Introduction

Swing was a form of music that had its roots in 1920s jazz. It's hard to remember now, but when Dixieland jazz was first popularized the reaction from polite society was essentially the same as to every other black musical form. Some white people made the music more appetizing for other white people by taking the rough edges off and putting it into a suit. Paul Weitmann became known as the King of Jazz for being the band leader of an all-white band of musicians.