Benny Goodman

Swing, Brother, Swing

Benny Goodman in the 1950s. Image: Old Tybee Ranger Blogspot

First it was Benny Goodman, then it was everyone, and the kids jitterbugging in the theatre aisles. Among other things, though hardly most important, it was the first time that outsiders began to concern themselves about the sociological and psychological implications of jazz (why did everyone flock around the bandstands? What made those ‘teen-age dancers carry on like that?) Swing provoked a pretty extreme set of…