AMS 310

importance of popular music according to josh kun

"Popular music is one of our most valuable tools for understanding the impact of nationalism and citizenship on the formation of our individual identities. And second, it is also one of our most valuable sites for witnessing the performance of racial and ethnic difference against the grain of national citizenships that work to silence and erase those differences."

"Machine Aesthetics"

style of dance: flight, centrifugal force, torque; fast, fluid, precise, synchronized, systemic, timed; sped up as the dance evolved; body language imitated machines; "mechanical assembly line"; form of expression (The intense nature of swing dancing) Cultural Significance- when innovative forms of music and dance helped a newly urbanized population cope with the increased mechanization of modern life

Red Channels

"The American Dilemma" as a failure of "The American Creed"•Prompted both social change & repression. 1950 book that named 151 "Red fascists and sympathizers"Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Langston Hughes ... •Pete Seeger, Orson Welles fighting for civil rights and even wanting better relationship with ussr=communism Cultural significance: successfully silenced many activists, minimized the scale of civil rights activism

race rebels

"The zoot suiters and hipsters who sought alternatives to wage work and found pleasure in the new music, clothes, and dance styles of the period were 'race rebels' of sorts, challenging middle class ethics and expectations, carving out a distinct generational and ethnic identity, and refusing to be good proletarians. But in their efforts to escape or minimize exploitation, Malcolm and his homies became exploiters themselves."

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers

(Norma Miller, Frankie Manning, Willa Mae Acker, Ann Johnson, Billy Racker, Al Minns, Leo James) First group of professional lindy hopper dancers; performance was radical and like nothing anybody had ever seen before They maintained a steady gig at the Cotton Club (white club) They were featured in multiple other performances and a movie( in a part that could be removed when viewed by whites) Body language, espec. in dance, imitated machines•Highly synchronized, systemic, and timed•The chorus line as a mechanical assembly line machine aesthetics questioned gender roles, girl kicking guy cultural significance- Allowed for the talents and variety in style to be displayed further than just the walls of the Cotton Club. Like many other trends became more famous through the lens of white entertainment and media

"It Dont Mean a Thing If It Aint Got That Swing"

-much cheerier, offering way to get through depression, focus on music instead of lyrics, music to dance to, takes you to a different place (audio topia) (1932) recorded by Duke Ellington. Important to note that as a black swing artist, his music was appropriated by white America, and it was exceptionally more difficult for Ellington to make it big in a segregated era. Cultural significance- Marked the rise of swing music genre. One of the earlier pieces to also mention or emphasize the concept of 'swing'.

Jim Crow

1877-1965 legally sanctioned segregation which resulted in the supreme court case Plessy v Ferguson which ruled "seperate but equal" cultural significance- led to the convict lease system (purchasing prisoners for labor who where in prisoned because didnt have papers to show they had a job) and terroristic violence (oppression of free slaves), lynch mobs mostly killing men which inspired the song " strange fruits" recorded by billy holiday ( very little radio play, what is the media hiding from us today?)

Cab Calloway's "call of the jitterbug"

1935 film with Calloway singing. Shows a scene with Calloway singing for white, elite audience and the blacks were sitting in the back corner at the cotton club .Another scene shows Calloway having a house party, only black audience, which was a much more joyful environment with laughing and dancing. cultural significance- showed that despite Harlem being a cultural center, and having a reputation for greater racial equality, the culture was still heavily segregated

Harlem riots (1935-1943)

1935:It was sparked by rumors that a black Puerto Rican teenage shoplifter was beaten by employees at a dimestore. That evening a demonstration was held outside the store and, after someone threw a rock through the window, more general destruction of the store and other white-owned properties ensued. Three persons died, hundreds were wounded, and an estimated $2 million in damages was caused to properties throughout the distri Harlem Riot on August 2, 1943: A race riot took place in Harlem, New York City, on August 1 and 2 of 1943, after a white police officer, James Collins, shot and wounded Robert Bandy, an African-American soldier; and rumors circulated that the soldier had been killedseveral killed, 500 injured, 500 arrested (black shops suffered the worst of the destruction) Cultural significance- displayed the amount of distrust between the police force and the african american community in Harlem. Was the effect of disparity between the values of American democracy and the conditions of African American citizens, that were exemplified by WWII.

Los Tigres Del Norte

1968 Mexican band that moved to America and eventually became citizens cultural significance - gave voice to struggling mexican immigrants and also redefined the concept of American citizenship with their song mis dios patrias. Averted cultural conformity

"The King of Swing"

Aka Benny Goodman. Acquired this title after the successful gig/stay at the Urban Room of Chicago's Congress Hotel and upon returning to NY and the Hotel Pennsylvania's Manhattan Room (Fall 1936). cultural significance - The appropriation of the only creative expression of the black community: music

The Autobiography of Malcom X

As told by Alex Haley. Haley interviewed Malcolm X and wrote this book as a result.has inconsistencies in dates and as facts. This autobiography portrays the life of a young African American moving from a rural area to an urban area and being consumed by the urban culture which leads to his criminalization. A work that shows the transformation from someone who was conforming to culture that dehumanized his own self to fit seg to someone who became an active civil rights leader. (was assassinated in 1965) shows early understanding that blacks are at a disadvanatge and responds with unconventional methods: hustling, zoot suits, swing culturer Cultural significance- Was more than like designed to be the final push in morale amongst his followers and probably encouraged many other to begin to disengage themselves from the what they considered to be Americanism

making music in a jim crow world

Bands split along black/white binary, in spite of multiracial character•Invisibility of Latinas, Asian Americans, and even Native Americans•To get along, whites passed as black, blacks passed as white...•Invisibility of white/black integration

Pachuco Swing

Clothes & hair-"Lamar" & duck tail"-Pancake makeup, short skirts, exaggerated pompadours, razorblades-Attitude•Music & dance-"Pachuco Hop" & boogie•Language-Caló -zoot suit also worn by women -for youth made them feel american more than their parents but in eyes of whites still not americans Because the zooter style failed to conform to standards deemed properly 'American,' Mexican American youths -like their Japanese American counterparts on the West Coast - came to represent yet another foreign enemy on the wartime home front." - Elizabeth Escovedo -ex of biculturalism: lalo guerro combined swing and mexican music

comic code authority

Comics Magazine Association of America-President: John L. Goldwater (one of the founders of Archie- gasp!)•Comics Code Authority-41 provisions purged sex, violence, and other content-Stressed respect for government and parental authority-Censored certain slang-Comics received seal of approval only if suitable for youngest readers, -everyone didnt drop until 2011 cultural significance censorship to mantain social norms Reinforced white washed heteronormative view of American society based on nostalgia from containment cultur

containment culture

Containment: geopolitical strategy referenced by US diplomat George F. Kennan to US Defense Secretary, James Forrestal, in 1947 regarding Western policy toward USSR•The Cold War and the ideological struggle between the US and the Soviet Union emphasized a need to define the American ideal•This ideal permeated society in the 1950s in the form of domestic, middle-class suburbia, to which most Americans tried to conform threats to suburbia and containment: blacks ( levittown) and gays (boys beware 1961) ex how archie comments reflected containment culture: no official black characters until 1971 no openly gay charac until 2010, gender stereotypes: women should stay in home, set in ideal suburban town, no sex/violence included

Rosie the Riveter

Dominant/dominating image of women workers during WWII•Help war effort, then return home•Obscures long history of working women•Obscures participation of women of color Paralleled how all-girl/women bands were thought of as temporary, just filling in for men, etc. All girl bands were "good for being girls" or just a "novelty". Later on she also became famous for the 'We Can Do It" poster. Cultural significance: Obscured long history of working women and colored women.

riverdale

Fictionalized suburb in the USANo explicit geographic locationSocially homogenous"Riverdale in the 1960s was a wish-dream of white privilege and normative sexualities, where all difference could be banished and where opportunities were eternally endless" (Beaty, 31)

the other "king of swing"

Fletcher Henderson•1920s: Fletcher Henderson Orchestra•1930s: Arranger for Goodman-Supplied many of his own compositionsFletcher Henderson, "Christopher Columbus" (recorded in 1936)Benny Goodman, "Sing, Sing, Sing" (first performed in 1935 at Palomar, but recorded in 1938)

Harvest Moon Ball

Held at The Savoy (integrated NYC club) in 1935 in response to the Harlem Riots. - Whitey's Lindy Hoppers swept awards at the dance competitions they held - White people in NY were mostly indifferent towards the riots, but had become scared of (or uneasy about) black people so they put on the harvest moon ball - The Savoy held the event to make the white people feel more comfortable with going to the club (and being around black people) in an attempt to keep all of their white customers

Audiotopia

Josh Kun (2005) defines it as music that functions as a utopia and acts as a space that can be moved into an used to reimagine the social world Cultural significance- allows for identities, cultures, and geographies that had been kept separated to interact with each other. Provides space for convergence of sound and identity The "Place" of Music in American Cultural Life 2.Music as a "connection, a ticket, a pass, an invitation, a node in a complex network" (3)3.Music as social protest, resistance, and a "cultural text"

Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial

José Díaz was found beaten and murdered in August of 1942. 600 youths, mostly Mexican-American, were arrested and 24 were indicted. Ultimately 17 convicted. 5 girlfriends sent to reform school Cultural significance: More and more people believed that Mexican American youths were prone to crime. Visual culture of America: in that zoot suit was linked to crime and judges use zoot suit as a major evidence that the youths committed the crime. So appearance and behavior and were tightly linked. racial profiling

Zoot Suit Riots

June 3, 1943: 11 sailors said they were attacked by a group of "pachucos", 200+ soldiers marched into East LA to get revenge. Nine sailors are arrested and none charged, whereas 900 Mexican-Americans were arrested. Zoot suits prohibited in response. media further escalates problem by drawing people from outside to come help -found out that mexicans and blacks dont have freeedom of expression didnt stop until officer prohibited service men from leaving base Cultural significance: Racial profiling (i.e. Mexicans prone to crime) saying someone is prone to crime based on what they look like/their cloths

Lomax recordings

Library of congress folk song recording program conducted by John Lomax and Alan Lomax (1933-1942) Alan Lomax also had a personal recording archive (1946-1990s) Cultural significance- included thousands of recordings including Jelly roll Morton, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly(forced him to perform in prison garb), Muddy Waters. american:Recorded black artists in southern prisons. try to encompass all parts of american life ex life in prison, chain gangs non american: because recorded people that society likes to exclude from being american

lindy hop

Lindy Hop" or "Jitterbug?"-Emerged in late 20s, early 1930s named after charles lindberg made 1st solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic or jitter bug becasuse of gin

Repatriation

Mass deportation of Mexican-American citizens back to Mexico in the early 30's. 750,000 mexican served in ww2 shows desire to be accepetd as american Cultural significance: Immigrants were seen as "stealing" American jobs. Helped fueled nationalism and racial discrimination/stereotypes. Anti-Mex hysteria. The presentation of this Repatriation idea was that Mexico was 'taking back' their people. The framing of this act was to make it seem as if the US made a deal and not kick out Mexican Americans for previous reason.

Executive Order 9066

President FDR authorizes Japanese "relocation" (1942-1945) this order authorized the banning of Japanese citizens from residing within a 50-60 mile wide coastal area from Washington State to California, even extending to Arizona. During this time over 120,000 Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps tried to show they were american: made swing bands in internment camp, joined military Cultural significance: Racial labeling, Gov't attempt to label people by race. Kind of what is happening today unfortunately. A significant executive order that was a demonstration of the Govt's power to put fear into the public. No real science used, but made to sound like science. "race science"

The Weavers

Ronnie Gilbert (vocals), Lee Hays (vocals), Fred Hellerman (banjo), Pete Seeger (guitar). Gained fame in 1950 with the release of tzena, tzena, tzena( talks about people coming together of all different cultures, in hebrew, song by white band, anti nativists, 2 years after WW2 )and "Good night Irene""Good Night (originally recorded by Lead Belly in the late 1940s). Cultural significance- relatively radical viewpoints on social issues vocalized through their music, popularized music from Lead Belly which was also a controversial practice. they translated accounts of black life into music language

paradox of coming out during ww2

Sex-segregated spaces away from home, all female or male comraderie Military Policy: immediate dishonorable discharge & up to 5 years hard labor opputunity to get away from a community that has beeen judging you all your life

how were women perceived in music?

Sherry Tucker: "regardless of sexual orientation, all women who played in all-girl bands were at times viewed as sexually suspect, either as loose or as lesbian." (p. 23)•"All-girl bands were marketed as spectacles; they were rarely recorded." (p. 27)

swing and youth culture

Swing demonstrated financial power of teens•Fandom alarmed adults( fear of corruption because considered "black music", fear of bodies coming together)•Swing & jazz initiated an understanding of what was "cool" & "hip" or "hep" benny goodman reached white rich teens bc white

redlining

Who gets to live in the 'burbs?Redlining-1960s: coined by sociologist named John McKnight-Discriminatory practice of fencing off areas where banks would avoid investments based on community demographics

"Stormy Weather"

a 1933 song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Ethel Waters first sang it at The Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem Cultural significance - In the reading it says that it was Waters's "signature tune and an anthem of the era" I think the main significance about this piece is that it was written during a time where radio and the depression changed popular song culture. Duke Ellington had recorded this song and this song could be seen as a shift in stand tunes where horns are playing a background role and the female singer, what I think earlier in this reading had said were called torch singers. Combined, Stormy Weather was signifying a shift in popular music (42, 45).

International Sweethearts of Rhythm

all girl band, racially integrated; rated in top 10 of best WWII bands, yet had few recordings. Originated from Piney Woods Country Life School in 1937. couldnt go out with chaperone started rehearsal at 7 am switched roomates every 3 months in the south white girls had to paint their faces black Cultural significance: Women still faced gender stereotypes and racism along their journey, their "fame" didn't change that, and to maintain that bit of fame they still had to display themselves as "non-radical", ex. Making sure none of the women have a "close" relationship. First real representation of women in swing.

(Phil Spitalny's) Hour of charm orchestra

all women's orchestra assembled by conductor and band leader Phil Spitalny in 1948. Featured Evelyn and her "magic violin", ekegant, femnine charm,percussion in back and strings in front Cultural significance: Attempted to stifle women's sexuality (incorporated violins into swing music to make it less "raunchy") and their role in musical culture

rise of suburbia

change in marriage/family life, baby boom gi bill: compt tuition,low mortage rates federal funding of highways

Benny Goodman

gained fame at Palomar Ballroom in LA, 1935; falsely given credit for birth of swing, but black musicians have been creating music for years/ because he was a white musician. He had an integrated band, was a model for those after to follow suit. Aka "The King of Swing" cultural significance- benny Goodman drew upon many other swing artists such as Chick Webb and Duke Ellington yet he was much more successful than them because he was white

Zoot Suit

is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. worn by mexican americans as well rejection of black bourgeois respectability & american patriotism.( especially during WW2 when it was illegal) Challenged middle class ethics and expectations. called attention to a population of people that many white Americans were trying to ignore. Could be interpreted as a mock of high-class formal attire. Eventually became a symbol of Anti-Americanism/anti-patriotism.

Lavender Scare

official/unofficial campaign to remove homosexuals from public life. Feb. 1950: State Department admits to recent removal of gov't "security risks"-91 homosexuals recently fired war is over:1947-1950: Screening: ~1700 applicants for gov't jobs turned down b/c of homosexuality Dismissed: Typically for sodomy or as "psychopaths" ~4,380 expelled Cultural significance: turning point for LGBT community, inspired early gay rights movement. Shows that the recent gay rights movement did not just come up out of nowhere.

V Discs

or Victory Disk, were discs made during World War II to hold private music made by private U.S. companies to give out to the soldiers. The discs were special arrangements by the U.S. Governments to get artists and companies to record music for soldiers to listen to. Many V-Discs were destroyed after the war efforts, but many V-Discs are still in existence today. American Federation of Musicians Strike (1942-1944) cultural significance- This entire process - recording songs (many were female artists since men were drafted) for the soldiers as temporary entertainment. V-discs are another example of the invisibilization of people, this mainly women. The V discs were supposed to be destroyed after the WWII was over thus destroying evidence or recordings of female musicians. In a time of civil rights activism, this act set by the Gov. (esp. The part to destroy them) demonstrated the sexist misconception, that women were not being musicians in the first place even though they were. Women just were turned away prior but now that they were needed, they were given opportunities to 'show their support' or another way of saying work.

Malcolm X

promoted black nationalism, gave "ballot or the bullet" speech seperation not integration(of fighting for equal rights) should respond to violence with violence - left nation of islam after pilgrimage becomes targets of whites and nation of islam Cultural significance - Contributed to the morale that was civil activism and mitigated the reality that of which his community was suffering - offering his life (Autobiography) as an example and advocation of his political stance

"Brother Can You Spare a Dime"

song by Bill Crosby composed in 1932. Was a song that reflected the feelings and thoughts of some of those struggling through the great depression. , hopless, melancholy,wallows in problems cultural significance- Ties with Kuns argument that music is one of the "most valuable sites for witnessing the performance of racial and ethnic difference against the grain of national citizenships that work to silence and erase those ." ( compare brother can you spare a dime to it dont mean a thing)the song is a reflection of the impact of the Great Depression emphasized the loss of power that men were experiencing due to being un able to provide for their fams. This was a trend with other musicians, even with others more famous than Bill crosby

archie comics

started in 1934 archie andrews: average joe, relatable veronica lodge: wealthy heiress,shakes things up betty cooper-girl next door jughead jones: wears crown always, class clown, always eating, most controversal, androgynous? reggie mantle: jock, takes veronica on dates to make archie jealous cultural cherry picking -escapism like audiotopia

The Great Migration

was the movement of 6 million African-Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1910 and 1970. Until 1910, more than 90 percent of the African-American population lived in the American South. Cultural significance- allowed black to form there own urban communities in the north putting together different sounds to make swing and allow them to rally together to attempt social change(malcom x, mlk)

Battle of the bands

when famous swing bands would go up against each other to see who was the best/better swing band Ex: Chick Webb v. Benny Goodman (may 11, 1937) - Black man allowed to play against white man - White band acknowledged that a black band was better than them on the drums and paid him respect but chick webb never as finacially sucessful as goodman -shows that what matters is not your skilll but the color of your skin