By Tom Mulhern
It’s been 65 years since Duke Ellington’s hit "It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing" cemented the word "swing" to the distinctive style of jazz for all time. And indeed, swing became the big buzz for years to come, although it was Benny Goodman who was crowned "King of Swing," rather than Ellington. But despite the admonition that came with the lyrics, rock and roll somehow managed to take the reins of pop music and continue unabated for over 40 years, spawning a multitude of progeny as varied as rap, heavy metal, and folk-rock. Swing has spent about a half-century in a less prominent role.
Okay, so no one takes that lyric too seriously. Ever since Elvis Presley and Bill Haley shocked parents and delighted teens, jazz and big-band-style pop–no matter how good or how popular in the past–has been unseated as America’s (and indeed the world’s) main musical style. In fact, some might argue that jazz did a lot to hasten the process by evolving into bebop, free jazz, and other less-than-danceable forms.
Despite the guitar’s longtime domination as a lead instrument, the solo saxophone has had its share of the spotlight, too, especially in early rock and roll. And horns have certainly been no strangers to later forms of rock. In the ’60s and ’70s, horns were important contributors to the sound of soul (Aretha Franklin and James Brown, for instance), Top 40 (Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Sergio Mendez), and pop-rock (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Chase, Tower Of Power, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire). So, despite big band and swing being heavily horn-based, there hasn’t been an "anti-horn" faction trying to keep brass out of the public’s ear, or to discourage sax solos. And some of the hippest music blaring from TV, albeit in the form of commercials, is in the form of swing classics like "In The Mood" and "Sing, Sing, Sing."
After what seems like an eternity out of the spotlight, there appears to be something happening in swing, a reawakening–although it’s not 100% clear whether it’s a reawakening on the part of the players, the listeners/dancers, or all of the above. Swing has long been seen by most people growing up after World War II as a sort of "nostalgia" music, but it has also been heavily pigeonholed as a "mood" background music for TV and movies, too, relegated to a role similar to brick streets, zoot suits, and Tommy guns. Examine when the "Swing Era" occurred, and you’ll notice that the music was indeed the soundtrack to the Great Depression and World War II, two of the world’s darkest times in recent history. This message hasn’t been lost on Hollywood or the TV producers, who routinely dig deep into the archives for swing hits by Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington to flavor their period pieces.
David Miller, an independent producer, has a radio show centered around the Big Band Era, called Swingin’ Down The Lane, which airs on 40 NPR stations. He explains that the Big Band Era and Swing Era (from approximately 1935 to 1945, depending on who you ask) are essentially one. However, he notes, "Swing bands definitely were a subcategory of big bands. Therefore, although you can use Swing Era and Big Band Era more or less interchangeably, you can’t call every band that was important during that period a swing band. Sammy Kaye and Guy Lombardo were the absolute opposite of swing bands."
If you listen to radio–even the most hardcore rock radio–you’ll hear the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ catchy, swingy tune "Hell" throbbing insistently. They offer as much blues and Dixieland as they do swing, but they’re getting a ton of airplay. The band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy made a huge, horn-laden splash on the soundtrack to the movie Swingers recently, and even was mentioned in the New York Times’ Janet Maslin’s review. Another band with swinging roots, Seven Foot Politic, mixes ska, swing, Dixieland, and more to create a sound that would make Benny Goodman say, "Huh?" but gets people up and dancing in the same high-energy way.
Strictly speaking, unless it’s oldtime swing in the style of the masters, it isn’t real, live swing. Or, so say the purists. But just about every other kind of music has metamorphosed from what it was to what it is today. Blues, rock and roll, and even more modern urban styles such as hip-hop keep evolving. So except for the purists, there’s a lot of power in the neo swingers, a new breed of musicians who sometimes fuse diverse styles like ska, rockabilly, and funk with their swing. The brass crescendos, the solid rhythm section, and the great melodies are there, but sometimes with modern amenities.
Enjoying swing isn’t just for those who wax nostalgic for its glory days, either. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the young hipsters who sneaked out on school nights to see the original swingers now populate the audiences, a new generation of hipsters dancing fast and having fun. For all the hoopla surrounding some of the neo-swing bands, there are many, many more bands playing the more traditional styles of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, and many others.
Many observers point out that dancing is fueling at least part of swing’s resurgence in popularity. Dance groups are everywhere, and in this case "groups" doesn’t mean "bands." That is, there are organized groups of dancers all over the planet, and among the favorite steps are the ones that come from the Swing Era. Sure, you can dance to a stereo system, but nothing’s quite like a real, live band. And for those who grew up in the Swing Era, dancing and live music were inseparable. Those experiencing the music/dance phenomenon now find that there’s a certain aura, a sense of style that comes from the blare of a big band.
Among dances that have been kept alive or revived (depending on who you ask), the Lindy Hop is a biggie, and there are even Lindy Hop clubs. There are many styles of dancing from the Swing Era, including jive, jitterbug, push, whip, West Coast swing, East Coast swing, and many more. It’s hardly surprising, since there were so many distinctive styles of swing and big band music.
Another factor in people’s rediscovery of swing music comes from high-tech: Since the compact disc appeared in the early 1980s, record companies have eagerly reissued just about everything in their vaults. The amount of Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington material is startling–and some of the material was long out of print, or had never been previously released. This makes it exciting for followers of the bands, plus it provides a broader scope for newcomers.
In some ways, Swing and Big Bands exist out of sync with the times, partly due to economics. Imagine the typical struggling rock band with maybe three, four, or five members, jammed into a van with their equipment, trying to scrape by on a cross-country "tour." Now imagine 17 musicians jammed into . . . a van? No way. A couple of vans? Mmmmm, try a bus. The band has to eat, stay somewhere, cover expenses. Rock bands have amps, you say? Amplification is the least of a big band’s worries. Getting the upright bass to the gig in one piece, making sure there’s a decent piano, and other headaches can be daunting.
Good planning, even logistics on a par with the D-Day invasion, can only take a band so far. So, the bands that travel long distances are either big-name, extremely well-established outfits or pared-down groups. Staying close to home–at least within a few hours’ drive from home–is an economical way for bands to be big but not big-of-budget. Community bands also help to fill the void. And a lot of what’s kept swing music alive has been the ability of some big bands to achieve "house band" status, and/or keep a steady stream of bookings within "society" circles.
A musician has to take a long, hard look at the economic viability of being in a big band. San Francisco-area bandleader Russ Button heads Russ Button’s Swing Orchestra, a 17-piece troupe that consists of powerhouse musicians who, for the most part, play in the band because they like it–not because it’s their career. In fact, Button works days in the computer field, as do some of his cohorts. Their bass player is an attorney. "We do a little of anything and everything," he states. "We’re playing a garden party. Then we’re playing for the city of Menlo Park, for their summer series. We do corporate Christmas parties, and we even did the opening of a Saturn dealership." Their common love for the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and other swingers keeps them going. And they don’t travel outside the area; they don’t even look for jobs outside the area.
In Philadelphia, a big band led by jazz veteran Al Raymond plays dances, college reunions, weddings, and so on, but only in the area. It keeps expenses and wear and tear on the musicians down. Instead of getting on a bus and having to find a place to stay at night, by and large, his musicians can live at home and perform within, say, a 100-mile range. It’s practical, but only for players in a major metro area.
Bands also make ends meet by including swing as part of their repertoire, and many perform a wide variety of styles, including Latin, pop, ballroom, funk, jump blues, and just about anything else that gets the locals up and dancing.
Greater distribution of independently produced albums helps, too, since major labels virtually ignore swing bands. A check of the Internet shows that it’s becoming an important avenue not only for selling CDs and tapes, but as a place to put samples of the band’s music online for people to audition.
More music with more musicians means more musicians with gigs. But it also means a bigger market for horns, mouthpieces, and ancilliary products such as cleaner, reeds, etc.
What could short-circuit this? If you have been following the news and Playback, you know that music education has been short-shrifted for years as schools have tried to balance budgets. Playing charts and understanding the musical concepts requires more than a casual acquaintance with the fundamentals and, to put it frankly, some good chops to make the music come alive.
David Miller predicts that the best music of the Big Band Era will eventually enjoy the kind of status that is now enjoyed by classical music. "The best of it will survive and will be replayed for as long as classical music written in the 17th or 18th century is being played," he says. "And I’m referring to the pieces that are most enduring, which are mostly instrumental. The vocal pieces haven’t survived the years as well as the instrumentals. The ones that quickly come to mind are the ones that were done by Glenn Miller, Count Basie, and so on. They’ll continue to be played, albeit to a limited audience. I think it’s a specialty in the overall music realm, which is going to continue to have its adherents, including young people who, as I see it, at a certain age--like classical fans, are exposed to it and eventually love it. I think a similar thing can happen with the best music from the Big Band Era."
Every type of music has its enthusiasts, and even if it isn’t dominating the airwaves or the record industry, it still can have throngs of followers. Russ Button concludes, "If music is expressive, people appreciate it, and it’s successful."