What Does It Mean to Swing?

The Origins and Meaning of One of Jazz’s Most Iconic Terms

If jazz had a heartbeat, it would swing.
But what does that word actually mean—to “swing”? Is it a rhythm? A feeling? A genre? The answer is yes… and more.

Let’s break down the origins of the word, what it means musically, and how it became one of the most iconic ideas in all of jazz.

The Origins of the Term “Swing”

The word “swing” predates jazz, showing up in English in the 16th century to describe pendulum-like motion—back-and-forth, side-to-side. Think of a literal swing on a playground or the smooth arc of a dancer’s hips. The idea of rhythmic, loping movement was baked into the word from the start.

In the early 20th century, when jazz was still young and evolving in cities like New Orleans, Chicago, and New York, musicians began to apply “swing” informally to music that had a particular kind of bounce or groove. By the 1930s, the term had stuck—and “swing music” became a label for an entire big band era.

What Swing Means Musically

Swing isn’t just a vibe—it’s a specific rhythmic feel. Technically, swing refers to how eighth notes are played:

  • In straight time (like in pop or rock), eighth notes are evenly spaced:
    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
  • In swing time, those eighth notes are uneven, often interpreted as a triplet feel:
    1 (trip) let, 2 (trip) let, 3 (trip) let, 4 (trip) let

But instead of playing all three parts of the triplet, swing usually hits the first and the third:
DA — duh, DA — duh
That subtle delay on the second note is what gives swing its unique forward-rolling momentum.

This rhythmic shape creates a loping, infectious pulse that makes listeners want to tap their feet—or dance. It’s both loose and precise, relaxed yet driving.

What Swing Means in Jazz

In jazz, to swing goes way beyond note spacing. It’s about groove, timing, and expression. When someone says, “That band swings,” they don’t just mean the eighth notes are syncopated—they mean the music is alive. It’s locked in, flowing, and in the pocket.

Here’s what swinging really means to jazz musicians:

  • Rhythmic Drive: Everyone in the band plays in sync, creating a groove that propels the music forward like a train on a smooth track.
  • Feel Over Math: It’s not mechanically “tripletized”—great swing is flexible. Musicians subtly vary the swing ratio depending on tempo, context, and emotion.
  • Interaction: Jazz swing lives and dies on communication between players. The drummer might push the beat, the bassist might hold it back, and the soloist floats somewhere in between. That tension is magic.

Famously, Duke Ellington once said, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” He wasn’t just talking about rhythm—he was talking about soul.

Swing as a Genre

While swing is a rhythmic concept, it also names an era and a style of jazz. The Swing Era (roughly 1935–1945) was the age of big bands: Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and of course, Ellington himself.

These bands played intricate arrangements, featured virtuosic soloists, and—most importantly—made people dance. Swing music lit up ballrooms across America and brought jazz to the center of popular culture.

Even after the big bands faded and bebop took over, the essence of swing remained in jazz’s DNA. Miles Davis swung. Coltrane swung. Modern jazz trios still swing today—even when they’re experimenting with odd time signatures or electronic textures.

So… What Does It Mean to Swing?

It means more than just playing with a certain rhythm. To swing is to lean into the groove. To lift the music. To make it breathe, dance, and spark. It’s a handshake between players, a grin from the drums to the bass, a nod from the horn to the piano. It’s jazz at its most human.

And when it’s really working, you don’t have to define it.
You just feel it.

Night is Alive Productions is your source for modern & classic Jazz!

Sounds of Spring

Featured Image by Benjamin Lehman

The calendar says that spring is here, no matter what the temperature outside reads. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. It is often a joyful season, with the return of outdoor parties and picnics, high school and college graduations, and family and class reunions. It may be a time for remembering people and places that once were familiar to us. Many jazz classics are inspired by spring. They reflect the season’s changing moods, ranging from the merry to the mellow to the melancholic.   

1. April in Paris—This classic song was written by E.Y. Harburg and Vernon Duke for the Broadway musical, Walk a Little Faster. It has been recorded many times since then. Perhaps the most famous instrumental version was recorded by Count Basie and his orchestra in 1955.  

2. It Might as Well Be Spring—This perennial favorite was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1945 musical film, “State Fair.” It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song the following year. The wistful lyrics compare the restlessness, anticipation, and longing to the feeling of having spring fever. 

3. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most—Lyricist Fran Landesman drew inspiration for this 1955 bittersweet ballad from T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land.” Versions have been recorded by many artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter.

4. I Remember April—This beautiful ballad has lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye, and music by Gene de Paul.  It likens the way a romance grows and subsides to the seasons of the year and the flames of a fire.  Bill Evans and Miles Davis have both recorded notable instrumental versions.

5.  Suddenly It’s Spring—This sweet ballad about the blossoming of new love was written by composer Jimmy van Heusen and lyricist Johnny Locke for the 1944 movie, Lady in the Dark. It appears on the album, “Call Me Irresponsible,” featuring vocalist Lucy Wijnands and John Di Martino and the Night Is Alive Band. 

6. Spring Is Here—This mournful tune about unrequited love was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the musical I Married an Angel.  Hart is believed to have written the lyrics after several of his marriage proposals were rejected by Vivienne Segal, the musical’s leading lady. Jazz vocalists who recorded “Spring Is Here” include Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Chris Connor. Pianist Bill Evans, bassists Charlie Haden and George Mraz, and vibraphonists  Bobby Hutcherson and Joe Locke have recorded the song. 

7. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year—This tune was written by Frank Loesser for the 1944 movie Christmas Holiday,  starring Deanna Durbin. The singer reflects on her lost love, but remains confident that ultimately she will get over him. The song remained relatively obscure until the mid-1950s, when it was rediscovered and became a jazz standard. 

Author: Patricia Martin for Night is Alive

What is Syncopation?

What is Syncopation?

As a jazz fan, you obviously love listening to the notes flowing out from the bell of a saxophone, but can you actually visualize those notes, on a staff? Are you able to see the music as well as hear it?

Trust us, learning a bit about musical composition won’t ruin the magic of jazz—far from it, it’ll only enhance it. Because when you gain a deeper understanding of all the intricacies, you’ll develop an even stronger appreciation for the enchanting nature of jazz music!

So, in that spirit, we’re continuing our blog series on the basics of musical theory and composition. If you’re curious to learn more, check out our posts about melody, harmony, and polyphony.

Today, we’re going to be learning about syncopation. But first, before we talk about that, let’s quickly run through the concepts of rhythm and beat. As you might already know, every piece of music has an internal natural flow, like a pulse or the ticking of a clock, that repeats until the end. This pulse is called the rhythm, which is organized into beats per measure.

Syncopation is a rhythmic structure that avoids the natural flow, or beats, of a piece. And how does syncopation avoid the beats, you may be wondering. Well, it’s actually quite simple—the notes are displaced so that they don’t fall precisely on the beats of the time signature. Instead, the notes can be played in anticipation—earlier than you’d expect—right before the marked beats, or they can be delayed and played after each beat of the pulse.

Believe it or not, in some melodies, every single note is syncopated—meaning that every note falls before or after the beat! And in jazz, this is a very popular technique. Most jazz musicians prefer to accentuate the upbeats. So, if you’re tapping your foot along to the music, the notes that are played when your foot is in the air are the ones that are emphasized.

Now this all may sound very complicated, but to the jazz musician, it actually comes quite naturally—eventually, master musicians do it intuitively, just like how you fluctuate your voice while speaking.

Syncopating notes gives the musician freedom to express their own interpretations of the beat. And to be honest, if there was no syncopation, jazz simply wouldn’t be jazz—it wouldn’t sound right—because most jazz compositions incorporate a mixture of syncopated and non-syncopated notes.

Many well-known songs from “Hey Diddle Diddle” to “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” include syncopated notes.

Can you spot any syncopation in this 2022 jazz rendition of “Can’t Buy Me Love” from the WJ3 All-Stars?

“Can’t Buy Me Love” comes from the album My Ship, which is available in our store and on all major music platforms today.

This post was written by Digital Marketing Manager, Jacqueline Knirnschild.

 

Photo by weston m on Unsplash

Looking for the beat? Find it in the rhythm section.

Think of your favorite jazz piece.

You can probably hear it clearly in your head. Think of the tempo, the solos and how the song makes you feel. Now, think about how that piece would sound if you took away the drums, the double bass/electric guitar and the piano/keyboard. There’s no doubt that piece would most likely sound disjointed and not as dynamic as the piece that you fell in love with does.

That’s why the rhythm section is at the heart of every jazz song you hear. Without it, everything would just fall flat.

So what is a rhythm section?

A rhythm section, also known as a backup band, provides the rhythm, harmony and beat for a jazz band or ensemble. A typical rhythm section might have one or more guitars, a keyboard instrument or piano, a double bass or electric bass and drums. There’s no set number of instruments for a rhythm section. It can be made up of two or three instruments, or it can have several keyboardists, guitar players, string players and drummers.

Large rhythm sections are often led by a bandleader or a conductor. This person deciphers the tempo of each song, when the song starts, when the song gets slower, when the soloists are supposed to change and how a song a song will end.

In jazz groups and jazz fusion bands, the rhythm section members usually perform improvised solos. Drummers might “trade” short solo sections with a saxophone player or trumpet players. This is often referred to as “trading fours.” Drummers and horn players will alternate four-bar solo sections during a song. It’s common for them to trade eights, twos, ones, or other numbers depending on the style of the piece.

Some pieces that spotlight what rhythm sections do best are “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis,
“Ornithology” by Charlie Parker, “Birdland” by Weather Report and “Actual Proof” by Herbie Hancock to name a few.

What are your picks for best rhythm section? Let us know in the comments.