Swing

By Nicholas Laufenberg

Origin of Swing

Swing is not only a style of playing jazz, but it's also a genre. The Swing Era, also known as the Big Band Era, is an era that began in the 1930s. Swing gradually emerged from dixieland, but has differed in a lot of ways. One being that a big band consisted of four trumpets, three to four trombones, four to five saxophones, piano, bass, drums, and sometimes a guitar. With swing, the music was focused on dance and much of the music was arranged rather than being collective improvisation due to the size of the band. Trombonists were utilized in the arrangements and often featured as a soloist.

Influential Trombonists

Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey was born on November 19th, 1905. He was a trombonist, composer, and bandleader during the Swing Era. He and his brother Jimmy Dorsey formed their own band, however, in 1935, Tommy Dorsey formed his own group, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He strived to acquire the best musicians for his band. Dorsey's technique was smooth, especially when it came to the upper register and was admired by several trombonists including Jack Teagarden.

Tommy Dorsey
The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performs the song "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". You can hear his smooth tone, and you can see his use of slide vibrato. This is one of Tommy Dorsey's well-known songs.

Lawrence Brown

Lawrence Brown was born in 1907 in Kansas. In 1932, he joined Duke Ellingtion's band and became the lead trombonist for that band. He was known for having a creamy tone, impressive range, melodic phrases, and a fast technical style. Lawrence Brown did not like to improvise, but every time he played the same written passage, he played it different every time.

Lawrence Brown
This recording features Lawrence Brown playing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra as a soloist. Lawrence Brown's tone and technique is shown exquisitely in this song titled "Circe".