A six-part series in which Max Easterman looks at developments that took place in jazz up to the 1940s.

Swing became an "era", epitomised by clarinettist Benny Goodman and pianist Teddy Wilson. The juke-box was a major force in entertainment, especially for black people, with music by the likes of Fats Waller and his Rhythm. The tenor saxophone, in the hands of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, began to outstrip the clarinet in popularity.