I have a confession to make. I’m a huge fan of swing music. Ever since I heard that iconic Jeeves and Wooster opening theme song, it’s a genre that I’ve stuck to with an almost fiery dedication. To this day, I have a fearful suspicion of people who can fight the urge to tap their foot whenever that off-beat hi-hat kicks in (and, to this day, anyone who can really dance to swing is instantly welcomed into my life whether they ask for it or not). It’s one of those things you’re simply not allowed to admit to liking in polite company, as it makes you seem like the most wildly pretentious of all the pretentious wankers out there, but I can honestly say no genre has impressed me more over the years. So I’ve decided to indulge my passion, and have a look into the history of swing music. Just bear with me. We’ll be back to the funny stuff soon enough, I promise. For now, take my hand, and we can lindy-hop our way back through musical history.
Swing can actually be traced back to almost a century ago, taking it’s place alongside jazz and blues as an early form of properly popular music. It developed from the syncopated rhythms of jazz, soon developing into a more refined genre of it’s own. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that swing really became the genre that we know it as today, as bands and artists began to diverge into styles that suited them better. Some historians have traced the origins of swing right back to 1931, pinpointing Chuck Webb’s Harlem shows as the true birth of a new genre. As with all things in the music industry, however, swing was at the beck and call of the economy, and a swiftly onsetting depression quieted the once thriving nightclub business — and swing along with it — for a good while. However, at the tail end of 1932, Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra packed out music halls with thousands of fans clamouring to hear more of this sweet new jive (I imagine).
For ten years, swing was the dominant genre in the music world. From the mid-thirties to the mid-forties, swing music became the dance music of the day. In fact, many people still consider swing as the closest thing to modern pop you can find in the early twentieth century. While jazz was still seen as the reserve of serious musicians, swing was certainly considered a lower form of music, and tended to attract those artists who hadn’t quite been able to hack it as jazz musicians. Despite the way it was viewed inside the industry, swing was an undeniable global phenomenon, churning out records that are still listened to over seventy years later. We’re talking records so big that they were dropped over enemy lines in the Second World War. That’s how much people loved this music. And it wasn’t just in America that people were digging swing — the genre thrived across the pond too, and particularly in Germany and Britain. Films like Helzapoppin’ and Day at the Races helped popularize the music, as well as the distinctive dance that went with it.
One of the biggest parts of swing music was the Lindy Hop. Developing into a more distinctive dance more appropriate to swing music. In the 1920s, dance marathons were occasionally held at The Savoy in New York, with up to four thousand dancers competing in each competition. Much like that Gilmore Girls episode I know you’re reminded off right now, couples occasionally took small, show-offy dance breaks, and it was during one of these breaks that a couple broke into an energetic, exciting new dance move. When asked to name this revolutionary new way to get down, the man replied that they were dancing to Lindy Hop (in reference to Charles Lindburgh who’d recently “hopped” across the Atlantic ocean by plane). In 1943, Time magazine declared the dance “the national dance of America”. Alongside this growing dance craze, swing was beginning to make a real name for itself.
But all good things must come to an end, and it wasn’t overly long till swing music found itself heading towards a decline. Many musicians were away fighting the war, and “big band” became more and more of a misnomer. With choice artists away fighting, stars like Glenn Miller had to settle for less talented, more local members to make up the missing sections of their bands. A musician union strike meant fewer records were produced anyway, and by the time society had settled down, tastes had moved on to other things. The Cabaret tax in 1941 (which is far less interesting than it sounds, by the way) required club owners to hand over 30% of their ticket profits as taxes, leaving less money to play in-house musicians, or to hire popular swing bands. Even as many musicians moved out of jazz music to find new bandleaders who could teach them something new, swing was threatening to fade away.
There has been much discussion on the effect of swing music on the racism of the era. Segregation was still present, and the Lindy Hop was initially vastly kept to the black communities. Hollywood films would use bands featuring black members in ways that allowed their segments to be completely lifted out of the film so as not to offend audiences (sometimes, these sections were presented separate from the film, as their own mini-movies). Few bands of any genre mixed up races at this time, but Benny Goodman’s swing band was one of the very first. Just as the world began to open it’s mind to these fantastic mixed bands, swing suffered from the double whammy of the Second World War and the Great Depression. Morale and disposable income took a nose dive, and it looked like this particular genre might be gone for good.
Swing, being the plucky little genre that refused to die, actually managed a whole comeback on both coasts in the 1990s. In a world were music was ear-manglingly loud or not playing at all, some people have theorised that the intimate, pair-dancing, soft nature of swing was behind the explosion of swing bands and fans towards the end of the century. Even Frankie Manning, the man credited with pulling off the first aerial Lindy Hop move and one of the most renowned and accomplished dancers of the era, performed at venues across America during the decade. The distinctly modish style of suits, shiny shoes and carefully sculpted hair also presented a pretty slick alternative to the grunge or raver wear around at the time too (who wouldn’t prefer a snazzy suit to glow-in-the-dark armbands that you’ll inevitably absentmindedly burst when you’re drunk. And those stains do not come out). With the echoes of the Great Depression and the War behind it, swing could shake free of it’s uncomfortable connotations and do what it did best — shoulder-pop the house down.
And it wasn’t just swing in it’s purest form that caught back on as the new millennium dawned. It was quickly incorporated into a number of the modern “pop” numbers that were around at the time — just take a look at the influence of swing on members of the Rat Pack for proof. The big band influence was developed into the pop-orientated sound we associate with the 1950s, and it wasn’t long till swing was the reserve of fancy dinner clubs in the sixties and seventies. Rock had taken over, and all that there seemed room for was rebellion.
It must have come as quite a surprise when a bunch of electronic musicians picked up the genre at the start of the millennium and went “yeah, we could work with this.” As technology allowed fans to put their scratchy vinyl records online, that distinctively old-school style and off-beat percussion pricked the ears of a number of bands just dabbling in electronica. And they spotted a connection. Since then, a parade of awesome electro-swing bands have been churning out their own twists of classics as well as original, swing-inspired numbers that meld stuff like dubstep and EDM with the catchy, toe-tapping beats of early swing. Take the exploits of The Correspondents, seamlessly blending remixes of standards like “Jive Man” with their own dirty ditties about sleeping with fine-ass American women. Many artists of this nature have even adopted the look of the time, in tails and impeccable suits, backed up by DJs in jeans and ironic t-shirts. The subgenre has been thriving of late, with festivals like BoomTown specifically promising electro-swing performances, and albums as opposed to irregular EPs becoming the norm. Whatever the century, you’ll find someone somewhere layin’ down some honest swing groove. If that isn’t a way to keep the genre alive, I don’t know what is. And, most importantly, I can’t wait to see who takes on the genre next, and how they turn it on it’s head once again.
The Evolution of Swing Music: From Chuck Webb to Electro-Swing
I have a confession to make. I’m a huge fan of swing music. Ever since I heard that iconic Jeeves and Wooster opening theme song, it’s a genre that I’ve stuck to with an almost fiery dedication. To this day, I have a fearful suspicion of people who can fight the urge to tap their foot whenever that off-beat hi-hat kicks in (and, to this day, anyone who can really dance to swing is instantly welcomed into my life whether they ask for it or not). It’s one of those things you’re simply not allowed to admit to liking in polite company, as it makes you seem like the most wildly pretentious of all the pretentious wankers out there, but I can honestly say no genre has impressed me more over the years. So I’ve decided to indulge my passion, and have a look into the history of swing music. Just bear with me. We’ll be back to the funny stuff soon enough, I promise. For now, take my hand, and we can lindy-hop our way back through musical history.
Swing can actually be traced back to almost a century ago, taking it’s place alongside jazz and blues as an early form of properly popular music. It developed from the syncopated rhythms of jazz, soon developing into a more refined genre of it’s own. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that swing really became the genre that we know it as today, as bands and artists began to diverge into styles that suited them better. Some historians have traced the origins of swing right back to 1931, pinpointing Chuck Webb’s Harlem shows as the true birth of a new genre. As with all things in the music industry, however, swing was at the beck and call of the economy, and a swiftly onsetting depression quieted the once thriving nightclub business — and swing along with it — for a good while. However, at the tail end of 1932, Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra packed out music halls with thousands of fans clamouring to hear more of this sweet new jive (I imagine).
For ten years, swing was the dominant genre in the music world. From the mid-thirties to the mid-forties, swing music became the dance music of the day. In fact, many people still consider swing as the closest thing to modern pop you can find in the early twentieth century. While jazz was still seen as the reserve of serious musicians, swing was certainly considered a lower form of music, and tended to attract those artists who hadn’t quite been able to hack it as jazz musicians. Despite the way it was viewed inside the industry, swing was an undeniable global phenomenon, churning out records that are still listened to over seventy years later. We’re talking records so big that they were dropped over enemy lines in the Second World War. That’s how much people loved this music. And it wasn’t just in America that people were digging swing — the genre thrived across the pond too, and particularly in Germany and Britain. Films like Helzapoppin’ and Day at the Races helped popularize the music, as well as the distinctive dance that went with it.
One of the biggest parts of swing music was the Lindy Hop. Developing into a more distinctive dance more appropriate to swing music. In the 1920s, dance marathons were occasionally held at The Savoy in New York, with up to four thousand dancers competing in each competition. Much like that Gilmore Girls episode I know you’re reminded off right now, couples occasionally took small, show-offy dance breaks, and it was during one of these breaks that a couple broke into an energetic, exciting new dance move. When asked to name this revolutionary new way to get down, the man replied that they were dancing to Lindy Hop (in reference to Charles Lindburgh who’d recently “hopped” across the Atlantic ocean by plane). In 1943, Time magazine declared the dance “the national dance of America”. Alongside this growing dance craze, swing was beginning to make a real name for itself.
But all good things must come to an end, and it wasn’t overly long till swing music found itself heading towards a decline. Many musicians were away fighting the war, and “big band” became more and more of a misnomer. With choice artists away fighting, stars like Glenn Miller had to settle for less talented, more local members to make up the missing sections of their bands. A musician union strike meant fewer records were produced anyway, and by the time society had settled down, tastes had moved on to other things. The Cabaret tax in 1941 (which is far less interesting than it sounds, by the way) required club owners to hand over 30% of their ticket profits as taxes, leaving less money to play in-house musicians, or to hire popular swing bands. Even as many musicians moved out of jazz music to find new bandleaders who could teach them something new, swing was threatening to fade away.
There has been much discussion on the effect of swing music on the racism of the era. Segregation was still present, and the Lindy Hop was initially vastly kept to the black communities. Hollywood films would use bands featuring black members in ways that allowed their segments to be completely lifted out of the film so as not to offend audiences (sometimes, these sections were presented separate from the film, as their own mini-movies). Few bands of any genre mixed up races at this time, but Benny Goodman’s swing band was one of the very first. Just as the world began to open it’s mind to these fantastic mixed bands, swing suffered from the double whammy of the Second World War and the Great Depression. Morale and disposable income took a nose dive, and it looked like this particular genre might be gone for good.
Swing, being the plucky little genre that refused to die, actually managed a whole comeback on both coasts in the 1990s. In a world were music was ear-manglingly loud or not playing at all, some people have theorised that the intimate, pair-dancing, soft nature of swing was behind the explosion of swing bands and fans towards the end of the century. Even Frankie Manning, the man credited with pulling off the first aerial Lindy Hop move and one of the most renowned and accomplished dancers of the era, performed at venues across America during the decade. The distinctly modish style of suits, shiny shoes and carefully sculpted hair also presented a pretty slick alternative to the grunge or raver wear around at the time too (who wouldn’t prefer a snazzy suit to glow-in-the-dark armbands that you’ll inevitably absentmindedly burst when you’re drunk. And those stains do not come out). With the echoes of the Great Depression and the War behind it, swing could shake free of it’s uncomfortable connotations and do what it did best — shoulder-pop the house down.
And it wasn’t just swing in it’s purest form that caught back on as the new millennium dawned. It was quickly incorporated into a number of the modern “pop” numbers that were around at the time — just take a look at the influence of swing on members of the Rat Pack for proof. The big band influence was developed into the pop-orientated sound we associate with the 1950s, and it wasn’t long till swing was the reserve of fancy dinner clubs in the sixties and seventies. Rock had taken over, and all that there seemed room for was rebellion.
It must have come as quite a surprise when a bunch of electronic musicians picked up the genre at the start of the millennium and went “yeah, we could work with this.” As technology allowed fans to put their scratchy vinyl records online, that distinctively old-school style and off-beat percussion pricked the ears of a number of bands just dabbling in electronica. And they spotted a connection. Since then, a parade of awesome electro-swing bands have been churning out their own twists of classics as well as original, swing-inspired numbers that meld stuff like dubstep and EDM with the catchy, toe-tapping beats of early swing. Take the exploits of The Correspondents, seamlessly blending remixes of standards like “Jive Man” with their own dirty ditties about sleeping with fine-ass American women. Many artists of this nature have even adopted the look of the time, in tails and impeccable suits, backed up by DJs in jeans and ironic t-shirts. The subgenre has been thriving of late, with festivals like BoomTown specifically promising electro-swing performances, and albums as opposed to irregular EPs becoming the norm. Whatever the century, you’ll find someone somewhere layin’ down some honest swing groove. If that isn’t a way to keep the genre alive, I don’t know what is. And, most importantly, I can’t wait to see who takes on the genre next, and how they turn it on it’s head once again.
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