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ProfessionalMusicinthe1920'sandtheRiseoftheSingingTrombone

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ProfessionalMusicinthe1920'sand
theRiseoftheSingingTrombone
RobertLindsay

ExploretheLibrary
ArticlesbyRobertLindsay.
OtherHistoricalArticles.

ThelateDr.RobertLindsaywaseconomicsprofessoratNewYorkUniversityformanyyears.He
wasalsoatrombonestudentofStuartDempsterandanenthusiasticparticipantintheWeekend
WarriorsatInternationalTromboneWorkshops.Hedeliveredthispaperatthe1985workshopin
Nashville,Tennessee.Yearslater,hewasdisappointedthathehadnotbeenabletofinda
publisherforit.
AfterIbecamearticleslibraryeditor,itoccurredtomethatitwouldbeanexcellentpaperfor
theOTJ,andmyrefereeagreed.IwouldliketothankStuartDempsterforputtingmeintouch
withBob'swidow,HelenLindsayforgivingpermissiontopublishit,andtheirsonDavidLindsay
forhiseditorialworkinreconcilingtwoslightlydifferentversionsofthepaper.
DavidGuion

[1]Whydidtheconceptofthesingingtrombonehaveanew
floweringasaworkingconceptinthelate1920'sandearly1930's,
risingtoamuchhigherlevelofachievementthaneverbefore?
Morespecifically,whydidn'tthesingingstylecommonlyassociated
withTommyDorseyemergeatsomeearliertime?Theconcepthad
longbeenestablishedforotherinstrumentsviolins,flutes,oboes,
eventrumpets.Whynotfortrombone?
[2]Dorseyhimselfprovidesexcellentfocusforanyeffortat
answeringthisquestion.Tobeginwith,therecanbelittledoubtof
hisimpact.ThegreatFrenchhornistBarryTuckwell,forexample,
hassaid:
[1]IthinkthemostimportantinfluencesonmewereDennisBrain,GottfriedvonFrieburg,who
wasthefirsthornintheViennaPhilharmonicandTommyDorseyIheardhimplayonlyon
records,buthissingingtoneandrefinedphrasingimpressedmeasbeingverymuchoutofthe
ordinaryIwouldsaythatIlearnedvirtuosityfromDennisBrain,andalsofacilityandsecurity
soundfromFreiburg,andbeautyofmelodythatsingingsoundfromDorsey1.

[3]Forexploringthebroadsocialhistoryoutofwhichsuchastyleemerged,Dorseyoffersafurther
advantage.Notonlyistheaudibleevidenceenormous,fromhundredsofrecorddates.Agreatdealis
knownabouthisactivitiesasaprofessionalmusicianthekindsofworkhedid,andwhenand
whereandwithwhomhedidit.Asaresult,therecordedevidenceofhisplayingcanbelinked
directlytothesocialandtechnologicalsettingthathelpedshapethestyle,andhelpeddeterminethe
timingofitsemergence.
[4]Inwhatfollows,therefore,wewillmakeTommyDorseyourwindowintothatworldandthat
time.
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A.PrincipalComponentsofTommyDorsey'sSingingStyle
[5]ThematuresideoftheDorseystylecanbeheardonscoresofrecords.Anysamplingwould
underline,Ithink,thefollowingcharacteristics:
1. LongLine.Thereisaseamlesslegatothatrunsmanybarswithoutabreak.Alsorelevantisthe
cleannessofexecution,withnosenseofstrainintheselines.
2. UpperRegister.Thecomparablehumanvoiceismoretenorthanbaritone.Itisalsomorecountertenor
thantenor,andmorelikeaheadtonethanachesttone.Bytoday'sstandards,therangeisnotallthat
high,rarelymovingaboveaDnatural.Butasothershaveobserved,tostayupthereallnightlongis
verytaxingindeed.Itisstill,inthatsense,theupperregister.
3. SoftDynamic.Therangeismostlypianotomezzopiano,andquiteoftensofteratthetopthanitis
furtherdown.Whilethissoftdynamicispartofthestyleitself,itisalsomadenecessarybythelong
lineandthehightessiturathusmakingitaprincipalcomponenttechnicallyandwellasmusically.
4. UnabashedRomanticism.Thisisaconsequenceofphrasing,butalsoisreflectedintheuseofwhat
mightbecalledafallingdynamic:adiminuendoattheclimaxes.Theresultisacertainsenseof
vulnerability.Againthepianosandthemezzopianosarepartoftheessence.
5. Tone.Thesoundisoneofgreatbeauty,itselfasingingthing.Butalsoimportanthereisacharacteristic
pointedoutbyLawrenceBrown,thegreattrombonistoftheEllingtonband:
IthinkTommyDorseywasthebesttonemanIeverheard.Hecouldkeephistoneso
thin,keenandcutting.Idon'thave.Ihave"oo"butnotthe"ee,"andinalltherecording
yougetthatbaritonesound.2

[6]AlloftheseelementsofstyleareunmistakablyevidentinDorsey'slateryears.Butwhatisalso
strikingistheirnearlycompletedevelopmentbylate1935,whenDorseycanbeheardatlengthon
solosrecordedwithhisownownband.
[7]Pushingbackstillfurther,theearliestexampleIhavebeenabletofindofthestyleclearlystated
isaneightbarsolorecordedinJune1928.(Thecutis"EveningStar"onaDorseybrothersdate,
reissuedonBroadwayBr112.)Theseamlesslegatohasnotquiteemerged,butnooneknowing
Dorsey'slaterplayingwouldfailtorecognizethispassageashis.Theonlyprincipalcomponentnot
presentatallonthatcutisthehightessitura.ThetopnoteisanAflatabovethestaffandmostof
thepassageascendsfromthemiddleBflatbelow.
[8]Sowhen,after1928,doesthehightessituracometobethestandardinDorsey'splaying?The
lateJoeTarto,atubaplayerwhoworkedoftenwithDorseyfromthemid20'sonandwasaclose
friend,toldmethatthefirsttimeheheardtheupperregisterwasonarecordingdatewithVictor
Youngin1931.Trackingthatdown,onehearsindeedabeautifullycontrolledcoupleofpassageson
"TheThrillisGone."InDorsey'ssecondentrance,hefloatsinonahighDnatural,whichwaspretty
muchhishighestrecordednoteeverafterwardinthiskindofballadplaying.
[9]Morediggingmightnarrowtheperiodfurther,butthefullstyleobviouslydatesfromsomewhere
betweenJune1928andOctober1931.Thequestionthisraisedis,Whythen?Whynotearlier?And
thequestionisraisedforalltromboneplaying,notjustDorsey's.
[10]Tobesure,thereweretrombonistswhoplayedsongslongbeforetheseyears.FredWilliamshas
reported,forexample,thatin1896,theveryfirstyearofthefamousWillowGroveconcertsoutside
Philadelphia,theveryfirstbandwasthatofFredInnes,the"preeminenttrombonistoftheday."
Inneshimselfplayedsolosregularlyoneintheafternoonandoneintheevening.Thisisafairly
limitedexposure,buthisofferingsdidincludesongssuchfavoritesas"AliceWhereArtThou?"and
"TheVacantChair."Williamsreportsfurtherthatthenextyear,whenWalterDamroschbroughtthe
NewYorkSymphony,hemadeWednesdayeveningssoloists'nightsandfeaturedaviolinistanda
trombonist,inthiscaseKarlHampe.
[11]Whilethesoundofallofthisislosttousnow,wedohavesomerecordedevidencefromthe
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earlyyearsofthiscentury,beforethe1920's.Mostnotably,wehavetheexcellentLPofArthur
Pryor'splayingproducedbyFredWilliamsandissuedbyCrystalin1983.AsIheartheseveralsongs
Pryordoes,however,aswellasotherscatteredevidencefromtheseearlieryears,noneofthese
soloistsmanagedtoputtogetherallfiveoftheprincipalcomponents.Mostespeciallydoesonenot
hearalonglegatolineintheupperregister.Whynot?Whydoesitnotappearuntilthelate1920's
andearly1930's?

B.LookingforanExplanation
[12]Weshouldbeclearthatwearenottryingtoaccountherefortheexistenceofindividualgenius
ortalent.Suchpeoplearereallyfreaks,agiftofthegods.ThisindeedisthethemeofAmadeus.The
pointisalsoputwellinaNewYorkerstoryonthe1984Olympics:
AnAmericancoachwasquotedassayingtowardthestartoftheGamesthatChinawould
probablydowell,becauseitshugepopulationmeantthatithadageneticpoolofunequalled
sizetodrawon."Insports,you'relookingforthesegeneticfreaks,"hesaid."Tobegreat,you
havetobeabnormal."3

[13]Whatwewanttotrytoexplain,instead,isthemannerinwhichraretalentisdrawntoexpress
itself.Theanswer,Isuggest,istobesoughtinthefollowingthreepropositions:
1. Thelargerthenumberofpeopleinanactivity,themorelikelythegroupwillincluderaretalent,and
themorelikelythetalentwillbedeveloped.Thereis,tobeginwiththebiggergenepool.Buteconomics
alsoteachesusthatwiththeincreasingnumberstherecanbemorespecialization.Therewilltherefore
begreaterstridesinlearning,inimagining,ininventing.Therecanbemorecoaches,morehoursfor
practice,moreequipment,alargerpoolofcreativeteachers.
2. Theparticulardirectionsopentothattalentwilldependinsomepartontheopportunitiesforlarge
numberstobeinvolvedinagivenactivity.Technologywillplayanespeciallyimportantrole,aswill
morebroadlythestateoftheartinvolved.
3. Theseopportunitieswillmorelikelybepursuedifeconomicincentivesarealsopresent.Musicians,to
besure,aremuchstimulatedbyfame,andbyprideintheartitself.Butsomewheretheremustbe
economicsupportfortheactivity,evenifonlytosustaintheeffort.Anditisonlyhumanformanyto
respondalsotothehigherearningpowerthatoneformofmusicmakingmayofferoveranother.

C.TheWorldofMusicinthe1920's
[14]The1920'sbroughtalargeincreaseindemandformusiciansintheUnitedStates.Moreover,
withthereducedflowofimmigrants,particularlyfromsouthernandcentralEurope,muchofthisrise
indemandformusicalserviceshadtobesuppliedbyAmericanbornmusicians.Reflectingthisshiftin
thebalanceofsupplyanddemand,incomesappeartohaverisenformusiciansingeneral.Indeed,
theeliteoftheprofession,especiallythosefavoredintheworldofpopularentertainment,werelifted
bytheboomyearsintorealwealth.
[15]Thegrowthinsheernumbersofpeopleinmusicistracedoutbythecensusfiguresfrom1920
and1930.TheoccupationalcategoryusedbytheCensusBureauinbothofthoseyearswas
"MusiciansandTeachersofMusic,"andthegrowthinthisgroupoverthedecadewas27percent.For
alloccupationstogether,theincreasewasmuchsmallerthanthatonly17percent.Newpeople
wereswarmingintothemusicbusiness.
[16]Ideally,weshouldsortoutthemajorkindsofmusicallofthesepeoplemadeanddevisesome
roughmeasureofthenumbersinvolvedineach.Itisintriguing,forexample,howoftenChinese
restaurantsturnupinoralaccounts,asplacesofmusicalemploymentinthe1920's.Asone
illustrationamongmany,ArtieShaw'sfirstfulltimeprofessionaljobwasinClevelandin1926ina
Chineserestaurant.Itbecomesquicklyevident,however,thatcobblingtogetherevenapproximate
estimationsoftypesofemploymentwouldnotbeaneasythingtodo.
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1.MusiciansandTeachersofMusic
[17]Indeed,onerunsintotroubleimmediately,inthefirstobviousstepoftryingtounbundledthe
twogroupscombinedinthecensusreports:i.e.,tobreakapartmusiciansfromteachersofmusic.
Theycannotbeseparatedinthedatafor1920and1930,shortofsomeonedisappearingintothe
filesforseveralmonthstodoadetailedstudyofrawreports,citybycityandtractbytract.
[18]Fortunately,thedatapublishedfor1910doshowthetwogroupsseparately.Thisgivesusa
benchmark.But,unfortunately,the1910figuresalsointroduceanewpuzzleoftheirown.Theycall
toourattentionadropinthecombinedpopulationofmusiciansandteachersofmusicinthedecade
priorto1920.Becausethepopulationgenerallywasnotexpandinginthoseyearsfrom1910to
1920,thedeclineinthemusicalpopulationinthatperiodmakesitsreportedgrowthinthe1920's
lookalotlessimpressive.Maybeitwaslittlemorethangrowthfromanabnormallylowbase,
reflectingmostlycatchupforthelossofthedecade1910to1920.
[19]TheaggregatefiguresareshowninTable1.Intheendafterwrestlingwithallofthese
numbers,onecanarrivewithsomeconfidenceatthefollowingconclusions:
a. Thedeclineinthenumberofmusiciansandteachersofmusicinthedecadeendingin1920wasmore
thanaccountedforbythedropinthenumberofwomeninthecombinedgroup.
b. Morethanfourfifthsofthewomenreportedinthecombinedpopulationin1910wereteachersof
music,notmusicians.
c. Many,perhapsevenmost,ofthesefemaleteachersofmusicweremarginallyactiveinthelaborforce,
inanycase,ineither1910or1920.
d. Thus,thechangeinthenumberofmencountedinthecombinedcategoryofmusiciansandteachersof
musiclookstobeagoodsolidproxyforchangesinthetotalpopulationofactiveandperforming
musiciansoverthoseyears.

[20]Iftheseinferencesarecorrect,theypointtoanevenmorestrikinggrowthintheperforming
musicianpopulationinthe1920'sthansuggestedearlier.Inthedecadefrom1910to1920,the
numberofmeninthecombinedoccupationalgrouphadgrownbyonlyhalftherateofchangeforall
occupationstogether.Indramaticcontrast,theincreaseinthe1920'swasmorethanthreetimesas
fastasthegrowthinalloccupations.
[21]ThedetailsofsomeofthesepatternsmaybeseeninTable2andTable3.
[22]Weneedtokeepinmindjustwhatthecensusfiguresmeasure.Anindividual'soccupationis
defined,inthesedata,astheonethatprovidestheperson'sprimaryincome.Thusthecountwill
includepeoplewhogetafewdollarsfromanoccasionalpianopupil,butnoincomefromanyother
source.Thispresumablywasthecaseformanyoftheyoung,unmarriedwomenlistedasteachersof
music.Atthesametime,itwillexcludeactiveperformingmusicians,perhapspeopleofgreat
originalityandinfluence,whononethelessmustsupportthemselveschieflywithwhattheyearnina
"day"job.Theyappearinthecensusasdockworkersorbartendersorsomethingelse,butnotas
musicians.
[23]Tocarrythepointfurther,weknowinourowntimestheimportanceofateachingjobina
schoolorcollege,asaneconomicbaseforperformingmusicians.Andindeedinthe1920'sallsuch
peoplewouldhavebeenincludedinthecensuslistingasmusiciansandteachersofmusic,solongas
theirteachingdutieswerepredominantlymusical.Inthoseyears,however,theschoolmusic
movementwasstillinitsinfancy.Ifthehighschoolbanddirectorplayedregularlyinlocaldancehalls
onweekendnights,butspentmuchofhisdaysteachingarithmetic,hewouldnotbelistedaseither
amusicianorateacherofmusic.

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[24]Asstillanotherfaceofthisproblemoffuzzydefinition,weknowalsothatmanypeoplewho
wouldbeincludedbythecensusmight,infact,notbeworkingatallatthetimethecensustaker
stoppedby.Untilrecently,thecensusaskedwhatoccupationnormallysuppliedyourprincipal
income,nothowmuchyouhadworkedatthatoccupationinrecentmonths.In1980,thecensus
didaskthatquestion.Forthefirsttime,theyinquiredofmusiciansandcomposers(meanwhile
introducinganewformoftheoldcategoryproblem)iftheyhadbeenemployedinthepreviousyear
and,further,iftheiremploymenthadbeenusuallyfulltime.About92percentsaidtheyhadbeen
employed,butonly34percentreportedfulltime.
[25]Theinsecurityofaprofessionalcareerinmusiciscertainlynotnewstoanyoneinthebusiness
today.Norhasiteverbeenmuchdifferent.Afamouseconomist,JohnR.Commons,wrotein1906
ofthemusiciansofStLouis:
Thesteadiestjobisinthetheatersandsummergardensforfourmonths.IntheSt.Louislocal
ofsixhundredmembers,onlyabout100havethesepositionsTheotherfivehundredmust
dependfortheirearningsuponallsortsoffleetingengagementsprivateparties,weddings,
ballsAndsoonforbaseball,4th ofJuly,cornerstonelaying,flagraising,dedications,saloon
concerts,andthehundredotheroccasionswherethemusiciansoftenssorrow,firespatriotism,
ordrownsbedlam.4

[26]Nordoestheevidencefromthe1920'ssuggestanydifferenceinthattime.Thedozensofways
inwhichmusicianscouldhopetoscufflealivinginNewYorkCityinthatdecademaybeobserved,
andwonderedat,inthesocalled"pricelists"publishedeachyearbytheunion.Justonepagefor
onesuchlist(Table4)suggeststheterriblymiscellaneouscharacterofsuchalivelihood.

2.MovieTheaters
[27]Onemajorfeatureofthedemandforperformingmusiciansinthe1920's,however,isvery
evident,andthatisthegreatsignificanceofthemoviehousesascontinuousandwellpaying
performers.
[28]Bythe1920's,thenumberofmovingpicturetheatersinthecountryhadgrownenormously.
TheygreatlyexpandedthedramaticfareforallclassesofAmericansocietyinallbutthetiniestof
urbanplaces.Andtheysignificantlyincreasedthedemandfortheservicesoflivemusicians.Someof
themusicwassuppliedbypianistsandorganists,buteveninsmalltownstheneedwasoftenfilled
bysmallorchestrasofsixoreightmembers.
[29]Wegetaglimpseofhowimportantthatdemandcametobefromsomefiguresforthemid
1920's.Thenumberofmusiciansemployedintheatersacrossthecountryin1926wasestimatedat
22,000,orbetterthan27percentofthereportedmembershipoftheAmericanFederationof
Musicians.(SeeTable5.)Moreover,thissignificantshareseemsnottohavebeensimplyalong
shadowcastbythegreaturbancentersofentertainmentsuchasNewYorkandChicago.Inthis
sameperiod,theateremploymentofmusiciansinNewYorkCitywasbarely20percentofunion
membership,amuchsmallerrelativeroleforthissourceofdemandthaninthecountryatlarge.In
LosAngeles,whichwasbeginningtogrowasanentertainmentcenter,only22percentofunion
membershadtheaterjobs.Moviehousescreatedworkformusiciansallacrossthecountry.
[30]Thereisalsonomistakingthedisastercreatedformusiciansbythosesameemployerswhen
soundwassuddenlyaddedtothemoviesinlate1927.WithinweeksaftertheopeningofTheJazz
SingerinlateOctober,thesuccessofthatfirst"talkie"sentmoviehouseownersscramblingtoget
machineryinstalledforsound.Theordersgreatlyoutstrippedthemanufacturers'initialcapacityto
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respond,butlayoffsoftheatermusiciansbeganverysoon,andwithinayearhadbecomeatorrent.
From1926,whenthe20'swereroaring,to1929,whentheywerestillroaringforthecountryasa
whole,thenumberofmusiciansemployedintheatersfellby14percent.Inthefollowingyear,from
1929to1930,asthingswereslowingdownforeverybodybutstillalongwayfromtheworstthat
layahead,theaterworkformusiciansdroppedanother26percent.Thus,overthefullperiodfrom
1926to1930,whentheDepressionwasjustbeginningtotakehold,theaterjobsformusicianshad
alreadyfallenby36percent,adisasterbyanydefinition.

3.OtherGrowthinDemandforMusicians
[31]The1920sbroughtotherimportantnewdemandsforperformingmusicians.Radiosweptin
witharoarandovernightbecameasignificantemployer.Italsobroughtsharplyhigherpayscales,
reflecting,first,thesuddengrowthoftheindustryand,second,itsmanagementbypeoplewhohad
hadnopriorexperienceathiringmusiciansbutwereeagertobidforthebest.Thesecondhalfofthe
decadealsowitnessedanewexplosionofthedancecraze.Withsteadyworkinfactories,cheapcars
andadevelopingroadnetwork,youngunmarriedscouldfollowtheirdancebandfavoritesfromtown
totown.Ballroomsanddancehallsexpanded,andthemusicbecamethecentraldrawingcard,not
simplybackgroundsupport,asinacabaret.Dancebandsgainedtheirownidentity,withleaderslike
PaulWhitemanskyrocketingtostarstatusamongpopularentertainers,andpayingtopdollartotheir
sidemen.Inthelate20's,themeninWhiteman'sbandwereaveraging$272aweek,orabout
$14,000ayear.Thatwasmorethan10timeswhattheaveragefactoryworkermade.Itputthese
musiciansinthetopthreepercentofallincomeearnersinthecountry.
[32]Therecordbusinesswasnotasstrongasithadbeen,norasitwouldbeagaininthemid30's.
Butitheldtoaplateauthatkeptmanymusiciansworkingand,perhapsmoreimportantly,servedto
stimulatedemandformusicalservicesinotherformsontheradioandindancehalls,forexample.
Finally,themoviemakers,nowthattheyhadsoundtoplaywith,hiredmanymusiciansatverygood
wages.Again,alackofmanagementexperience,bothinthenewmediumandinthemarketfor
musicians,ledthemtopaylavishly,oftenformanyhoursofidlestandbytimeandverylittle
performance.
[33]Theneteffectofallofthesechangesthesurgeofnewdemandsandthesharpfallingbackof
someofthemwastwofold.First,theydrewlargenumbersintothebusiness,creatingamuch
largergenepool.Thechanceofmore"freaks"appearingwasgreatlyheightened.Second,andmost
importantly,whenthecutbackscame,itwastheweakermusicianswhowerewinnowedout.Joe
Tarto,forexample,wentrightonmakinggoodmoneyallthewayinto1931,andevenafterthat
neverhadtoscuffle.
[34]Thegoodyearsalsocreatedaveryfavorableclimatefortechnologicaladvance.Thewaveof
inventivenessinthetransmissionofsoundwasespeciallynotable.Thenewfrontiersopenedtoradio
broadcasting,forexample,wereaconstantsourceofexcitementandexperimentation.
[35]Insum,theeconomicsofthesehalcyonyearswerecreatinganewcontextformusicalstyle
andnewpotentialfortromboneplaying.

D.EmergenceoftheSpecialSingingStyleFromSuchaWorld
[36]Outofallofthisactivity,thereseemtohavebeenthreemajorelementsthatcreated
opportunitiesforsingingtrombonesolostobegintoreachabroadpublic.Theincentivesforthese
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opportunitiestobeexploitedaresomewhathardertosortout,butthreeorfoursignificant
developments,rightintheteethoftheDepression,appeartohaveplayedakeyrole.

1.TheOpportunities
[37]Thedevelopmentofthemicrophoneisclearlycriticaltotheemergenceofthestyle.Themike
wasessential,ofcourse,forsensitivitytosoundonrecords,oncetheelectricalprocesswas
introducedin1925.Itwaslikewiseessentialtoradio,startingslightlyearlier,andgrowingrapidlyin
importanceasradioownershipspreadduringthedecade.Andasthe20'sturnedintothe30's,the
microphoneslowlybecameavailableforliveperformances.RudyValleeclaimstohavemadethefirst
use,in1930,ofamikeforsinginginaballroom.Ashisbanddidastringofonenightersat
"armories,auditoriumsandbeachresorts,"hecreatedforhimselfa"sortofelectronicmegaphone."
He"borrowedanoldcarbonmikefromNBCandhookedupahomemadeamplifierwithsome
radios." 5Howrapidlysoundsystemsofthissortbecamecommonplaceindancehallsandballroomsis
lessclear,butRudyValleewastoobigasuccessin1930forthatlessontohavebeenlostonothers
inthebusiness.
[38]AsHenryPleasantshassaidofthemicrophone,"Whatwasnewwasitssensitivity.Whatwas
importantwasitsabilitytopickupthelightestpressureofasinger'sbreathuponhisvocalcords
fortransmissiontolistenersinthehomeshundredsandthousandsofmilesawayNolongerwould
singershavetopitchtheirvoicestoreachtheticketholderinthelastrowofthegallery." 6
[39]Allofthismeantabreakwaspossiblefromtheoperaticstyle,thedominantformoftheday.It
openedthewayforintimacy,foragentlenessofdeliverynotpossiblebefore.
[40]Asecondimportantdevelopmentwasthenewsingingstylethatinfactdidemergetocapture
thepopularfancy.Throughthe1930'sandintothe1940's,westillhadtheNelsonEddy'sandAllen
Jones's,butbythebeginningofthe1930'stheyhadbeenovertakenbysingerslikeRudyValleeand
BingCrosby.Awholenewidiomwasspawnedbythemicrophone,amuchmoreballadlikewayof
makingmusic.Forthetrombonist,thiswasworldsawayfrom"TheBlueBellsofScotland."
[41]Finally,athirdopportunityforthesingingtrombonetodevelopwasofferedbythefurther
evolutionofdancebands,whichcreatedbothanewvehicleandanewmilieu.Thedancecrazefirst
ignitedbyVernonandIreneCastlein1914hadstimulatedawholenewbusiness,includingthe
innovationofthetouringdanceband,andthisbusinesscontinuedtodowell.Butdancemusic
performedforrecordsandradiobroadcastsrequirednewadaptations,andmadepossiblemanymore
solosevenifonlyafewbarslongbyinstrumentsnotaseasilyheardintheopenair.Thelow
registerclarinetisoneexample,butsoofcourseisthesoft,highlegatotrombone.
[42]Dancebandsbecamestillmoreimportantasanincubatorofthesingingtrombone,as
instrumentalsoloistsbegantobeleadersofsuchbands,andtofeaturetheirownplaying.TheDorsey
brothersrecordedontheirownasearlyas1928,butwerenotalivedancebanduntil1934.Without
asoundsystem,amplificationatthesedancejobscouldbeachievedonlywithamegaphone.
Musiciansstoodthemegaphoneonthefloorandplayedacrossthetopofitnotmuchchanceof
gettingan"ee"soundthatway.Butwithamplification,thenewfashionofleaderplayermadedance
bandsamajornewopportunityforallfivecomponentsofthesingingtrombonestyletobeheardlive.
Thesubsequentinteractionofrecordsfeaturingsuchplaying,withpayingcrowdsofballroompatrons
expectingtohearinpersonthekindsofsolostheyhadheardontherecords,thusopenedamajor
opportunityfortromboniststodevelopthisnewformofsingingvoice.And,oneshouldadd,adance
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giggavetheleaderplayernottwoorthreesolosanight,butdozensofthem.Thestylecouldbe
honedandrefinedandalteredandextended.Itcouldalsonowbewitnessed,inearandbyeye,by
othertrombonistsstandingafewfeetaway,watchingtoseehowtheymightdothesamething.

2.TheIncentives
[43]Someoftheseopportunitieshadbuiltinincentives,ofcourse.Inaddition,I'vealready
mentionedthebigmoneyearnedbythefirstcallpeoplebeforetheDepressionandthecontinued
steadyworksomeofthemenjoyedastheDepressiondeepened.Butthepopulardemandformusic
revivedearly,andinaformthatofferedspecialincentiveforthekindofperformingstylewehave
beenlookingat.
[44]Recordsales,forexample,hadallbutcollapsedby1932.fallinginthatyeartoonly10million,
froma1929levelof65million.TheendofProhibitionin1933,however,reopenedmanyasaloon
andcabaret,andaverylargenumberoftheminstalledjukeboxes,adevicenewlyonthemarket.
Deccaintroducedanew35centrecord,andVictorsoonfollowed.Thestagewassetfortheswing
bandera,whicheruptedin1935.Radiostationsweregivinglotsofairtimetodancebandrecords.
Thewholethingtookoffagain,withthestrongdynamicsofinteractionmentionedaboverecords
promotinglivemusicpromotingradioand,backaroundagain,radiopromotingbothrecordsandlive
performance.
[45]LetmeendbyquotingfromanarticlewrittenbyGordonPulisin1948whilehewasplaying
withtheNewYorkPhilharmonicinoneofthegreattrombonesectionsofalltime.Hismainpointwas
theimportanceofdancebandplayersinthedevelopmentofcontemporarytrombonetechnique.He
calledattentiontoGardellSimonas"probablythefirstpersontoevolveandteachthetheoryand
techniqueofthetonguelegato."Pulisdescribesthisasthe"trombonist'ssolutiontoproblemofthe
legatostyleadifficultyduetothelimitationsinherentinaslideinstrument."
[46]ButPulisthensays:"greatastheadvancesofSimonandotherswere,theyoungdanceband
playershavedevelopedthisevenfurther,sothattodayonecantuneintheradioandhearalmost
anydancetrombonistsingingonhisinstrumentthatwouldundoubtedlydelightSimon,werehe
livingtoday."

Tables
Table1.
Musiciansand
Year TeachersofMusic Musicians TeachersofMusic
1900

92,264

1910

139,310

54,858

84,452

1920

130,265

1930

165,128

Table2.
Musiciansand
TeachersofMusic

Musicians

Teachersof
Music

Male Female

Male Female

Male

Female

1900

39,887

52,377

1910

54,832

84,478 39,163 15,695 15,669 68,783

1920

57,587

72,678

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1930

ProfessionalMusicinthe1920'sandtheRiseoftheSingingTrombone

85,517

79,611

Table3.
Male

Female

Musiciansand
Musiciansand
AllOccupations TeachersofMusic AllOccupations TeachersofMusic
Percentchange
1910to1920

+9.9

+5.0

+5.6

14.0

1920to1930

+15.2

+48.5

+25.8

+9.5

In1910

79

39

21

61

In1930

78

52

22

48

PercentinComposition

Table4.
ExtractfromthePriceListGoverningSpecialandRegularEngagementsandTheaterand
OperaHousesfortheRegularTheatricalSeasonof192324
Local802,AmericanFederationsofMusicians
CarnivalSitzungen
CentralParkConcerts
ChristmasTreeFestivals
ChurchFairs
Circuses
Commencements
Commers
Concerts
ConeyIsland
ContinuousPlaying
ConfirmationParties
Conventions
CurtisFieldConcerts
CyclesRaces
DancingPalaces
DancingSchools
Debates
DedicationExercises
DepartmentStores
Dinners
DramaticShows
Drills
Encampments
EngagementsNotSpecified
EngagementParties
Entertainments
EntertainmentandBall
EveningReceptions
Excursions
Exhibitions
Expositions

Table5.
Musiciansand
Musicians
Year TeachersofMusic(a) UnionMembership TheaterEmployment
U.S.

NYC

U.S.(b)

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NYC(c)

U.S.

NYC(d)
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ProfessionalMusicinthe1920'sandtheRiseoftheSingingTrombone

1900

92,264

6,200

1903

3,500

1910

139,310

15,146

40,000

1913

5,100

1920

130,265

15,393

70,000

1921

74,600

12,000

1922

75,000

1923

75,000

1924

77,100

1925

80,000

1926

80,000

22,000

1927

80,000

3,187

1928

96,700

15,500

1929

100,000

17,000

14,000

a. U.S.CensusofOccupation
b. Wolman,Leo.EbbandFlowintheTrade,NBER1936.
c. Leiter,RobertD.TheMusiciansandPetrillo,BookmanandAssociates,1953.
d. Local802Minutes,January9,1929.

Footnotes
[1]1QuotedbyWinthropSargeantinTheNewYorker,March14,1977,pp.612.
[1]2Dance,Stanley,TheWorldofDukeEllington,NewYork:Scribner(1970),p.120.
[1]3TheNewYorker,September3,1984,p.67.
[1]4Commons,JohnR."TypesofAmericanLaborUnionsTheMusiciansofSt.LouisandNew
York,"QuarterlyJournalofEconomics(May1906),pp.43940.
[1]5Oblensky,Ivan.MyTimeIsYourTime,Inc.,(1962),p.89.
[1]6Pleasants,Henry.TheGreatAmericanPopularSingers,NewYork:Simon&Schuster(1972),p.
25.
ThelateDr.RobertLindsaywaseconomicsprofessoratNewYorkUniversityformanyyears.Hewasalsoa
trombonestudentofStuartDempsterandanenthusiasticparticipantintheWeekendWarriorsatInternational
TromboneWorkshops.
ArticlesbyRobertLindsay

OtherHistoricalArticles

19962013Contact

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