Louis Armstrong
was one of the musicians of the swing era in the 1930's that dominated America, with the danceable swing variation
performed by the big bands of that time.
Benny Goodman who was one of the most respected bandleaders of the American popular music from 1935 – 1946.
With the likes of
Glen Miller, Wood Herman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, the swing era played a
prominent trend and direction for the future genre's to blend with new styles of swing. By the 1950's a new genre
of swing hit the American scene with the pop music scene introducing the drum and base of the original ‘swing' style,
bebop jazz and jump blues led the way for a revival by the early 60's. With a new generation of
pop vocalists,
Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra opened the doors for ‘swing' to be
incorporated in this day and age as a unique and recorded piece of music history.
Derived from the abbreviation ‘swing feel' emphasising the weaker pulse or the offbeat in the music. The soloist
would freestyle and improvise on the melody over the arrangement. With a strong groove ‘to swing' emphasises a
strong rhythm section of bass drums and double bass, accompanied by saxophones, clarinets and woodwinds instruments,
along with brass instruments such as trombones and trumpets.
By the late 1980’s swing became a more urban-styled swing beat, many genres from country music to electro swing
and swing house, became a popular fuse of mixing classic and jazz style. In today’s genre the likes of
Robbie Williams with his number one album ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ sold millions of copies worldwide.
Swing has been created across all genres, from many generations unfolded a genre that is changeable, variable and
will create a rhythmic tempo, a foundation to our current music of this era.