The Fabulous Swing Collection

Various Artists

album cover

The Ring-a-Ding of . . .

When it was great, swing was a wonderful evening of dancing. The rest of the time, it was just swanky background music played by men in tuxedos. The swing era gave us titans like Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington (see p. 317, 50, and 252 respectively), and scads of other brassy big bands whose legends were built one ballroom at a time. Most of these had a hit or two—swing was about individual songs—that turned on an opulent idea of rhythm, an infectious and easygoing glide that kept the dance floor in motion.

As good as many of these bands were, and as often as they recorded, their legacies amount to scattered individual singles. So the best way to really get the sound—and, more important, the feel—of these sultans is via one of the countless compilations devoted to the era. Believe the title of this one: RCA, which recorded many of the great bands of the 1930s and '40s, gathered these nineteen tracks from its vast holdings, and sure enough, they're all fabulous. In addition to the recordings that have become ubiquitous shorthand for swing—Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," Tommy Dorsey's "Opus One"—there are blithe and beautiful melodies (Dorsey's "Marie"), demanding arrangements (Charlie Barnet's blazing "Cherokee"), flashes of individual greatness (clarinetist Artie Shaw's "Non Stop Flight"), and barnstorming band theme songs (Glen Grey's "Casa Loma Stomp"). Not recommended for those determined to sit still and listen.

Genre: Jazz
Released: 1998, RCA
Key Tracks: All of them.
Next Stop: Various Artists: The Fabulous Big Band Collection
After That: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Never No Lament
Book Pages: 810–811

Buy this Recording

Share this page: