Subgenre

Swing

144 profiles tagged Swing, A-Z.

Swing developed in the United States through the early-to-mid 1930s and dominated American popular music through the mid-1940s, built around big bands playing riff-based arrangements with a steady, propulsive 4/4 rhythm felt in eighth-note triplet subdivisions, the so-called swing feel. It was fundamentally dance music, filling ballrooms across the country at the height of the era's popularity. Bandleaders Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie were among its most prominent and influential figures.

akiko Vocals Akitoshi Igarashi Alto saxophone Aldo Rossi Alto Saxophone ✦ 1911–1979 Alfio Galigani Clarinet ✦ 1924–2010 Ali Jackson Drums Americo Del Ventura Violin ✦ 1903–1990 Andrea Pozza Piano Andrea Tofanelli Trumpet Antonino Pedone Baritone Saxophone Art Tatum Piano ✦ 1909–1956 Attilio Donadio Alto Saxophone ✦ 1925–1999 Baldo Panfili Trumpet Ben Webster Tenor saxophone ✦ 1909–1973 Bill Perkins Tenor and baritone saxophone ✦ 1924–2003 Boris Gammer Tenor Saxophone Bruno De Filippi Guitar ✦ 1930–2010 Bucky Pizzarelli Guitar (six-string and seven-string) ✦ 1926–2020 Cab Calloway Vocals (scat singing) ✦ 1907–1994 Carlo Loffredo Double Bass ✦ 1924–2018 Carlo Pes Guitar ✦ 1927–1999 Charlie Parker Alto saxophone ✦ 1920–1955 Chuck Redd Vibraphone Chuck Riggs Drums Clark Terry Trumpet ✦ 1920–2015 Claude Bolling Piano ✦ 1930–2020 Cleveland Eaton Bass ✦ 1939–2020 Coleman Hawkins Tenor saxophone ✦ 1904–1969 Cosimo Di Ceglie Guitar ✦ 1913–1980 Count Basie Orchestra Big band Davide Sgarra Clarinet Dexter Gordon Tenor saxophone ✦ 1923–1990 Dino Piana Trombone (valve) ✦ 1930–2023 Django Reinhardt Guitar ✦ 1910–1953 Don Baldwin Double bass ✦ 1940–2024 Dora Musumeci Piano ✦ 1934–2004 Duke Ellington Piano ✦ 1899–1974 Eddie Sauter Composition ✦ 1914–1981 Edoardo De Risi Bandleader Ehud Asherie Piano Eiji Kitamura Clarinet Enzo Randisi Vibraphone ✦ 1935–2006 Erroll Garner Piano ✦ 1921–1977 Evan Christopher Clarinet Eyal Vilner Alto Saxophone Fat Cat Big Band Big Band Fats Waller Piano ✦ 1904–1943 Fletcher Henderson Piano ✦ 1897–1952 Francesca Tandoi Piano Franco Cerri Guitar ✦ 1926–2021 Frank Greene Trumpet Frank Wess Tenor saxophone ✦ 1922–2013 Fumio Nanri Trumpet ✦ 1910–1975 George Duvivier Double bass ✦ 1920–1985 George Kawaguchi Drums ✦ 1927–2003 Gianni Cazzola Drums ✦ 1938–2026 Gianni Sanjust Clarinet ✦ 1934–2020 Giorgio Rosciglione Double bass Giulio Camarca Guitar (electric and classical) ✦ 1941–2021 Glauco Masetti Alto saxophone ✦ 1922–2001 Hank Jones Piano ✦ 1918–2010 Harry Allen Tenor saxophone Harry James Trumpet ✦ 1916–1983 Harry Volpe Guitar Henghel Gualdi Clarinet ✦ 1924–2005 Henri Crolla Guitar ✦ 1920–1960 Herb Ellis Guitar ✦ 1921–2010 Hidehiko Matsumoto Tenor saxophone ✦ 1926–2000 Hilary Gardner Vocals Howard Alden Seven-string guitar J.C. Heard Drums ✦ 1917–1988 Jacques Loussier Piano ✦ 1934–2019 Jeff Hamilton Drums Jimmie Lunceford Alto saxophone ✦ 1902–1947 Jimmy Rowles Piano ✦ 1918–1996 Joe Pass Guitar ✦ 1929–1994 Joel Forbes Double bass ✦ 1956–2024 John Clayton Double bass Jon Hendricks Vocals ✦ 1921–2017 Kei Marimura Vocals Ken Peplowski Clarinet ✦ 1959–2026 Kobi Salomon Clarinet Lester Young Tenor saxophone ✦ 1909–1959 Lilian Terry Vocals ✦ 1930–2023 Lino Patruno Guitar Lionel Hampton Vibraphone ✦ 1908–2002 Lorenzo Petrocca Guitar Louis Armstrong Trumpet ✦ 1901–1971 Lucio Capobianco Trombone ✦ 1931–2012 Luigi Grasso Alto Saxophone Makoto Ozone Piano Marcello Rosa Trombone ✦ 1935–2024 Marco Ratti Double Bass ✦ 1932–2007 Mario Pezzotta Trombone (also bombardino and bass tuba early in his career) ✦ 1920–2004 Mark Shane Piano Martha Miyake Vocals ✦ 1933–2025 Matteo Brancaleoni Vocals Mauro Carpi Violin Mauro Ottolini Trombone Mel Lewis Drums ✦ 1929–1990 Melissa Stylianou Vocals Michael Supnick Trombone Nicki Parrott Double bass Noble Sissle Vocals (tenor) ✦ 1889–1975 Nobuo Hara Tenor Saxophone ✦ 1926–2021 Oscar Peterson Piano ✦ 1925–2007 Oscar Pettiford Double bass ✦ 1922–1960 Owen Broder Baritone saxophone Paolo Birro Piano Paolo Nonnis Drums ✦ 1950–2026 Paolo Tomelleri Saxophone Pasquale Grasso Guitar Peppe Carta Double Bass ✦ 1912–1997 Peter Anderson Tenor Saxophone Pupo De Luca Drums ✦ 1926–2006 Ray Brown Double bass ✦ 1926–2002 Renato Germonio Accordion ✦ 1921–2004 Roberta Gambarini Vocals Roberto Podio Drums Romano Mussolini Piano ✦ 1927–2006 Rossano Sportiello Piano Roy Haynes Drums; occasional vocals ✦ 1925–2024 Salvatore Pizzurro Trombone Sandro Gibellini Guitar Scott Robinson Saxophones (soprano to contrabass, plus C-melody) Seby Burgio Piano Sergio Coppotelli Guitar Sergio Rigon Baritone Saxophone ✦ 1934–2014 Shay Zelman Drums Sherrie Maricle Drums Skippy Williams Tenor saxophone ✦ 1916–1994 Stéphane Grappelli Violin (also piano) ✦ 1908–1997 Sun Ra Piano ✦ 1914–1993 Tal Ronen Double Bass Tanya Darby Trumpet Tatsuya Takahashi Tenor saxophone ✦ 1931–2008 Teddy Wilson Piano ✦ 1912–1986 Tib Kamayatsu Vocals ✦ 1911–1980 Tommy Turrentine Trumpet ✦ 1928–1997 Toshio Oida Vocals ✦ 1925–2003 Tullio Mobiglia Tenor saxophone ✦ 1911–1991 Will Anderson Alto Saxophone Wycliffe Gordon Trombone Yoshitaka Akimitsu Piano ✦ 1929–2026 Zoot Sims Tenor saxophone ✦ 1925–1985

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