A Tour of 'This Thing Called Swing'

The Origins of Jazz
See how jazz developed as European and African traditions met in America.

Band biographies
Over 50 swing bands and band leaders are covered in detail.

Selected Recordings
1250 recordings have been beatcounted. Selected for their musical value as well as their suitability for dancing.

Film appearances
Musicians and dancers featured in Hollywood films, independent productions, shorts and Soundies, the 1940s equivalent to a music video.

The Venues
Ballrooms and theatres where swing bands played.

Swing Personalities
Key personalities that worked behind the scenes, discovering talent and promoting bands - John Hammond. Writing about music - Hugues Panassie and Marshall Stearns. Running booking agencies, ballrooms and nightclubs - Moe Gale. Managing dance groups - Herbert White ( also known as 'Whitey').

 

 

Timelines
This Thing Called Swing contains 28 pages of unique timelines covering the developments in music and dance from 1920 up to 1947. See how events, musicians and bands are related.