In his article, “The Gal Yippers Have No Place In Our Jazz Bands.” (Down Beat 15 October 1939), Ted Toll is at pains to point out that a good jazz vocalist should not be simply based exclusively on the sex. He is scathing of women due to the fact that he believes they are too artificial and this perhaps reflects the attitude which was prevalent in the time regarding women – one has to remember that this was 1939 and women were treated as quite less than important in those days.
However the main thrust of Toll’s article seems to be that white women should not be let into the jazz scene since this is an exclusively black enclave and in a sense these women would be prying and spying into what was going on in this particular world. It is a rather sexist comment and implies a fear of intrusion into a world which is jealously guarded.
Toll is also scathing about the capabilities of these girls in singing and he rubbishes most of the singers who seemed to have been taking the world by storm in the jazz scene. Again one detects an element of fear in all this since the women were undoubtedly of a talented nature who apart from exuding a beautiful appearance could sing with a voice of quality.
In a sense, Toll was rather close minded when he made his criticism since the women were attracting a vast new audience to the jazz scene and such an article could only push them away. He continues to insist that ‘these gals aren’t singing jazz’ (Toll, 1939), and that they can have no idea of the intricacies which permeate this wonderful music and which is a style that can only be understood by men. He also seems to decry the invasion of these women into an exclusively all male club regardless of race, perhaps he is envious of the immediate attention which these pin up girls are garnering.
A whiff of counter racism sifts into Toll’s argument when he commends the legendary black singer Billie Holiday for her efforts. Does he seem to imply the Holliday, being black is the only female singer who can understand the nooks and crannies of jazz? This certainly seems the case but in an ironic way, Holliday herself chastises the jazz band system in her interview where she states that she has had more than enough of the band system and will be quitting. Does this mean that she was being discriminated against due to her gender or was it because she wished to strike out a march for the black women? Was it truly a decision based on interpretative needs or one more grounded on escaping from the banter? She is slightly non-committal in the interview so it is difficult to guess what is going on here.
The Dave Dexter interview is revealing on one point however, it seems that in these jazz bands too many cooks were spoiling the broth. Holliday was pretty scathing about how the managers interfered too much in Count Basie’s and Artie Shaw’s bands and that she was fed up with being told what to do. She also brings out the question of non-payment for certain performances so one has to admire her taking a stand. One can only imagine what it was like like for a woman in her early twenties to sing with an all-male band and create such a stir. However the disadvantages amongst the sexual mores of the time were undoubtedly quite large with a chasm between both sexes.
The article dealing with women jazz singers also shows that the message was more visual than talent. There are references to the singing abilities of some of the girls who were making a name for themselves in the jazz sector but there are also subtle implications that these were more looks than talent. In fact they have a bit of a point since they are now names which we don’t really remember although whether such scathing criticism was justified remains debatable and a moot point.
Toll may be right in saying that there was more in appearance than actual substance but his across the board dismissal of these women’s talents smells of gender discrimination. There were some women who actually made the grade in the business which was undoubtedly very hard and difficult in every sense of the word, especially for women. “That’s the way Bessie Smith sang and this is the way Billie Holiday is singing today” (Toll, 1939) he says. Billie Holiday seems to sum that message up when she revealed the intricacies and petty arguments that went on in these jazz bands which were largely due to the inept management who ran these bands. Still Toll was adamant that women had no place in these jazz bands as singers although he reserves his slight to bash white women whom he seems to infer are intellectually inferior to black women, in particular when the jazz sector is being discussed. The article does nothing more than reveal the racial and gender stereotypes of the age.
Works Cited:
Blackburn, Julia (2006). With Billie: A New Look at the Unforgettable Lady Day. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-375-40610-7.
Chilton, John (1989). Billie's Blues: The Billie Holiday Story 1933–1959. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80363-1.
Toll, Ted. “The Gal Yippers Have No Place In Our Jazz Bands.” Down Beat 15 October 1939: 16.Dexter, Dave, Jr. “I’ll Never Sing With A Dance Band Again—Holiday.” Down Beat 1 November 1939: 4.Down Beat, October-December 1939
