What is swing music

In the early years of Jazz, and up until the Swing Era, the piano was still very much rooted in the rhythm section of the band. So generally the pianist played very rhythmically, and helped keep the beat. Some of the Piano techniques employed during the Swing Era were:. As the name of that sound suggests, Count Basie played in Kansas City.

KC Jazz is characterised by:. And because KC Jazz songs were riff based, they were often played from memory by the band rather than from sheet music. This also contributed to the loose and spontaneous feel of KC Jazz.

KC Jazz marked the transition from the heavily structured, arranged and written out Big Band style of Swing to the more fluid and improvisation style of Bebop.

Skip to content Introduction When you mentioned the word Jazz to the average person, they probably think of Swing music, and for good reason. Above all else, Swing music is dance music — which means it was: Simple; Had clear melodies; and A strong beat. This also meant it was incredibly commercial. And because of this, Swing had a greater emphasis on written-out composition and arrangements. And, of course, it swung Swing was almost entirely commercial and part of the mass entertainment industry.

It was all about showmanship — which is epitomised by people like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller. Hot vs Sweet And there were also 2 different styles of Swing music. Swing music was mostly performed by big bands and reached broad audiences over the radio, on records, and in dance halls nationwide. Before the s, small ensembles, usually consisting of a trumpet , trombone, clarinet, tuba or bass, banjo or piano, and drums, performed jazz.

Each instrument had a specific role in the ensemble, and aside from the melody, parts were often improvised. This sectionalized approach carried over into the big bands of swing music. But instead of a small ensemble, swing music featured a section of three or four trumpeters, three or four trombonist, five saxophonists who often doubled on clarinets, a piano, a bassist instead of a tuba player, a guitarist, and a drummer.

Improvisation also had a featured role, and soloists would play while the rest of the band, aside from the rhythm section, dropped out or played arranged background lines. The Great Depression caused Americans to suffer, and dancing to swing music was a way for people to forget their worries. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.

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