
The Jazz War
Radio, Nazism and the Struggle for the Airwaves in World War II
Will Studdert(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 11. December 2017
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-78453-858-3 (ISBN)
Description
During World War II, jazz embodied everything that was appealing about a democratic society as envisioned by the Western Allied powers. Labelled `degenerate' by Hitler's cultural apparatus, jazz was adopted by the Allies to win the hearts and minds of the German public. It was also used by the Nazi Minister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, to deliver a message of Nazi cultural and military superiority. When Goebbels co-opted young German and foreign musicians into `Charlie and his Orchestra' and broadcast their anti-Allied lyrics across the English Channel, jazz took centre stage in the propaganda war that accompanied World War II on the ground. The Jazz War is based on the largely unheard oral testimony of the personalities behind the German and British wartime radio broadcasts, and chronicles the evolving relationship between jazz music and the Axis and Allied war e orts.
Studdert shows how jazz both helped and hindered the Allied cause as Nazi soldiers secretly tuned in to British radio shows while London party-goers danced the night away in demimonde `bottle parties', leading them to be branded a `menace' in Parliament. This book will appeal to students of the history of jazz, broadcasting, cultural studies, and the history of World War II.
Studdert shows how jazz both helped and hindered the Allied cause as Nazi soldiers secretly tuned in to British radio shows while London party-goers danced the night away in demimonde `bottle parties', leading them to be branded a `menace' in Parliament. This book will appeal to students of the history of jazz, broadcasting, cultural studies, and the history of World War II.
Reviews / Votes
This is an extremely well-written and researched book, which illuminate a dark period in German history. * Radio User *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
19 bw integrated
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
449 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78453-858-3 (9781784538583)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2017
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€38.49
Available for download
Person
Will Studdert completed his PhD at the University of Kent, where he specialised on the history of jazz and propaganda during World War II.