Duke Ellington, Radio Remotes, and the Mediation of Big City Nightlife, 1927 to 1933

Abstract

Histories of the career of Duke Ellington often give a significant, if somewhat superficial, place in the story to radio remotes of the later 1920s and the 1930s. These broadcasts from nightclubs like the Cotton Club in Harlem allowed those listening in to experience at least some of what the club's patrons did. The claim is often made that such broadcasts could be heard nationally and that they both account for and provide evidence for Ellington's rising popularity. However, a detailed examination of the radio stations and their place in America's media, cultural and economic life raises many questions. By focusing on the political economy of the three stations which originated the Cotton Club remotes, and setting them in wider discourses of jazz and radio listening at the time, this analysis proposes new ways to conceive of the reception of Ellington's music in the late 1920s. Specifically, the article argues that the broadcasts were far less extensive than usually thought, and that the reception of the music over the airwaves needs to be understood within the context of different radio stations and different radio audiences. Further, the connection between radio and sound film in this period is examined. Drawing on approaches derived from media and cultural studies, the article explores both the political economy and cultural meanings at play in the mediated representations of Ellington in this period.