For today’s Book of the Month post, we’re going beyond The Game of Love & Death itself, and we’re exploring a topic featuring prominently in the story: 1930s jazz music. There’s a lot to cover in one little decade of music, but today we’re bringing you just the briefest overview to whet your whistle.
Jazz Greats of the 1930s
Jazz music became wildly popular in the U.S. in the 1930s, and several composers and band leaders were at the forefront of the genre. Here are some of the key figures in jazz (swing & big band) music during the ’30s:
- Count Basie
- Cab Calloway
- Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey
- Duke Ellington
- Benny Goodman
- Fletcher Henderson
- Earl Hines
Glenn Miller- Artie Shaw
- George & Ira Gershwin
- Louis Armstrong
- Cole Porter
- Hoagy Carmichael
- Ella Fitzgerald
Hit Songs of the 1930s
You may think you don’t know any music from the 1930s — but chances are, you’ll recognize at least one (if not more) of these hits from the era:
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (if it Ain’t Got That Swing)” by Duke Ellington & Irving Mills
“Sing Sing Sing” by Louis Prima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhyhP_5VfKM
“Night & Day” by Cole Porter
“Pennies from Heaven” by Arthur Johnston & Johnny Burke
“In the Mood” by Glenn Miller
“I Got Rhythm” by George & Ira Gerswhin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJTsKhool5g
“Embraceable You” by George & Ira Gershwin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6vhZH65L9I
Novel Novice 