Jazz in Nazi Germany

[chris]

Besides the movie "Swing Kids" (which I haven't seen, but don't think I want to), are there any good books/documentaries/etc about jazz in Nazi Germany? The brief entry in the Ken Burns Jazz book was compelling, particularly the photo of the inmate jazz band performing at one of the concentration camps.

[chris olivarez]

I'd like to know that too.I understand that being a Jazz musician or a Jazz lover was not conducive to long term survival pospects in Nazi Germany.

[brownie]

Mike Zwerin had an interesting book on the subject. It was 'Swing Under the Nazis'.

http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/books/swingzwerin.htm reviews it.

[Aggie87]

Here is an English translation of zweitausendeins' description of this book, courtesy of Babelfish, for anyone interested:

"Music in the KZ.

Milan Kuna documents, how concentration camps and music were connected in makabre way. In the present KZ Theresienstadt for example more made music than at each conservatoire of the European large cities at that time, here gave it several orchestras, a child choir, several chamber orchestras and opera performances. There were secret jazz ensembles in camps such as beech forest and duty living.

In KZs songs, concerts, even for operas, developed which survived the camps. The music was both at the same time: Instrument of the degradation, in addition, strongest survival means, for which no victim was too high. Dozens of marks specified children in Theresienstadt for its contemporaries the child opera "Brundibar" from Hans Krásas. Again and again the child actors had to change: "the roles remained and the children went into the gas of 10.000 having only 100 survived", so the NDR in a preliminary report over Kunas work. At whatever price the adults upright-held their culture enterprise in the camp, Milan Kuna describes.

The study concentrates on musicians and musicians from Boehmen and Maehren. "by this restriction a stronger view for details is possible" (opera world). Conditions are in all Nazi KZs in the field of vision: Theresienstadt, duty living, the Ghettos in Lodz/"Litzmannstadt "or Warsaw, Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Neuengamme, Auschwitz and other one.

Kunas book is the first comprehensive investigation to the topic and the result of 10 years research work. The work received the price for the best special book in Prague.

"Music at the border of the life" was supplemented translated of Eliska Nováková, around a commentated Biblio and Diskografie (of Guido Fackler and Martin wine man), has 112 pictures and note boards and 406 sides. Broschur.

Only with us. 11 EUR. number 18250"

[Simon Weil]

The scholarly authority on music in Nazi Germany is Michael Kater. He has three books on it. One is:

Differerent Drummers: Jazz in the Culture of Nazi Germany

Which has just been reisssued. It is a drier read than the Zwerin, but the guy knows his stuff.

Simon Weil

[brownie]

Simon, thanks for that book recommendation. Will be looking for it.

[John Delaney]

As well as 'Swing Under The Nazis' by Mike Zwerin (Quartet Books, London) and 'Different Drummers' by Michael H.Kater (Oxford University) there is 'Hitler's Airwaves', by Horst J.P.Bergmeier and Rainer E.Lotz, published by Yale University (ISBN 0300067097).

This latter book also includes a CD and Harlequin Records of the UK have a series of CDs of associated interest.

BBC television transmitted a documentary a few years ago which dealt with the propaganda band 'Charlie and his Orchestra' with interviews with some of the surviving members.

John Delaney

[paul secor]

There was a film from the mid to late 90's, Comedian Harmonists, about the vocal group of the same name. The Comedian Harmonists were not a jazz group. They recorded primarily pop tunes, folk songs, and classical pieces (though they did record a wordless vocal version of Ellington's "Creole Love Song"). They were persecuted and banned by the Nazis because several of the members of the group were Jewish. The film, Comedian Harmonists, is a dramatization of the group's career and lives, and seemed well done to me when I saw it. There was also a documentary film about the group made in 1975, but I've not seen that.

[alankin]

I haven't seen it yet, put perhaps there's something of interest in the notes in the recent Proper 4-CD box set Swing Tanzen Verboten: Swing & Nazi Propaganda .

[Simon Weil]

Simon, thanks for that book recommendation. Will be looking for it.

You're welcome, Brownie!

Simon Weil