Swing

Mr. Fritz StreiffGrade 612.04.03

What was going on when Swing was king?

• The Roaring Twenties

• The Stock Market Crash

• The Great Depression

• World War II

1920-1945

Roots of Swing:

• Over time, smaller ensembles evolved into groups averaging 15 musicians, otherwise known as “Big Bands.”

• The increased size allowed for these groups to play a wide range of articulation and dynamics.

• Swing evolved out of earlier styles of jazz.

Improvisation:

• Originally orchestrated music made room for much improvisation.

• Swing music allowed musicians to brake away from many structural standards set by earlier forms of jazz.

• Improvisation is to make music that is original, free, creative and unplanned.

Syncopation:

• Swing music used much syncopation to accent the music and give it a light and edgy feel.

• Syncopation means for beats that are often unaccented in a measure to be accented.

• This created a sound that people of all backgrounds and generations could enjoy listening and dancing to.

The Melodic Section:

• 4-6 reeds (saxophones and clarinets)

• 4-6 brass (trumpets and trombones)

The Rhythm Section:

• Piano• String Bass• Drum Set • Guitar

Styles of Music:

• Hot Bands – provided hard-driving sounds (Benny Goodman, Count Bassie, Duke Ellington), these sounds were fast like “Opus One”

• Sweet Bands – provided less emphasis on rhythm and more on feelings and emotions displayed in the music (Glen Miller, Freddy Martin, and Wayne King), these songs were more slow ballads.

Musical Differences:

• Swing music is written straight but the instruments steal from the evenness and emphasized notes making it into a swing feel.

• Bands also experimented with Bebop, Cool Jazz and Latin music

Soloist:• Solo or lead instrumentalists were

showcased often backed up by ensemble playing

• Ensemble parts or “Riffs” are short melodic ideas that were used repetitiously in call and response patterns between instrumental sections of a band.

Famous Swing Musicians:• Early Big Bands were heavily

orchestrated and conducted. • As Swing music increased in popularity

the conductors became known as Bandleaders.

• This allowed for talented band leaders to serve as both conductor, arranger, and lead soloist.

• Some played reeds or brass and others lead the bands from the piano.

Are you ready to Swing?

Duke Ellington

(1899-1974)

“Satin Doll”

“Black and Tan Fantasy” “Creole Love Call”“The Mooche”“Mood Indigo”

Count Basie

(1904-1984)

“One O’clock Jump”

“The Atomic Mr. Basie”

Benny Goodman

“Sing, Sing, Sing”

“King of Swing”“King Porter Stomp”“Why Don’t You Do

Right?”

(1909-1986)

Glen Miller

(1903-1984)

“Chattanooga Choo Choo”

Tommy Dorsey

(1905-1956)

“There are such things”

“I’ll never smile again”“Opus No. 1”

Swing Dancing:

• Swing music was often played at public gatherings and clubs.

• The music really seemed to cut through past racial, age and economic barriers.

The End of Swing:• Swing found difficult times as racism

limited access of musicians and audiences.

• With the end of World War II people wanted to move on emotionally and the music and dance of the times reminded them too much of war.

• With the War also came the Draft, so musicians were required to go to war and leave the bands.

• Fuel rationing limited bands ability to tour.

Difficult times:• There was also a jazz musician strike

from 1942-1944, so no recordings were made during that time. This opened the door for vocalists to become more prominent in the vocal music scene.

• In 1941 a newly enacted cabaret tax forced clubs to pay 30% of proceeds in taxes. Requiring clubs to hire smaller performing groups.

Neo-Swing Era:• Swing reached its peak in the early 1940’s.

Swing music and dancing found a revival in the 1990’s and is continuing today.

• It provides for its listeners and participants a great social activity.

• Jazz and specifically Swing is truly an American art form with fans from around the world.

Swing Today:

Swing cuts to the core of

human emotion with driving rhythms and emotional ballads. It will continue to be a relevant piece of our musical past, present and future…