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Description
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.
History
Swing emerged in the United States in the 1930s, defined by a propulsive four-beat feel, riff-based horn writing, and dance-oriented tempos. After World War II, bebop and postwar jazz shifted the music’s center from dancing to listening, but the classic swing language persisted in social dance communities and repertory bands.
The 1990s swing revival (neo-swing) rekindled mass-market interest with high-energy stage shows and rockabilly-inflected aesthetics. In the 2000s and 2010s a parallel movement took root within the global Lindy Hop and Balboa scenes: bands focused less on crossover rock energy and more on historically informed swing—period instrumentation, dance-aware tempos, classic 32-bar song forms, and 12-bar blues. This approach cohered into what many musicians and dancers now call “modern swing.”
As international festivals, camps, and exchanges proliferated, bandleaders tailored sets to ballroom acoustics and dancer needs—clear two-and-four backbeat on hi-hat, strong two-beat or four-to-the-bar bass, comping guitars or stride/swing piano, and arrangements that cue breaks, shout choruses, and trading sections. Cities across North America, Europe, and Asia developed resident orchestras and small groups dedicated to keeping the dance floor in mind.
Modern swing ensembles combine archival research with contemporary sensibilities: new compositions in period style, equitable bandleading practices, and studio techniques that capture vintage warmth without lo-fi constraints. The scene fuels a living repertoire for social dance while also influencing adjacent styles—from modern big-band writing to electronic genres that sample swing textures.
