From Blackface to Swing: How Thomas Dartmouth Rice Set the Rhythm for Jazz
The History of Jazz Music PodcastShow Notes
This episode traces how Thomas Dartmouth Rice’s 1828 hit "Jump Jim Crow" introduced syncopated rhythms that would become the heartbeat of swing and jazz, while the song’s later adoption as a symbol of segregation shows how music can be co‑opted by politics. We explore how early minstrelsy shaped racial stereotypes in music markets, the legal entanglements of Jim Crow laws on Black musicians, and what this legacy means for today’s jazz education and streaming culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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