American Roots Music

 Hey Everyone!

The music topic that I decided to talk about is Swing. About two or three years ago, I went to a pickin parlor to swing dance with some friends from a college church group for the first time. I fell in love with the dance. I wanted to learn more techniques and continue to progress in difficulty. While being in this class and learning about this blog, I developed an interest to learn the history of Swing music. Swing music originated from Jazz which came from the Blues. 

Swing first began in the 1920s and was called Big Band swing. It was created from the blues to be a type of dance music where a group of people uses structured dance moves to keep in time with the beat. It is extremely high energy and over time it shifted to being danced with a partner.  It was much different from other types of dancing Jazz music which was usually improved during that time. 

Here is an example of swing dancing in action!

Types of swing dances include the Jitterbug, Shag, Jive, Lindy Charleston, the Rodeo Swing, the Lindy Hop, and many more. The Lindy Hop was the very first swing dance that was created in the African -American New York City of Harlem. The original dancers of the style were Willa Mae Ricker and Leon James. It has evolved very much since then and gained popularity during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The dance derived from or was combined with other dances such as the Charleston, tap, jazz, and breakaway. It is known as a Jazz dance that is a member of the Swing family. It is danced with both a partner and in a solo format using movements from other African American dances and an eight-count structure derived from European partner dances. Today, it is used in social, competitive, and performance settings. Partners could choose to dance together or solo with a lot of improv being added to the piece. The most well-known Lindy Hop type dance is the Breakway. The dance pattern was created accidentally at the Harlem dance marathon in 1928 by George Snowden and Mattie Purnell. It eventually grew in popularity and is still used in many places today. 

Below I have added a video of the Lindy Hop being performed. 

The first originals of swing dancing were actually seen during the time of slavery in the U.S. When African people were transported to the states, they brought a huge part of their cultures such as food, clothing, and dance styles along with them. This is where swing comes into play. The people used swing dancing as a way to brighten their spirits during their hardships. When slavery ended and blacks were becoming more accepted into society, black performers rose up and saw this as a way to showcase their talents. 

An example of a huge African American pioneer in the Jazz world was Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August,4,1901. He was an American trumpet player and vocalist. He was the first African American artist in his career and also was the first African American Jazz musician to write an autobiography. He influenced people to shift their focus from working on a collective matter to working solo.  In 1923, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra performed an arrangement by Don Redman that featured a call-response between brass and reed sections. That next year, Louis Armstrong joined the band and added the aspect of having a greater emphasis on the soloists. Armstrong was well thought on and off stage by the white society which was rare during that time. Quite a few musicians ridiculed him for playing for segregated audiences because they felt he was not supportive enough of the civil rights movement.

Below I added a video of Armstrong performing one of his most famous pieces. 

 The Henderson band also featured Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Buster Bailey soloists, who all were influential in the development of swing-era instrumental styles. (Louis Armstrong) Buster Bailey was an American clarinetist born on July 19, 1902. He was taught clarinet by his classical teacher Franz Schoepp and began to gain recognition when he joined the W.C. Handy’s Orchestra in 1917. After he had met and became friends with Armstrong, Armstrong invited him to join the Henderson Orchestra.  He accepted and moved to New York City in response. Being a spotlight in the Jazz world, Bailey decided to never modernize the way he played nor did he ever lead. He was one of the most skilled clarinetists in the 1920s and his talents contributed to the success of many records. 

Wikipedia contributors. “Music History of the United States.” Wikipedia, 24 Feb. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States.

Wikipedia contributors. “Louis Armstrong.” Wikipedia, 10 Apr. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong#A_jazz_ambassador.

Wikipedia contributors. “Buster Bailey.” Wikipedia, 31 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Bailey.

Wikipedia contributors. “Lindy Hop.” Wikipedia, 29 Mar. 2022, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Hop.