About this category
Step onto the dance floor and experience the infectious energy of Swing, the music that defined an era and still gets feet tapping today. Born in the 1930s and reaching its peak during the Swing Era of the late 1930s and 1940s, Swing took the rhythmic innovations of jazz and transformed them into dance music that swept the nation. From the sophisticated arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie to the crowd-pleasing hits of Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, Swing created a cultural phenomenon that brought people together on dance floors across America. Experience the genre's signature elements: the driving four-beat rhythm that makes it impossible to sit still, the call-and-response between brass and reed sections, the virtuosic soloists who could improvise dazzling melodies, and the sense of joy and community that made Swing more than just music—it was a way of life. Whether it's the classic big band sound, the jump blues that followed, or the modern neo-swing revival, Swing remains one of America's greatest contributions to global music.