Today in class we viewed the fifth episode of Ken Burns Jazz documentary, Swing Pure Pleasure. In the late 1930’s Swing became the new Jazz among the young teenage Americans. With its popularity came fame for band leaders and bands. Bands started touring, band leaders were seen as rock stars, and swing became the obsession of many young Americans. This new fame wasn’t all flashing lights many bands and band leaders faced hardships in their career.
Benny Goodman was a Jewish clarinet player who immigrated to America and became known as the King of Swing. Benny Goodman became what we knew today as an overnight star. On March 3, 1937, Goodman had a concert at the Paramount Theatre, one of the popular theaters in America. In this concert, everybody
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Dorsey played the trombone, sometimes muted, and is well known for making a trombone into a song instrument. Dorsey was also a band leader during the time were bands traveled from city to city. During his shows, he had two sounds “Hot” and “Sweet”.
The business part of swing started to get to many artists one of them being Artie Shaw. Shaw was a clarinet player who like many of the other popular swing players became very successful and idealized. Shaw got to a point in his career that he wasn’t happy with himself he felt that popular music had no musical value at all. Although he did not like the fame and popularity he still was being successful and at one point even passed the King of Swing Benny Goodman.
Many of these bands moved from city to city living the tour life. Bands would be on the road an entire day and then at night they would perform. When it came to staying at a hotel many black band members had to sleep at different hotels from their white bandmates. Some even stayed at homes of other blacks that lived in the area. Sometimes if the bus or car would break down they would have to sleep on the road or vehicle. But all these hardships did not stop them from playing. Swing wasn’t their job, it was pure