Swing / Big Band Jazz
familyStarted late 1920sPeak 1935–1945Last big hit still active
This family is jazz’s classic dance engine: arranged horn sections, four-beat pulse, riffs, shout choruses, walking bass, and rhythmic lift built for ballrooms, radios, and packed dance floors.
History
Swing grew from late-1920s big-band jazz and became America’s dominant popular music in the 1930s and early 1940s through Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Even after rock and bop changed the market, the sound survived in repertory bands, vocal revivals, neo-swing, and modern large ensembles.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Britannica on swing
- Carnegie Hall Timeline on swing bands
- NEA and band-history resources.