Swingtime

About the Book

Swingtime is the story of the Benny Goodman band from late 1934, when it began the “Let’s Dance” radio broadcasts that led to its popularity, to early 1939, when personnel changes concluded the first stage of its fame and influence.  During these few years, the band launched the Swing Era and became the leading popular music group in the country.

When “Let’s Dance” ended in the spring of 1935, the band went on the road.  Its lack of success nearly caused Goodman to quit.  At the Palomar Ballroom in California on 21 August 1935, however, the enthusiasm of the crowd made the band a success.  The Swing Era was born.  Hit recordings, movie appearances, major radio programs, and extended stays at hotel ballrooms followed.  In March 1937 thousands of teen-agers packed the Paramount Theatre in New York and danced in the aisles; now everyone, not just dance band fans, knew that a fad was sweeping the country.  A few months later the band won a spread in Life magazine, itself an innovation in journalism.  Then in January 1938 the band became the first real swing band to play a concert in a symphony hall--the famous Carnegie Hall concert, the genesis of all subsequent jazz concerts.

Goodman was a superlative musician, but a rather rude and inconsiderate person. The quality of his band enticed musicians to join, but his personality often drove them out.  Although these tensions always had seethed below the surface, they came to a head immediately after the Carnegie Hall concert and nearly tore the band apart.  Goodman’s career continued for decades, but the band was never the same as it had been.  Thus by the end of 1938 the initial chapter had ended.

Although Swingtime tells the story of the band’s successes and failures, it also brings alive the United States in the late 1930s.  Baseball, art, politics both domestic and international are among the events interwoven with the activities of the band.  The growing persecution of Jews in Germany and the possibility of war impinge on some of the sidemen.  The band encounters racism at home as Goodman becomes the first leader to include black musicians with his organization.  The novel should appeal both to fans of big band swing and to those interested in American life prior to World War II.

Despite its time period, the novel’s theme transcends any particular period.  Goodman, the son of poor immigrants, a kid from the Jewish ghetto of Chicago, is the classic example of the American success story.  Hard work can produce wealth and fame.  The cost of the struggle’s effect on personality and human relations, however, can be appalling.  Goodman’s contribution to an important aspect of American culture is beyond doubt.  The behavior that such an achievement forced upon him caused many of those associated with him to loathe him.  The American dream comes at a severe price.  “There ain’t no free lunch” is also a hardy classic of Americana.

About the Author

Jorgen Rasmussen is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University. He has written many scholarly books and articles on comparative politics, specializing in British affairs. As a high school and college student he worked as a staff announcer and disk jockey at several radio station, developing a deep interest in the swing music of the big band era. He has built an extensive personal collection of CDs, LPs, tapes, and 78s of big band music. A devoted fan of the Benny Goodman band, he sometimes while listening to swing music suffers from the heretical thought that Artie Shaw might have been better.