Swing

Warm up your fingers, because there’s a whole lot of clicking going on, as we give you the kings of swing and that infectious big band sound. From the rock-solid bass to the screaming brass and the howling woodwind, our dance-floor classics from maestros Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and Benny Goodman will set your knees a-tremble.

These Harlem-style symphonies kept the joint jumpin’ with a jazz flavour that knew no speed limit. Dance halls have never been livelier and, although rock ’n’ roll had yet to arrive, you can hear the roots of rebellion in toe-tappers by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five: just try staying still to “Caldonia.” You can’t.

The brass of the big bands had a huge influence on our grandfathers, but this stuff’s too good to gather dust in the memories of old folks. These heavy blasts of swing once scorched cities from coast to coast and have been given the update treatment by contemporary outfits like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (check out the movie Swingers).

Call it a symphony, Harlem-style. Big band jazz and swing were made to fill dance floors in uptown America, and the music still crackles with hip-swinging energy. Bandleaders like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Tommy Dorsey have become legendary not just for their compositions, but also for the soloists they featured, including Lester Young and Frank Sinatra. We’ve assembled for you the maestros and the modern swingers (like former Stray Cat Brian Setzer) — these essential tunes will have you jumpin’, jivin’, and wailin’ in no time flat.