It boggles my mind to think that in 1934, the very middle of the Great Depression, some African Americans were doing this well. Those pictured here are exactly what Duke meant by "ready." So, yes, there was a solid middle class black America that somehow has missed the attention of the media altogether. Let the media tell it, all black Americans were in soup lines and seeking welfare. Not so. Let at the people in the photo. That's middle class all the day, isn't it? No half steppin' here, please.
Wow - the orchestra from back in the 1930s was incredibly smooth and lyrical. Can only imagine how good this might sound with today's technology ... the older I get, the more I appreciate the timelessness of the Duke's work - probably America's greatest composer.