With the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 destroying the carefree attitude of the Roaring 20s, the American people needed a way to escape the stress of the world around them. They found this escape in a new, upbeat form of Jazz known as "Swing". The Swing Era not only lifted people's spirits but also created new forms of dance that held a heavy impact on the entertainment and social culture of the time.
Swing Era Definition
The Swing Era was a time in which swing music was the most popular music in the United States. It influenced dance, entertainment, and social culture alike. Swing was a style of jazz that grew from African American roots and boasted large bands consisting of 12-16 members.
The Swing Era Years
The Swing Era years were from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s. Though swing music had emerged before this point, it was not popular until the years of the Great Depression. Coming right after the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression was the longest and most severe economic depression ever experienced by the industrialized West.
Approximately 15 million Americans to be out of work by 1933.
Amid people's struggles, musicians became more competitive and creative in their attempts to make a new, unique style. With swing, bands adopted classical and popular music themes and performed them in dance tempo. This new music, along with the end of Prohibition in 1933, inspired the following Swing Era years.
Prohibition
the period from 1920 to 1933 during which the manufacturing, selling, and transporting of alcohol in America was illegal
The word "swing" first appeared in a Duke Ellington number from 1932 titled "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." In that same year, it would also make an appearance in Benny Moten's "Moten Swing."
Fig. 1 - Duke Ellington's orchestra
Swing Era Characteristics: Music and Jazz
In swing bands, there were three defined groups: brass, woodwinds, and rhythm. The wind basses and banjos from previous decades turned into string basses and guitars, and the overall rhythm of the music became “lighter,” moving from 2/2 meter to 4/4 meter.
Swing placed a greater emphasis on written-out composition. The music was smooth, easy to listen to, fun to dance to, and simple to play. The harmonies of swing were clear and simple, while the melodies were lyrical and memorable. The rhythms had solid beats that were easy to follow with dance, and of course, most importantly, it “swung.”
Swing bands would also feature a soloist, meaning there had to be a strong emphasis on showmanship for the group to be successful. However, despite many Black orchestras finding popularity during this time, there was discrimination in the music industry. Stars had to be commercially exploitable, and for that to happen, they had to be white.
Swing Era Dance
The two earliest forms of swing dance to emerge were called the "Lindy Hop" and the "Charleston". Just as with swing music, the African American community played a large role in the development of these dances.
Swing Era Dance: The Savoy Ballroom
When the Savoy Ballroom in New York was inaugurated and opened to the public in 1926, it was an instant success due to its modern architecture. As its popularity grew, more famous dancers flocked to the Ballroom to dance to the jazz music that was often performed. New steps began to develop, and new dance forms quickly hit the scene.
Fig. 2 - Dancers at the Savoy Ballroom circa 1936
One day at the Savoy, news reporters questioned a dance enthusiast about the name of the moves that were being performed. The man panicked and responded with the title of a newspaper article that lay next to him–"Lindy Hops the Atlantic.” The name "Lindy Hop" stuck and a new form of dance was born.
In the 1930s, a Savoy bouncer by the name of Herbert White formed the first ever dance group for the Lindy Hop. The group became known across the globe and was also featured in movies. Despite its success, the older generations viewed this form of swing dance as vulgar and sexual and referred to it as a degenerated form of Jazz. Even into the 1940s, professional dance schools refused to recognize it as a real dance form–they preferred to focus on teaching the Tango, Paso Doble, Samba, Mamba, Cha-cha, and Waltz.
Swing Era Dance: Into the Mainstream
Change would begin to appear in the later 1940s when Arthur Murray, a famous dancer, requested his studio dance teachers to teach the forms of dance that were being performed in the streets. Soon, different forms of swing were taught at his studios in different cities. By the 1950s, the dance forms for swing were officially established. Since that time, this form of dance has been taught in many different schools, creating inspiration for the birth of "Ballroom East Coast Swing" and "Ballroom West Coast Swing."
Swing Era Composers and Musicians
Below is a table reviewing of some important Swing Era composers and musicians:
| Composer/Musician | Significance |
 Fig. 3 - Fletcher Henderson
| Fletcher Henderson was a skilled pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader that led some of the most popular bands in the 1920s and 30s. Henderson is responsible for hiring Louis Armstrong & bringing him from Chicago to NYC in 1924. He was also the full-time arranger for Benny Goodman in the 1940s. |
 Fig. 4 - Duke Ellington
| Duke Ellington found his fame by performing swing music weekly at New York's "Cotton Club". Ellington experimented with many harmonic and formal devices which helped him become known as one of the most important composers in American music. Today, many of his pieces are still used to set the standard for jazz music. |
 Fig. 5 - Coleman Hawkins
| Coleman Hawkins was known as the finest tenor saxophonist during the Swing Era. His style developed greatly while being a part of Fletcher Henderson's band and he later toured as a soloist. Hawkins' 1939 recording titled "Body and Soul" is a considered landmark improvisation in jazz history, influencing artists into bebop and later music styles. |
 Fig. 6 - William "Count" Basie
| William "Count" Basie was a pianist who found fame after moving to Kansas City to play with Bennie Moten's band in 1929. Basie went on to form his group in 1939 and played in multiple cities across the country; his style was bluesy and rousing and some of his most famous recordings were with other great artists such as Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennet. |
 Fig. 7 - Johnny Hodges
| Johnny Hodges was a saxophonist who spent 38 years with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His playing offered a unique tone and new approach to melodies that would inspire many other saxophonists of the era. Hodges is also known for studying briefly with Sidney Bechet. |
 Fig. 8 - Art Tatum
| Art Tatum was a pianist known for playing well ahead of his time; though he was not in any of the great Swing bands, he was a premiere keyboardist. His harmonic knowledge was learned by ear, and he set the standard for bebop musicians of the 1940s and 50s. |
 Fig. 9 - Ben Webster
| Ben Webster (along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young) were the three leading saxophonists of the Swing Era. Webster could play rough and up-tempo tunes just as well as he could play soft and graceful melodies. He became well known for being a tenor soloist in Duke Ellington's band from 1935 to 1943, and his recorded version of "Cotton Tail" is regarded as one of the biggest gems of the time. |
 Fig. 10 - Benny Goodman
| Benny Goodman was the son of poor Jewish immigrants who moved from New York to Chicago in the late 1920s. He began leading a band for a dance radio show in the 1930s and bought many of Fletcher Henderson's arrangements. Goodman is credited with popularizing Black musicians with white audiences and bolstering the reputation of swing music. Along with this, he is considered to be one of the best clarinetists of all time. |
 Fig. 11 - Lester Young
| Lester Young spent his childhood touring with his family's band as a tenor saxophonist. In the 1930s, he moved to Kansas City and joined Count Basie's band. Young's relaxed and warm tone in playing did not sit well with many audiences, as they were used to the harsh sounds of Coleman Hawkins. Regardless, his style became extremely influential to the bebop movement. |
 Fig. 12 - Roy Eldridge
| Roy Eldridge was a trumpeter who is viewed as the bridge between swing music and bebop. His playing was largely influenced by Coleman Hawkins, and his double-time lines quickly became a model for many bebop musicians. |
Swing Era - Key takeaways
The Swing Era refers to the period after the Great Depression, during which swing music gained great popularity.
Swing music was an upbeat genre that grew out of jazz and featured clear harmonies with lyrical melodies. It was easy to listen to and fun to dance to.
Dances such as the "Lindy Hop" and "Charleston" were popularized during the Swing Era. They were often featured at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City.
Both swing music and dance grew from African American roots, but the music industry discriminated against Black musicians and dancers.
Significant composers and musicians included Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and "Count" Basie.
Explanations 
Exams 
Magazine 
