Swing Jazz Music

For my blog this week, I researched Swing music. I have always been drawn to this kind of music as I used to listen to it with my grandparents when I was younger. So, when I had this chance to research swing jazz, I jumped on the opportunity. Now, let me talk to you about this music that has brought so much joy to many Americans including me and my grandparents. Swing is a type of jazz music that was first introduced in the 1930’s through the 1940’s. One distinct difference that makes swing music unique is that you are easily able to groove to the beat. Part of that reason is that the music accentuates beats 2 and 4 and then replaces steady eighth notes with lifting/upbeat eighth notes while adding accents and syncopation. Attached below is an actual piece of jazz sheet music, so you can understand what I was trying to explain. 

The history of Swing music is that it was derived from African roots and jazz music that just got started in the United States. Swing music received popularity during the Great Depression when the stock market crashed in 1929 and when World War II ended in 1945. Swing music was a symbol of rebellion against unemployment and misery during the Depression. It was a type of music to distract the people from their hard and depressing work all day. Although swing music was music for all people to just have some joy in their life, it still differed based upon the crowd. For example, “sweet” swing music was slower, had less improvisation, restrained with a slight swing feel, and was for the white upper class dinner parties. The “hot” swing music was more daring, experimental, faster, with longer improvisations, and a stronger rhythmic drive.

One of the famous swing jazz players is Count Basie. He was a jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Count Basie was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and home to his music career. Basie did not have an easy childhood, but his parents paid for him to receive music lessons as that is what he was passionate about. Count Basie created a solid bond between jazz musicians and swing musicians. He was able to conduct an orchestra of many musicians and have them play in perfect harmony. Below is a link to one of his songs called the Basie Boogie. It is filled with many musicians all trying to spread their music and just an upbeat tone for a depressing time period. Earlier in this blog I mentioned “hot” swing music, the song attached below is one of those types of songs. It is more upbeat and loud for a bar type environment after workers got off of their jobs and went to the bars. The next musician I will talk about makes more of a connection with the “sweet” jazz instead of the “hot” jazz. 

Another swing jazz player is Nat “King” Cole. I especially liked him as I listened to him with my grandparents when I was younger. I remember sitting in the car with my grandfather listening to Nat “King” Cole and he was just grooving. Similar to Count Basie, he was also a jazz pianist. Cole was one of the first African American performers to host a variety of television shows. He received a lot of racist comments when he was trying to become popular. A lot of it came from whites in the South; however, some were made by other African Americans when Cole said that he is just a musician not an activist. He chose to stay neutral during the Civil Rights movement and for that he received backlash from both sides of the fight. Below I have attached his song “Unforgettable.” Referring to earlier in this blog I mentioned the style of sweet swing music. “Unforgettable” is a softer song and more appropriate for people of the upper class and dinner parties, so it is considered a sweet swing song. It still has the characteristics of swing music; it is just slower and more appreciated by the white upper class which is why he was able to be welcomed into the homes of many Americans through television. 

Swing music brought a lot of hope and joy to the United States when they were in the Great Depression. The years from 1930-1950 were very difficult for the country, but music was able to bring everyone together. Even though there were certain types of swing jazz unique to the crowd listening, it still united everyone as it was an escape from reality. Whether it was the white upper class at a dinner party or workers coming to a bar after a long day of work, everyone united and grooved to the music. The result of the Swing era led to less racial tensions and social harmony between very different groups of people. Women were socially acceptable to be dancing and starting to make a name for themselves instead of just being someone’s husband. Swing dancing showed the possibility for equality between genders and races. Swing Jazz not only was formed in a difficult time period for the United States both economically and politically, but it provided hope for them during the depression and paved the way for future generations.

A&E Networks Television. (2021, May 10). Nat king Cole. Biography.com. Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/musician/nat-king-cole. 

Social effect. Swing & Jazz. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://swingandjazz.weebly.com/social-effect.html. 

Swing music explained. The Jazz Piano Site. (2019, November 15). Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/jazz-genres/swing-music-explained/. 

What is swing. What is Swing. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Link-Up/National-Program/The-Orchestra-Swings/What-Is-Swing. 

William J. "Count" Basie biography - count basie theatre. Count Basie Center for the Arts. (2017, June 22). Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://thebasie.org/countbasiebio/.