culture, music maintained its Jazz route while incorporating important upbeat measures which translated into a new upbeat way of life
- Jazz united various different ethnic groups through its “common language”
- Jazz movement began in new Orleans, spread to Chicago, then to NY from these major cities the jazz movement/ culture spread to other parts of America and the world
- Many black bands that did not have as much success in America due to Jim crow laws and effects of the great depression migrated to Europe spreading swing/ jazz culture and music to other countries
- Radio allowed for the spread of big bands and artists like Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra
- Movies that included swing dance allowed for the diffusion of the Swing culture across many regions
- the legacy of the upbeat easily danced music influence the next era of jazz music, pop, incorporated many of the cultural, societal, and political changes of the swing era therefore displaying the major role the swing era played
- African American swing musicians like Jimmy Lunceford facilitated the blending of the rhythm in New Orleans music into the urban music common in black dance clubs throughout Kansas City and Harlem