What is "swinging music"?

[Ron]

Let me see if I can try to make a decent poll question about this topic.

This is hard.

I note that Jesse artfully entitled this general forum topic "swinging music" just to be inclusive as possible, to avoid this debate.

[Ron]

I chose the answer about swinging rhythm, 4 beats to measure, and emphasis on 2 and 4.

Do the following "swing"?
1. Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" or "Bounce Me Brother..."?
2. Jimmy Witherspoon's "There's Good Rockin Tonight"?
3. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's "You and Me and the Bottle Make Three"?
4. Bobby Day's "Rockin Robin"?
5. Eva Cassidy's "Wade in the Water"?
6. Johnny Lang's "Rack em up"?
7. Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"?
8. Oscar Peterson's "Happy Go Lucky Local/Night Train"?
9. Louis Jordan's "Caledonia"?
10. Slim Gaillard "Flat Foot Floogie"?
11. Diana Krall's "Popsicle Toes"?
12. Lou Rawl's "Stormy Monday"?
13. Frank Sinatra's "Luck Be a Lady"?
14. Just a drum and symbols beating out a swing rhythm
15. A song with no swing rhythm by any instrument, but a swinging voice

I'd say yes to all of the above.

Do the following "swing?"
20. A swinging jazz song with a Latin feel
21. A jazz waltz
22. Shuffle rhythm guitar blues songs
23. A windshield wiper
24. Ramsey Lewis' "The In Crowd"?
25. A Disco song

I'd say no to the 20's.

How about a 20's Dixieland song?
How about a slow (85 BPM) swinging blues song?
A slow sweet Glenn Miller ballad from the early 1940's?
A Miles Davis song?


Its academic, we all play some combination of what the crowd wants to hear and what we want to play, or what we specialize in, regardless of its classification. But its kinda interesting anyway.

[Kyle]

what about the "rhythmic displacement" comment that i put on the other thread? with that assumption, any song that doesn't have a rhythm section couldn't have rhythmic displacement and therefore would swing.

(from my interpretation of rhythmic displacement, you would need a drum and bass to achieve that)

to answer your question

the following #'s swing:
1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,12,13

the other ones...i cant remember popsicle toes, and dont know rack 'em up

the 20's...i agree with you that they dont swing.

considering my response, I still answered "Only swing-era big band music" but that's because that is all that I like to play and like to dance to.

[Ron]

You don't play Slim Gaillard or Cats and the Fiddle? Or Benny Goodman small groups?

[CafeSavoy]

You don't play Slim Gaillard or Cats and the Fiddle? Or Benny Goodman small groups?

and no silly trios without drums either. the nerve of oscar peterson and nat king cole, thinking they can swing with half a rhythms section. and
all those stride and boogie woogie pianists pretending to be a band
all by themselves.

[Mr Awesomer]

Kyle,

Listen...

a little solo ditty from 29

[Kyle]

You don't play Slim Gaillard or Cats and the Fiddle? Or Benny Goodman small groups?

we've been over this no slim gaillard.

but I do play tons of Goodman. I like the small group stuff

[Kyle]

Kyle,

Listen...

a little solo ditty from 29

yeah, that's a tough one. I get what you are saying. the song has a swingy backbeat to it, even though its solo piano. that's a hard one reuben.

let me listent to that even more, and get back to you on that. I think you found a whole in my "rhythmic displacement" statement

[Soupbone]

(from my interpretation of rhythmic displacement, you would need a drum and bass to achieve that)

I've not read the other thread (will try to find it now), but why would you need a drum and bass to acheive anything specific with regard to rhythm? I mean, sure, they're part of the rhythm section. But, under most typical circumstances, any instrument being played will have rhythm. And thus, can have rhythmic displacement.... no?

[Kyle]

rhythmic displacement means that the drum hits and then there is space until the bass hits.

that is why there is a marked difference between basie and goodman. basie sits back, the delay is much greater than goodman who is very driving, (overall)

[shortyjul]

1. oejhrvoewof d nbsdhjsdojsdfne adflsdh f msadf dsaf kjsdflkaweiasdfhdfsa!!

2. grrrrrrrrrrr.

3. never mind.

[Kyle]

huh?

[Ron]

Yeah, but we're talking about the definition of "swing". A swing rhythm has swinging eighth notes. The swing rhythm might be carried in the cymbals, but it might not. It can be carried by any of the instruments. Just as a single piano can have a swing rhythm, so could just a voice.

It has nothing to do with "hanging" back from playing on the top of the beat. Swing rhythm is a rhythm.