{"product_id":"big-band-jazz-in-black-west-virginia-1930-1942-9781617038228","title":"Big Band Jazz in Black West Virginia, 1930-1942","description":"\u003cb\u003eAssociation of Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBest Research in Recorded Jazz Music-Certificate of Merit (2013)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe coal fields of West Virginia would seem an unlikely market for big band jazz during the Great Depression. That a prosperous African American audience dominated by those involved with the coal industry was there for jazz tours would seem equally improbable. \u003ci\u003eBig Band Jazz in Black West Virginia, 1930-1942\u003c\/i\u003e shows that, contrary to expectations, black Mountaineers flocked to dances by the hundreds, in many instances traveling considerable distances to hear bands led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Andy Kirk, Jimmie Lunceford, and Chick Webb, among numerous others. Indeed, as one musician who toured the state would recall, \"All the bands were goin' to West Virginia.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe comparative prosperity of the coal miners, thanks to New Deal industrial policies, was what attracted the bands to the state. This study discusses that prosperity as well as the larger political environment that provided black Mountaineers with a degree of autonomy not experienced further south. Author Christopher Wilkinson demonstrates the importance of radio and the black press both in introducing this music and in keeping black West Virginians up to date with its latest developments. The book explores connections between local entrepreneurs who staged the dances and the national management of the bands that played those engagements. In analyzing black audiences' aesthetic preferences, the author reveals that many black West Virginians preferred dancing to a variety of music, not just jazz. Finally, the book shows bands now associated almost exclusively with jazz were more than willing to satisfy those audience preferences with arrangements in other styles of dance music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher Wilkinson\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of music history at West Virginia University. He is author of \u003ci\u003eJazz on the Road: Don Albert's Musical Life\u003c\/i\u003e. His journal articles have appeared in \u003ci\u003eAmerican Music, Black Music Research Journal, and West Virginia History.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University Press of Mississippi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50856070316306,"sku":"9781617038228","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_30032c30-dbce-416f-b992-82902f5025b0.jpg?v=1737494675","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/big-band-jazz-in-black-west-virginia-1930-1942-9781617038228","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}