Dancing Through the Depression

America loses its blues by escaping into jazz.

Talent Tracker

John Hammond never publicly played an instrument, but he was instrumental in shaping the sound of American music. He dropped out of Yale to become one of the first jazz critics, but his legend arose from his ability to scout new talent. Hammond was responsible for getting the teenage Billie Holiday into the recording studio and assisted Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Decades later, he signed and produced Texas blues rocker Stevie Ray Vaughan.

All Hues of Blues

If the blues hadn’t already been in existence, it would have been necessary to invent it in the 1930s. The Great Depression was no temporary social setback, but instead a complete collapse that devastated the worldwide economy, putting more than one-fourth of the American work force out of jobs. It hit black Americans even harder, especially in Northern cities where many had migrated for factory jobs.

Music Industry Suffers

The recording industry, just beginning to hit its stride as a major component of American popular culture, was virtually eliminated as annual sales plummeted from 100 million discs to six million. The vast majority of dance halls also shut down, and, when they did, the musicians who had played them joined the lengthening unemployment lines.

Musicians who had been working six nights a week suddenly had no jobs and no future. Membership in the musicians union dropped one third, even after dues were cut in half. The stages where big bands had entertained were emptied as ballrooms were transformed into movie houses.

Jazz Survives and Bounces Back Transformed

But jazz, once established, was too much a part of the American experience to disappear just because of hard times. The resilient music ultimately emerged from the Depression stronger than ever, providing the swinging soundtrack for the country’s celebration of better times. Jazz persevered and eventually triumphed, however, only because of the total dedication of the musicians playing it. What had once been a commercial undertaking for most had become an artistic quest for many, and they were now determined to explore and expand the music no matter what the outside conditions. That attitude put in place the final sensibility of the jazz mindset, ensuring the music’s continuing artistic evolution.

Keyboard Kings

Art Tatum and Fats Waller had little in common except for their instrument and their musical genius. The 300-pound Waller, best known for tunes like “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose,” was an excellent pianist, but his major fame came through his humor and showmanship. Tatum, one of the greatest improvisers in jazz history, relied purely on his pianistic brilliance as he routinely humiliated any and all contemporary keyboardists in head-to-head competition.

The Duke: Emperor of Elegance

With the Depression derailing the American Dream, the country desperately needed heroes to give it hope for the future and a form of entertainment that allowed it to forget its considerable cares of the moment. Edward Kennedy Ellington provided both.

Cool and Calm

Ellington, radiating quiet confidence and serene sophistication, seemed to be above all the economic turmoil happening in the streets. And the music he created, including hits like “Black and Tan Fantasy,” “Mood Indigo,” “Black Beauty,” “Sophisticated Lady,” and literally hundreds of other classics, transported its listeners to a similar plane.

Yet Constantly Changing

Ellington, who would tap into styles as disparate as Oriental time figures and classical concertos, in addition to his American roots sources, introduced all manner of eclectic elements into his jazz mix, keeping the sound of his orchestra vital and viable throughout its incredible half-century run. And, both on the bandstand and off, he provided one of the most positive and accomplished role models the black community ever produced.

For all his royal demeanor, Ellington was democratic in his approach to his music. His signature sound was a supple and changing one, as he allowed the musicians in his band to stamp his compositions with their musical personalities. Ellington wrote to the strengths of the soloists in his band, carefully crafting compositions to take full advantage of their special talents. And soloists such as saxists Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges and trumpeter Cootie Williams, well aware of the unusual situation they were in and the creative opportunities it presented, made the most of it.

Stomping at the Savoy

Its slogan said it all: “The Home of Happy Feet.” The block-long ballroom that was the swinging Savoy was a dancer’s paradise, as well as the epicenter of Harlem nightlife. With two star-studded big bands playing and an affordable admission price, the Savoy was one of the best entertainment bargains going. Fans soon made it the number one destination for dancing, establishing the colorful Chick Webb, its top bandleader, as a star attraction.

A Richer Reality

“The people for whom blues music was created in the first place are dance-oriented people,” author Albert Murray states in Jazz: A History of America’s Music. He’s naturally talking about jazz as well, and no period expressed that affinity better than the dark days of the Depression.

Faced with the unrelenting daily disappointments of pervasive poverty, many Depression era music fans opted to escape into a richer reality. For a few nickels they could enter a dance club and let the music take them away from hardship for a few hours.

Dance Hall Days

Dancing away their cares was easy with the music of jazz orchestras dominating the dance scene. The bands, featuring a multitude of future stars, were adventurous units interested in exploring the possibilities of jazz, but they knew the bottom line to their business was keeping the dancers in motion.

You can’t have dancing without a popular dance craze or two, and the Depression days featured many. None were as all-consuming as the Lindy Hop, a dance its multiple creators proudly proclaimed as being 100 percent American, just like the jazz it was danced to.

Flyin’ Like Lindy!

The Lindy Hop, formerly known as the Break-Away, was renamed after Charles Lindbergh because, “We’re flying just like Lindy did!” claimed famous swing dancer George “Shorty” Snowden. According to award-winning swing dance instructor Sonny Watson, the Lindy was the first form of swing dance (as we know it today) and, along with the Charleston, was one of the main dances of the era. These two dances — combined with prior forms of dance such as the Texas Tommy, turkey trot, Apache dance, the shimmy, the strut, cakewalk, fox-trot, and tap — were known as “Jazz Dances.” The Lindy mirrored jazz music in that it required improvisation and daring moves that pushed the boundaries of safety.

Battle of the Bands

In its era, it was the equivalent of the debate-to-come that had pop fans asking: Who’s better — the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? For music fans in the early 1930s, the choice was between the stylish Duke Ellington Orchestra and the bluesy Count Basie Band. Fans really couldn’t go wrong as both legendary bands, stocked with extraordinarily talented musicians, perfectly expressed not only the personalities of their leaders but also the tenor of the times.

Kansas City and the Big Beat

While the East Coast jazz scene was becoming one dominated by a sophisticated society approach, the music made in the country’s heartland was developing a more populist, back-to-the-basics sound.

A core group of musicians in Kansas City that began with Walter Page’s Original Blue Devils and moved through Bennie Moten’s band before becoming the Count Basie Orchestra was responsible for creating and popularizing a new sound — a rambunctious, blues-based style that was more raw and immediate than its East Coast cousin. Working in the gangster-controlled economic oasis of Kansas City, the musicians made the Midwest a major music center, filled with fiercely competitive bands that had to prove their worth every night.

Kansas City, Here I Come!

The thriving Kansas City scene, evocatively presented in Robert Altman’s jazz-saturated film Kansas City, featured one of the largest concentrations of jazz giants, both present and future, the music had seen since its early days down river in New Orleans. Few were natives, however, as the excitement of the scene functioned like a musician magnet, drawing greats like Basie from New Jersey, Jay McShann from Oklahoma, and a litany of other legends from additional locales.

Big on Blues

The Kansas City sound wasn’t just based on blues; it was positively permeated with them. And, other than the honking rhythm-and-blues-style horns in every band, the primary proponents were a couple of male singers with larger-than-life voices: Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing.

Big Joe Turner

Turner, whose “Shake, Rattle and Roll” can take part credit for naming rock, was a hometown sensation whose sexually charged lyrics and onstage antics served as a template for countless rock and rap bad boys to follow.

Jimmy Rushing

Rushing, known as “5×5″ because of his short, squat stature, sang with the Blue Devils and the Moten Orchestra before beginning a long-term association with the Basie band.

Assignment: Dancing Through the Depression

Reading: Read Chapter 5 of Jazz: A History of America’s Music, noting the rise of the Kansas City sound and the conditions that made it possible. Compare and contrast it with the classic New York City scene that was its contemporary.

Listening: Listen to any and all Count Basie and Duke Ellington recordings you can, paying close attention to the similarities and differences of their musical approach.