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Swing! Swing! Swing!
A celebration of swing music

Louis Armstrong said, “If you can’t feel Swing, you’ll never know it.” This series, hosted by Connaitre Miller of Howard University, explores why Swing was the most popular dance music in America and how it is still alive today in dance halls, clubs and movies.

Lesson Content

a celebration of swing music does it swing.png

Does it Swing?

There’s a question every good jazz musician can answer just by listening to a song: “Does it Swing?” In this episode, we introduce several kinds of vintage and modern swing music: Swing Jazz, Western Swing, Gypsy Swing, and New Jack Swing and learn what music needs to have in order to “Swing.”

a celebration of swing musicswing jazz.png

Swing Jazz

“Swing” took over the jazz world in the 1930s and became the music your great-grandparents danced to during World War II. In this episode, modern day Swing performers explain and demonstrate where Swing Jazz came from, why it was so popular, and where you can find it today.

a celebration of swing music western swing.png

Western Swing

In the 1930s, two types of American music, the rural Country/Western and the urban Swing Jazz, were combined to create Western Swing, a popular type of music that crossed racial boundaries. In this episode we’ll learn about the roots of Western Swing, and hear the music of its most famous performer, Bob Wills.

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Gypsy Swing

Jazz is a purely American form of music. With one exception. In the 1930s, Hungarian guitarist Django Reinhardt created a unique form of jazz – Gypsy Swing – that mixed traditional Eastern European music with an American beat. In this episode, Gypsy Jazz violinist Tony Ballog introduces us to the music of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Swing.

What is Swing? Swing Explained in 2 Minutes

What is Swing? Swing Explained in 2 Minutes

History Brief: Big Bands & Swing Music in the 1930s

History Brief: Big Bands & Swing Music in the 1930s

Jazz Fundamentals: What Is Swing?

Jazz Fundamentals: What Is Swing?

The Subject is Jazz: Swing

The Subject is Jazz: Swing

鈥淛umpin鈥 Jive鈥 - Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers

鈥淛umpin鈥 Jive鈥 - Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers

Duke Ellington - 鈥淚t Don鈥檛 Mean a Thing鈥 (1943)

Duke Ellington - 鈥淚t Don鈥檛 Mean a Thing鈥 (1943)

Count Basie - 鈥淓asin It鈥 Stockholm, 1962

Count Basie - 鈥淓asin It鈥 Stockholm, 1962

Oscar Peterson - C Jam Blues

Oscar Peterson - C Jam Blues

Buddy Rich with Tommy Dorsey & his Orchestra 1943 鈥淲ell Git It鈥

Buddy Rich with Tommy Dorsey & his Orchestra 1943 鈥淲ell Git It鈥

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, 1951

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, 1951

Django Reinhardt 1945

Django Reinhardt 1945

Gypsy Jazz: The Django Reinhardt Festival

Gypsy Jazz: The Django Reinhardt Festival

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - 鈥淵ou and Me (And The Bottle Makes Three)鈥

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - 鈥淵ou and Me (And The Bottle Makes Three)鈥

Juice - Vintage 1920s Gatsby Style Lizzo Cover ft. Mario Jose

Juice - Vintage 1920s Gatsby Style Lizzo Cover ft. Mario Jose

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  • Narrator

    Connaitre Miller

  • Audio Producer

    Richard Paul

  • Producer

    Kenny Neal

  • Published

    September 9, 2019

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