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43-405: A common variation is to "swing" the ji, called the "dongo" pattern after the kuchi shoka (sung as "don go don go"). When playing dongo, the upbeat (the "go") is not evenly spaced between the downbeats, but is instead played toward the "back of the beat," a common practice in jazz music. Generally the first note of each pair is twice as long as the second, giving the pattern a triplet feel. In English,

86-414: A rhythm , especially when the music prompts a visceral response such as foot-tapping or head-nodding (see pulse ). This sense can also be called " groove ". The term swing feel , as well as swung note(s) and swung rhythm , is also used more specifically to refer to a technique (most commonly associated with jazz but also used in other genres) that involves alternately lengthening and shortening

129-523: A 1937 musical short with Myra Johnson (Taylor) on vocals), "I'm Nuts about Screwy Music", "I Want the Waiter (With the Water)", and "Four or Five Times" displayed a playful sense of swing , often through clever arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver and bizarre lyrics. Lunceford's stage shows often included costumes, skits, and obvious jabs at mainstream white bands, such as Paul Whiteman's and Guy Lombardo 's. Despite

172-472: A definition of swing, Fats Waller replied, "Lady, if you gotta ask, you'll never know." Bill Treadwell stated: What is Swing? Perhaps the best answer, after all, was supplied by the hep-cat who rolled her eyes, stared into the far-off and sighed, "You can feel it, but you just can't explain it. Do you dig me?" Stanley Dance, in The World of Swing , devoted the two first chapters of his work to discussions of

215-643: A local band led by the violinist George Morrison which included Andy Kirk , another musician destined for fame as a bandleader. In 1927, while an athletic instructor at Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee , Lunceford organized a student band, the Chickasaw Syncopators, whose name was changed to the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. Under the new name, the band started its professional career in 1929, and made its first recordings in 1930. Lunceford

258-468: A rhythmically coordinated way as to command a visceral response from the listener (to cause feet to tap and heads to nod); an irresistible gravitational buoyancy that defies mere verbal definition." When jazz performer Cootie Williams was asked to define it, he joked, "Define it? I'd rather tackle Einstein's theory !" Benny Goodman , the 1930s-era bandleader nicknamed the "King of Swing", called swing "free speech in music", whose most important element

301-808: A team of musicians set out to acquire permission to use the original band charts and arrangements of the Jimmie Lunceford canon. "The Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orchestra" officially debuted in July 2005 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands . The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival was founded by Bro. Ronald Cortez Herd II aka R2C2H2 Tha Artivist in 2007 with the aim of increasing recognition of Lunceford's contribution to jazz, particularly in Memphis, Tennessee. The Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Awards were created by

344-455: A while, and had recently complained about not feeling well. Allegations and rumors circulated that he had been poisoned by a restaurant owner, who was unhappy at having to serve a "Negro" in his establishment. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis . Band members, such as Eddie Wilcox and Joe Thomas , kept the band going for a time but finally had to break up the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra in 1949. In 1999, band-leader Robert Veen and

387-438: Is "the liberty a soloist has to stand and play a chorus in the way he feels it". His contemporary Tommy Dorsey gave a more ambiguous definition when he proposed that "Swing is sweet and hot at the same time and broad enough in its creative conception to meet every challenge tomorrow may present." Boogie-woogie pianist Maurice Rocco argues that the definition of swing "is just a matter of personal opinion". When asked for

430-617: Is assumed to be performed with a swing rhythm. Styles that always use traditional (triplet) rhythms, resembling "hard swing", include foxtrot , quickstep and some other ballroom dances , stride piano , and 1920s-era novelty piano (the successor to ragtime style). In the Middle East , a rhythm very similar to shuffle is used in some forms of Iraqi , Kurdish , Azeri , Iranian and Assyrian dance music. Jimmie Lunceford James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947)

473-412: Is commonly played on the largest drum (the " ōdaiko "), either as backing for the other instruments, or to aid a soloist playing on the other head of the drum. This article related to the music of Japan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Swing rhythm In music, the term swing has two main uses. Colloquially, it is used to describe the propulsive quality or "feel" of

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516-489: Is sometimes explicitly indicated. For example, " Satin Doll ", a swing era jazz standard, was notated in 4 time and in some versions includes the direction, medium swing . Swing is commonly used in swing jazz, ragtime, blues , jazz , western swing , new jack swing , big band jazz, swing revival, funk , funk blues, R&B , soul music , rockabilly , neo rockabilly, rock and hip-hop . Much written music in jazz

559-416: The rhythm section of dance bands in the mid-20th century are more accurately described as a "shuffle"; they are also an important feature of baroque dance and many other styles. In jazz, the swing ratio typically lies somewhere between 1:1 and 3:1, and can vary considerably. Swing ratios in jazz tend to be wider at slower tempos and narrower at faster tempos. In jazz scores, swing is often assumed, but

602-399: The "DUM." The "dah" lead-in may or may not be audible. It may be occasionally accented for phrasing or dynamic purposes. The instruments of a swing rhythm section express swing in various ways, which evolved as the music developed. During the early development of swing music , the bass was often played with lead-in—main-note couplets, often with a percussive sound. Later, the lead-in note

645-467: The Baroque and Classical era is played using notes inégales , which is analogous to swing. In shuffle rhythm, the first note in a pair may be twice (or more) the duration of the second note. In swing rhythm, the ratio of the first note's duration to the second note's duration can range: The first note of each pair is often understood to be twice as long as the second, implying a triplet feel, but in practice

688-517: The band's comic veneer, Lunceford always maintained professionalism in the music befitting a former teacher; this professionalism paid off and during the apex of swing in the 1930s, the Orchestra was considered the equal of Duke Ellington 's, Earl Hines ' or Count Basie 's. This precision can be heard in such pieces as "Wham (Re-Bop-Boom-Bam)", "Lunceford Special", "For Dancers Only", "Uptown Blues", and "Stratosphere". The band's noted saxophone section

731-763: The band's decline. After playing McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Lunceford and his orchestra were in Seaside, Oregon , to play at The Bungalow dance hall on July 12, 1947. Before the performance Lunceford collapsed during an autograph session at a local record store. He died while being taken by ambulance to the Seaside hospital. Lunceford was 45. Dr Alton Alderman performed an autopsy in nearby Astoria, Oregon, and concluded that Lunceford died of coronary occlusion . Lunceford had complained about an aching leg as they arrived in Seaside, and had been suffering with high blood pressure for

774-612: The beat itself. Swing has been defined in terms of formal rhythmic devices, but according to the Jimmie Lunceford tune, "T'aint whatcha do, it's the way thatcha do it" (say it so it swings). Physicists investigating swing have noted that it coincides with a perceptible difference between the timing of a soloist and the rest of the performers. In swing rhythm, the pulse is divided unequally, such that certain subdivisions (typically either eighth note or sixteenth note subdivisions) alternate between long and short durations. Certain music of

817-415: The characteristic horn section sounds of swing jazz was a section chord played with a strong attack, a slight fade, and a quick accent at the end, expressing the rhythmic pulse between beats. That device was used interchangeably or in combination with a slight downward slur between the beginning and the end of the note. Similarly, section arrangements sometimes used a series of triplets, either accented on

860-401: The concept of swing with a collection of the musicians who played it. They described a kinetic quality to the music. It was compared to flying; "take off" was a signal to start a solo. The rhythmic pulse continued between the beats, expressed in dynamics, articulation, and inflection. Swing was as much in the music anticipating the beat, like the swing of a jumprope anticipating the jump, as in

903-553: The dongo pattern is often simply called the swing ji because of the history of the swing rhythm in North American jazz. Other common types of ji include the horse-beat ji ("don dogo don dogo"; in Western drum notation:"1.&12.&a3.&a4.&a") and the matsuri , or festival, ji ("DON doko don DON, DON doko don DON"). The ji is usually played throughout a song to hold the other instruments together rhythmically. For this reason,

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946-406: The festival to honor exceptional musicians with Memphis ties as well as those who have dedicated their careers to excellence in music and music education. Lunceford's music continues to have an impact. Most recently the tune "Rhythm is Our Business" was included as track on the compilation set Memphis Jazz Box in 2004 in honor of Lunceford's close ties to Memphis. On July 19, 2009, a brass note

989-497: The first and second consecutive notes in the two part pulse-divisions in a beat . Like the term " groove ", which is used to describe a cohesive rhythmic "feel" in a funk or rock context, the concept of "swing" can be hard to define. Indeed, some dictionaries use the terms as synonyms: "Groovy ... denotes music that really swings." The Jazz in America glossary defines swing as, "when an individual player or ensemble performs in such

1032-424: The first and third beats, and the "SH" the emphasized second and fourth beats. With that high-hat figure, the drummer expressed three elements of swing: the lead-in with the "ti," the continuity of the rhythmic pulse between the beats with the "tshhh," and the emphasis on the second and fourth beats with the "SH". Early examples of that high-hat figure were recorded by the drummer Chick Webb . Jo Jones carried

1075-417: The first and third notes or with every other note accented to make a 3/2 pattern. Straight eighth notes were commonly used in solos, with dynamics and articulation used to express phrasing and swing. Phrasing dynamics built swing across two or four measures or, in the innovative style of tenor saxophonist Lester Young , across odd sequences of measures, sometimes starting or stopping without regard to place in

1118-689: The group before the scheduled European tour to take a position as an arranger for Tommy Dorsey ). Lunceford returned to the Decca label. The orchestra appeared in the 1941 movie Blues in the Night . Lunceford's band was hired to play at the Elks Ballroom in Los Angeles on September 26, 1940 and again on June 26, 1947, by Leon Hefflin Sr. Most of Lunceford's sidemen were underpaid and left for better paying bands, leading to

1161-430: The high-hat style a step further, with a more continuous-sounding "t'shahhh-uhh" two beat figure while reserving the bass and snare drums for accents. The changed role of the drum kit away from the heavier style of the earlier drumming placed more emphasis on the role of the bass in holding the rhythm. Horn sections and soloists added inflection and dynamics to the rhythmic toolbox, "swinging" notes and phrases. One of

1204-400: The horn sections and soloists. The bass and snare drums started the swing era as the main timekeepers, with the snare usually used for either lead-ins or emphasis on the second and fourth beats. It was soon found that the high-hat cymbal could add a new dimension to the swing expressed by the drum kit when played in a two-beat "ti-tshhh-SH" figure, with the "ti" the lead-in to the "tshhh" on

1247-411: The importance of the lead-in as a rhythmic device was still respected. Drummer Max Roach emphasized the importance of the lead-in, audible or not, in "protecting the beat." Bebop soloists rose to the challenge of keeping a swinging feel in highly sophisticated music often played at a breakneck pace. The groundbreakers of bebop had come of age as musicians with swing and, while breaking the barriers of

1290-415: The ji is prevalent when playing taiko , which is a Japanese art form in which the drums are the central instrument. When playing taiko, the ji is often simple and loud, played most often on a smaller rope-tied drum (the " shime-daiko ") which is high-pitched and has a sharp attack, making it easily audible over the rumble of the larger taikos. It can by played on almost any instrument, however. For example, it

1333-410: The measure. The rhythmic devices of the swing era became subtler with bebop. Bud Powell and other piano players influenced by him mostly did away with left-hand rhythmic figures, replacing them with chords. The ride cymbal played in a "ting-ti-ting" pattern took the role of the high-hat, the snare drum was mainly used for lead-in accents, and the bass drum was mainly used for occasional "bombs." But

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1376-427: The motion of the left arm. Swing piano also put the first and third beats in a role anticipatory to the emphasized second and fourth beats in two-beat bass figures. As swing music developed, the role of the piano in the ensemble changed to emphasize accents and fills; these were often played on the lead-in to the main beat, adding a punch to the rhythm. Count Basie 's style was sparse, played as accompaniment to

1419-400: The often outrageous humor in their music and lyrics, Lunceford's orchestra made an ideal band for the club, and Lunceford's reputation began to steadily grow. Jimmie Lunceford's band differed from other great bands of the time because it was better known for its ensemble than for its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to

1462-474: The ratio is less definitive and often much more subtle. In traditional jazz, swing is typically applied to eighth notes. In other genres, such as funk and jazz-rock, swing is often applied to sixteenth notes. In most jazz music, especially of the big band era and later, the second and fourth beats of a 4/4 measure are emphasized over the first and third, and the beats are lead-in—main-beat couplets (dah-DUM, dah-DUM....). The "dah" anticipates, or leads into,

1505-430: The rhythm of a dotted-eighth—sixteenth couplet were characteristic of boogie-woogie playing (sometimes also used in boogie-woogie horn section playing). The "swing bass" left hand, used by James P. Johnson , Fats Waller , and Earl Hines , used a bass note on the first and third beats, followed by a mid-range chord to emphasize the second and fourth beats. As with the bass, lead-in beats were not audible, but expressed in

1548-468: The standard four-beat rhythm. This distinctive "Lunceford style" was largely the result of the imaginative arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver , which set high standards for dance-band arrangers of the time. Though not well known as a musician, Lunceford knew how to play several instruments and was even featured on flute in "Liza". Comedy and vaudeville played a distinct part in Lunceford's presentation. Songs such as "Rhythm Is Our Business" (featured in

1591-423: The swing era, still reflected their swing heritage. The subtler end of the range involves treating written pairs of adjacent eighth notes (or sixteenth notes, depending on the level of swing) as slightly asymmetrical pairs of similar values. On the other end of the spectrum, the " dotted eighth – sixteenth" rhythm, consists of a long note three times as long as the short. Prevalent "dotted rhythms" such as these in

1634-514: Was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era . Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River , near Fulton , Mississippi , United States. The 53-acre (21 ha) farm was owned by his father, James. His mother was Idella ("Ida") Shumpert of Oklahoma City, an organist of "more than average ability". Seven months after James Melvin

1677-464: Was born, the family moved to Oklahoma City. The family next moved to Denver where Lunceford attended high school and studied music under Wilberforce J. Whiteman, father of Paul Whiteman , whose band was soon to acquire a national reputation. As a child in Denver, he learned several instruments. After high school, Lunceford continued his studies at Fisk University . In 1922, he played alto saxophone in

1720-587: Was dedicated to Lunceford on the Beale Street Walk of Fame in Memphis. Apart from live recordings and alternate takes, every recording by Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra is included in this 10 volume series from the Classics reissue label: The last album (1948-1949) was recorded after Lunceford's death by his long-time band under the joint-direction of Eddie Wilcox (his piano player) and Joe Thomas (his tenor sax player/vocalist). An eight-volume series from

1763-410: Was dropped but incorporated into the physical rhythm of the bass player to help keep the beat "solid” - the lead-in beats were not audible, but expressed in the player’s motion. Similarly, the rhythm guitar was played with the lead-in beat strummed by the player, but so softly as to be nearly or completely inaudible. The piano was played with a variety of devices for swing: Chord patterns played in

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1806-523: Was led by alto sax player Willie Smith . Lunceford often used a conducting baton to lead his band. The orchestra began recording for the Decca label and later signed with the Columbia subsidiary Vocalion in 1938. They toured Europe extensively in 1937, but had to cancel a second tour in 1939 because of the outbreak of World War II . Columbia dropped Lunceford in 1940 because of flagging sales. (Oliver departed

1849-546: Was the first public high school band director in Memphis. After a period of touring, in 1934 the band accepted a booking at the Harlem nightclub The Cotton Club for their revue "Cotton Club Parade" starring Adelaide Hall . The Cotton Club had already featured Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway , who won their first widespread fame from their inventive shows for the Cotton Club's all-white patrons. With their tight musicianship and

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