Swing (genre)

Swing ( English swing , in translation - “swing”) is the direction of jazz music, most widely represented in the performing practice of large orchestras . Swing is a form of popular music that appeared in the United States of America , which was at the peak of its popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The name “swing” comes from the so-called “swing feeling”, where the emphasis is on a weak beat or on a weak pulse in the music. The swing was usually a circle of soloists who improvised over the melody and over the arrangement. The dance style of swing is also characterized by the presence of a large number of big bands and band leaders such as Benny Goodman , who was most popular in American popular music from 1935 to 1946, during the period known as the "swing era." The verb “swing” is also used as a praise for a game that has a strong groove , that is, it sounds good. Notable musicians in the swing era include musicians such as Louis Armstrong , Duke Ellington , County Basie , Benny Goodman , Artie Shaw , Glenn Miller , Woody Herman , and Cab Callowy .

Swing is rooted in the 1920s. Then the large dance music ensembles began to use new styles of written arrangements, including rhythmic innovations, which were launched by Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines . The song, performed in a swing style, had strong support for the rhythm section and also support for more freely playing music of wood and brass . The most common swing performance style is a composition consisting of a part with a theme and a part with impromptu solos as part of their bandmates who maintain harmony . Swing music began to lose popularity during World War II due to several factors:

Firstly, because many musicians themselves were at war and it became difficult to recruit “big band” bands.

Secondly, the cost of a large orchestra tour has become prohibitive in connection with the economic situation in wartime. These two factors have made small teams of 3-5 people more profitable and manageable.

The third reason is the cessation of the recording from 1942 to 1944 due to a strike by the musicians' union. At the same time, the singers were not members of the union of musicians and could record in studios. This contributed to the fact that the singers left the orchestras and began a solo career.

Another factor was the introduction of a cabaret tax in 1941, which accounted for 30% of ticket sales. This meant that the orchestras that were hired by the clubs were supposed to become smaller and cheaper, which was difficult for swing big bands.

Finally, the swing, which became popular during the Great Depression and was very popular when the war broke out, became a reminder of those bad years. People no longer wanted to listen to music associated with bad memories and sad emotions.

Thus, after the war, swing lost its former popularity, giving way to other musical styles.

Swing also influenced later styles with traditional pop music , jump blues and bebop jazz . In the late 1950s and 1960s, swing revived with the revived County Basie and Duke Ellington orchestras, as well as pop singers such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole .

Swing mixed with other genres and new genres appeared. In country music , artists such as Jimmy Rogers , Moon Mullian, and Bob Wills introduced many swing elements along with the blues to create a genre called western swing. Gypsy swing is the brainchild of Venuti and Lang's jazz violin. Swing awakened periodically from the late 1960s to the 2000s. In the late 1980s (early 1990s) swing became fashionable again, in a more urban style a swing bit appeared, which appeared under the name New Jack Swing, led by Teddy Riley. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the swing revived, led by Squirelle Nat Zippers, Brian Setzer, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy , and Lovely Smith. In Canada in the early 2000s, some JW-Jones Blues recordings included elements of a swing rebirth.

Also in the early 2000s, the electro-swing style was spread - electronic dance music using a combination of traditional swing and jazz rhythms with modern dance rhythms, as well as the sound of wind instruments typical of jazz (saxophone, trombone, etc.). The founder of this style Marcus Fuhreder is considered to be recording his tracks under the pseudonym Parov Stelar , he is also the leader of the same name group.