This section contains 322 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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Dubbed "The King of Swing," Goodman introduced a jazz style that relied on written arrangements performed by big bands. Swing, a simpler and less improvisational form of jazz than that of the 1920s, one based on the structure of popular songs, was functional dance music. Swing enabled the individual voice to contribute to the collective whole: as historian David W. Stowe notes, swing was another expression of trends that prevailed in American culture throughout the Depression: "both the regionalist paintings of Thomas Hart Benton and swing embodied the ideals of progressive reform and a populist producerist ideology through symbols that embodied the uniquely American values of energy and democracy." The Duke Ellington hit "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" appeared in 1932: the nation was well on its way to being swing crazy. It was Benny Goodman's 1935 recording triumph, "The Music...
This section contains 322 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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