The Harlem Renaissance
One historical event that deeply influenced the direction of popular music in North America was the Harlem Renaissance. Occurring just after WWI, it emerged when many African Americans from the south moved to northern cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and New York. Primarily understood as a literary and artistic movement, it was still deeply tied to, and influenced, the jazz, musical theatre, and other popular music styles of the time. Please visit the link below to watch a brief video summarizing the movement.
Swing Music as a Site of Resistance
Campbell cites Benny Goodman’s 1934 concert at the Palomar Ballroom as the beginning of the Swing Era, and the death of bandleader Glenn Miller in WWII as the end. While these dates are helpful and interesting, a more general context, and an easy association, for swing music is the backdrop of WWII.
World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945, and involved every part of the world to some extent. With a death toll of between 40 and 50 million, and the legacy of the Holocaust, the world is still coping with the fallout in many ways.
Although swing became popular before the war, in many ways WWII provides the context for swing music and acts as its antithesis. The exuberant, fun style of music, which inspired lively dancing and appealed to youth across racial and cultural boundaries, is a counterpoint to the divisiveness, hatred, and atrocities of WWII.
Some popular music is explicit in its resistance; protest music from the Vietnam era is a key example of this. But in Nazi Germany, a time and place when the government controlled all aspects of people’s lives and had no problem getting rid of people who disagreed, simply listening to and enjoying music that was not approved by the government was an act of resistance.
The movie Swing Kids is centred on a group of youth in Germany during the 1930s and early 1940s (known as the Swingjugend or Swing Youth) who wanted to have fun and live lives as ordinary as possible while under pressure to conform to Nazi ideology. The primarily high-school-aged kids were usually apolitical (they did not want to be Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, but also were not interested in open protests or activism), but their love of American culture – specifically, a love of music made by Jewish people and African-American people – naturally went against the politics of the Nazis. In this context, the enjoyment of jazz and swing music (which included organizing and attending concerts and dance festivals celebrating the music) became a site of resistance against the Nazi movement at a time when any kind of resistance was dangerous.
For more information on the real life Swing Kids, please visit the links at the bottom of the Learning Material.
This scene from the movie Swing Kids is an example – albeit choreographed – of what a swing dance looked like during the Swing Era. It was sexy, edgy, and fun. The music you hear in the video is the classic swing hit “Sing, Sing, Sing,” performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra, although the band in the clip are actors.
The use of swing music as a site of resistance in Nazi Germany is a good example of how music does not have to be expressly political – ie. have political lyrics, or even symbolic lyrics as in blues – to stand as a form of protest. Keep this in mind as we move through the course.
More on the real life Swing Kids can be found here.
Challenge Questions for blogging
If you have chosen to blog for your assignments, you may choose ONE of the following blog questions to blog on this week, for a total of 10% of your overall assignment grade. Note that there are blogging questions available for each module, and you need to complete up to two for the first deadline and up to two for the second deadline. Please see the Assignment Details and Blogging assignment pages for more information.
1. Josephine Baker: Research the life and work of Josephine Baker. In a well-considered blog post, explain how her life was affected by, or reflected, these Early Modern Era issues, cultural milestones, and events (note that in some cases, only a well-researched sentence or two is required):
- The Harlem Renaissance/Breakthroughs for Black Performers
- The New Woman/early feminism/sexual empowerment of women
- Talking Films
- The merger of song and dance/The Charleston
- Musical stage entertainment in the 1920s
- WWII
- …and after the Modern Era, Baker’s role in the pivotal 1963 March on Washington. This will become more relevant further on in the course.
- ***embed at least one video linked to one of the points above***
Finally, answer this question with an answer informed by your research: how would you summarize Baker’s influence on the history of popular music? Does the fact that her career took place mainly in Europe reduce her importance in a course like ours (focussing on North America)? Why or why not? Be sure to use solid sources and proper citations throughout your post as per the Blogging assignment.
#M3Q1
2. Shuffle Along: In 2016, Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, a musical about the making of the 1921 hit show Shuffle Along, opened on Broadway. This revival, of sorts, brought new attention to the original show. Though mentioned only briefly in your textbook, Shuffle Along was groundbreaking for African Americans in music and on stage. Read the New York Times Magazine article “’Shuffle Along’ and the Lost History of Black Performance in America.” It rambles a bit, and bounces back and forth between the history of the original show and commentary on the modern production. In a thoughtful blog post, answer these questions based on your reading:
- Why did black people don blackface in early American theatre? Explain the power dynamics of blackface worn by black performers.
- How did ‘Shuffle Along’ reinforce or challenge:
- The use of blackface in theatre
- The taboo of black sexuality
- Typical rhythms in musical theatre
- Chorus lines
- Which song remains the most well-known from Shuffle Along? Had you heard this song before?
- Explain what «patting Juba» meant, and who was Juba (the second Juba). Why is this story included, and how does it tie to our main story?
- Which claims about the historical significance of Shuffle Along are not exactly true? Who or what should actually claim this title?
- Explain the concept of the 2016 show and how it celebrated Shuffle Along. How does it approach the material?
- What new information came to light for you when reading this article, and does it change your perspective on the conditions and challenges faced by early African American performers?
- Look back to the section entitled ‘Minstrelsy and American Popular Music’ in your textbook (page 28), specifically the paragraph that begins “Minstrelsy would give blacks…” – in light of the article, do you feel this paragraph (or the textbook in general) offers a fair perspective on blackface in America? Why or why not?
#M3Q2
3. Swing Revivals: Two swing revivals have occurred since the original Swing Era of the late 30s-mid 40’s: the late 90’s Swing Revival, and the current(ish) rise of Electro-Swing. Choose one of these revivals and research it. Craft a well-researched, thoughtful post on one of these revivals, answering the questions below. Be sure to cite your sources and rely on the Swing Era section of your textbook as your starting point.
- Describe, as best you can, the years this revival was active.
- Choose a track of music from the revival and embed it.
- What characterizes the music of this revival? What musical elements are drawn from original Swing Era music? Link this to your chosen track as much as possible.
- How does the revival-era music draw on the current musical styles of the time period (the time period of the revival, that is – you can look ahead in your textbook to research this, but also look beyond, particularly for electro-swing)? Again, link this to your embedded track where possible.
- Who were the big names in the revival you researched (bands or artists)? Had you heard of them before?
- Was (is) the Swing Era influence apparent in other aspects of popular culture – for example, movies, tv, advertisements, politics, fashion? Embed or link to some of your findings.
- Why do you think music from the original Swing Era keeps being revived in various ways? What draws people of different generations to the music? Is there an idea or mood associated with swing music that continues to be felt and understood, even throughout the revivals? Explain your thoughts, drawing on your research, textbook, and personal response to the music.
- Having listened to original Swing Era music, and music from one of the revivals, which do you enjoy more? There are no right answers, but try to explain your response in a sentence or two.
#M3Q3
4. Live Concert Review:
Attend a live concert and write a review detailing your experience. You may only complete one concert review for the whole course. If there are multiple groups on the bill, choose only one. The concert must take place during the course and reflect the knowledge you’ve gained from the course materials. It should be the same length as your other blog posts but must describe the following features:
- Performer: biographies, band history, current place in popular music. Assume the reader is unfamiliar with the group.
- Sound: specifics of the music – harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, lyrics (if applicable) etc. Focus on one or more songs and construct a thorough description.
- Venue and Audience: describe not only the practical details of the environment, but how the music might inform us of the social realities of the audience and vice versa.
- Reflection: how meaningful was this concert to you? Was it meaningful to a broader group of people? What contributed to this feeling, or what was lacking? Use your knowledge of the history of popular music to support these feelings.
- Organization, Spelling, References: cite what research you use, utilizing a recognized citation method (Chicago is preferred).
- Proof of Attendance: take pictures of the event for your blog post and/or a selfie.
#M3Q4