Swing Music

In several classes, we have discussed “the place of music,” both to refer to the ways that music can be tied to specific geographic and physical locations, but also to refer to the ways that music can be tied to a place in our mind (“audiotopia”), or to the ways music can serve as a metaphoric place for examining the past. For this question, select three physical places that have appeared either in our readings, or in lecture. How did the music performed in (danced to / marketed in) each of these places shape the place, and/or how did the place influence the music (including its performance, style, rhythm, etc.)? What events, stories, or performances can you draw on to illustrate the interconnections between place and music? And how did segregation impact this relationship between place and music? Finally, how can your reflection on the relationship between place and music help us think about the cultural complexities of the 1930s and 1940s?

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