In the '40s, jazz was relegated to small clubs and backrooms. Today, jazz performances regularly sell out large concert halls. Jazz studies are now a part of university curricula and students look to the '40s as a formative decade. Jazz is finally achieving the recognition it deserves. Jazz is a very important part of this culture.
Jazz is a high art.
The early '40s were dominated by the sophisticated swing tune arrangements of artist Duke Ellington , whose swing tunes swept dancers on their feet.