If It Ain't Got That Swing
AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC OF THE 1930s AND 1940s
An Analysis by Kaitlin Britton Wheeler
One of the most popular African American genres of the 1930s and 1940s was Swing Jazz. Swing Jazz is lively, upbeat, and makes anyone who hears it want to get up and dance!
Some of the most famous swing jazz artists are Duke Ellington, Count Bassie, Ella Fitzgerald, and partially Louis Armstrong (known for both Trad and Swing Jazz).
Wartime and Swing Jazz
The “Swing Era” began in the early 1930s and ended as World War II ended. Ironically, Swing Jazz which has an energetic and high-spirited feel comes as a great contrast to the worrisome and scary feeling of wartime in America, which are happening simultaneously.
