ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the subsequent careers of the surviving members of the West Indian Dance Orchestra with a focus on race and identity. Racially integrated jazz performances became more frequent during and after the Second World War, especially in recording studios, special concerts and jam sessions where this had already been established, but now extending into mainstream dance orchestras. Although not often the subject of explicit comment in attendant writing, integrated bands helped to establish the authenticity of British jazz performance, by both making reference to and distinguishing it from that of America. However, the precise cultural roots of black participants were often neglected and whether appearing individually or collectively, black musicians remained novel and therefore subject to discrimination. This challenges the idea of jazz performance as a utopian expression of identity and, in fact, many of the West Indian Dance Orchestra's musicians diversified to play other forms of music in order to find economic and artistic fulfillment.
