The Swinging 1930s and 1940s

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am jazzed to be joining you tonight to listen to some cool, swinging music from the 1930s and 1940s. Crazy stuff was happening in the world, but the music was white hot! So put away your slinky toys, and let’s begin!

The first song I want to share comes from one of the greatest bandleaders of all time, Mr. Duke Ellington. Duke was an African American from Washington D.C. that knew how to play jazz and lead a jazz band like no one else. He was part of the Harlem Renaissance, where some of history’s best jazz musicians played together in Harlem, New York City. Here’s one of Duke Ellington’s biggest hits, It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing).

*listen to “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing)”

You’re going to want to get up and dance when you hear this next song. It’s by another famous bandleader (and a clarinetist), Benny Goodman. Benny’s band played music that people loved so much at dances, they’d start swinging and tossing each other around. The style of dance is called swing and the music style is called Big Band. Here’s Benny Goodman’s drum thumping, heart racing hit, Sing, Sing, Sing.

*listen to “Sing, Sing, Sing”

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese army attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. This brought about America’s entrance into World War II against Japan, Germany, and Italy. Our next song is a song played on the radio during the war about a brave trumpet player in the military. The style of music is called Boogie Woogie. Here’s the famous World War II song, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, sung by The Andrews Sisters.

*listen to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”

Jazz was cooking in the 1930s and 1940s, and a new style of jazz emerged in the mid 1940s called bebop. Bebop jazz has fast tempos, complicated harmony structures, and extremely skilled solo improvisation. The most famous jazz musician to influence bebop jazz is a saxophonist named Charlie Parker, nicknamed “Bird”. Here’s a famous recording of the song Salt Peanuts, featuring Charlie Parker and his good friend, the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

*listen to “Salt Peanuts”

Although the 1930s and 1940s had some difficult times, including the Great Depression and World War II, the years also brought some of the best swing and jazz music the world has ever seen. Next time we’ll take a look at a lighter period of time in music, the rocking 1950’s! Be sure to bring your saddle shoes, poodle skirts, and hula hoops! Good night, folks!