A new book by author T.J. English, who’s made a career writing about organized crime, examines the close relationship between jazz and the mob.
Featuring characters like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Al Capone, “Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld” traces the popularity of the genre through the 20th century and how gangsters helped the genre flourish.
English spoke to The New York Post:
“Black people had less to fear from a Mafiosa boss than a white police officer … They saw the mob as their protection in the commercial marketplace.”
We sit down with English to talk about jazz music and the mob’s shared sordid and spectacular history.
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