Jazz and the Mob!

English, T. J.  Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld.  New York: William Morrow, 2022.  

         ISBN: 9780063031418

Do you listen to jazz music?  Especially older jazz such as from the 1920-1940's?  Or are you a fan of tales of the Mob?  Maybe you grew up reading/watching about Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, or Mo Lansky, the Valentine's Day Massacre and the Untouchables.  In either case, you owe yourself a read of Dangerous Rhythms to see how organized crime and jazz grew up and became entwined though early 20th century America.

T. J. English opens Dangerous Rhythms  in New Orleans focusing on the early interactions of jazz with organized crime.  Both were in their infancy and both profited from the growth of the other.   Then jazz spread around the county to Kansas City, Chicago, New York and Los Angles.  Early on jazz was played in bars and speakeasies which were owned by local crime bosses.  Organized crime provided the venue and the booze for the customers while the jazz bands drew in the crowds.  Both jazz musicians and organized crime organizations profited even if organized crime profited more.  All the early and great jazz musicians played in mob controlled venues such as the Cotton Cub, The Plantation, or Cuban Garden.  This pattern continued with stars such as Bing Crosby, the McGuire Sisters, Carmen Mcrea, and especially Frank Sinatra.  Frank Sinatra was quite helpful in the 1950s by carrying money into Cuba for  the Mob in their bid to turn the island into a gangster playground awash in jazz music.  Then when a bunch of bearded guerillas chased the gangsters off the island, Las Vegas, the Mississippi of the West, took over as the playground of the Mob and as a venue of some jazz music.   T.J. English also intertwines the role of the mob in promoting jazz music via jukeboxes, radio plays, and record companies that were controlled by organized crime. 

In Dangerous Rhythms, T. J. English provides a very readable account of both jazz music and organized crime.  This book provides an interesting lens to view both of these facets of American history and shed light on both.  A very worthwhile read!