| That Toddlin' Town: Chicago's White Dance Bands and Orchestras, 1900-1950 Contributor(s): Sengstock, Charles A. (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0252029542 ISBN-13: 9780252029547 Publisher: University of Illinois Press OUR PRICE: $38.61 Product Type: Hardcover Published: November 2004 Annotation: As a center for jazz and blues, vaudeville, and a budding recording industry, Chicago and its environs probably spawned more nationally recognized dance bands than any other city in the United States in the 1920s and 30s. While ample attention has been paid to their black counterparts, Charles A. Sengstock Jr.'s That Toddlin' Town looks at the history of the white dance bands, theater orchestras, radio studio ensembles and night club bands. Sengstock examines these bands not only in terms of the music they played but also in the context of the venues in which they played and Chicago's volatile economic and social climate. Viewing the bands as an economic system, he analyzes them as businesses with all the usual pressures brought on by ambition, personality clashes, and the overriding need to serve clients. More than a mere popular phenomenon, these dance bands--along with their charismatic leaders, powerful booking agencies, and the Chicago Federation of Musicians--had a major impact on the music industry at large and influence over other entertainment media. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Music | Genres & Styles - Dance - Music | History & Criticism - General - History | United States - State & Local - Midwest(ia,il,in,ks,mi,mn,mo,nd,ne,oh,sd,wi |
| Dewey: 784.480 |
| LCCN: 2004009184 |
| Series: Music in American Life (Hardcover) |
| Physical Information: 1.08" H x 6.92" W x 8.86" (1.40 lbs) 296 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - Midwest - Geographic Orientation - Illinois - Locality - Chicago, Illinois |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In the 1920s and 1930s, Chicago became a center for jazz and blues, vaudeville, and a budding recording industry. Not surprisingly, the city and its environs spawned and nurtured a sprawling scene of nationally recognized dance bands and orchestras. That Toddlin' Town focuses on the untold history of Chicago's white dance bands, theater orchestras, radio studio ensembles, and nightclub bands. Charles A. Sengstock Jr. draws on monumental research to portray the bands not only in terms of their music but also in the context of the venues in which they played and Chicago's volatile economic and social climate. Viewing the bands as parts of an economic system, he analyzes them as businesses facing all the usual pressures brought on by ambition, personality clashes, financial realities, and the overriding need to serve clients. He also examines how the bands--along with their charismatic leaders, powerful booking agencies, and the Chicago Federation of Musicians--impacted the music industry at large and influenced other entertainment media. |