Bun-Jon & The Big Jive

Modern swing is a contemporary approach to swing-era jazz that revives the sound, repertoire, and danceability of 1930s–1940s big band and small-combo swing, but with today’s musicians, recording practices, and audiences in mind. Rather than fusing swing with rock or EDM, modern swing emphasizes historically informed performance: acoustic rhythm sections, riff-based horn writing, call-and-response arranging, and head arrangements that keep the groove transparent for dancers. Bands often interpret classic standards alongside new originals written in period styles, tailoring tempos and arrangements for Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and other social dances. The style sits between classic swing and the late-1990s swing revival, generally favoring the timbres and forms of pre-bebop jazz while benefiting from modern production, inclusive bandleading, and a global dance scene that prizes fidelity to the swing feel.

Swing is a jazz style centered on a buoyant, danceable groove created by a walking bass, four-to-the-bar rhythm guitar, a backbeat emphasis on 2 and 4, and a lilted “swung” eighth-note feel. Typically performed by big bands (saxes, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section) as well as small combos, it balances written arrangements with improvised solos. Hallmarks include call-and-response between horn sections, riff-based melodies, shout choruses that build intensity near the end of an arrangement, and rich sectional voicings grounded in blues language and ii–V–I harmonic motion. Tempos range from medium to brisk, serving social dances like the Lindy Hop and Jitterbug. Swing’s expressive phrasing, dance-floor focus, and sophisticated arranging made it the dominant popular music of the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Boogie-woogie is a highly rhythmic, piano-centered branch of the blues distinguished by its driving “eight-to-the-bar” left-hand ostinato and improvised right-hand riffs. While it shares the 12‑bar blues framework and blue-note vocabulary, it places an unusually strong emphasis on groove, forward motion, and danceability. Typically performed at brisk tempos, the style features a rolling, repeated bass pattern in broken octaves (or a walking single-note line) that locks into a shuffle or 12/8 swing feel. Over this foundation, the right hand plays syncopated licks, triplet figures, crushed grace notes, tremolos, and call‑and‑response motifs, often quoting and varying short, catchy riffs. The result is a propulsive, celebratory sound designed for social dancing and energetic performance.