Jazz is a purely American form of music. With one exception. In the 1930s, Hungarian guitarist Django Reinhardt created a unique form of jazz – Gypsy Swing – that mixed traditional Eastern European music with an American beat. In this episode, Gypsy Jazz violinist Tony Ballog introduces us to the music of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Swing.

Swing! Swing! Swing! A Celebration of Swing Music

Gypsy Swing

In the 1930s, two types of American music, the rural Country/Western and the urban Swing Jazz, were combined to create Western Swing, a popular type of music that crossed racial boundaries. In this episode we’ll learn about the roots of Western Swing, and hear the music of its most famous performer, Bob Wills.

Western Swing

“Swing” took over the jazz world in the 1930s and became the music your great-grandparents danced to during World War II. In this episode, modern day Swing performers explain and demonstrate where Swing Jazz came from, why it was so popular, and where you can find it today.

Swing Jazz

There’s a question every good jazz musician can answer just by listening to a song: “Does it Swing?” In this episode, we introduce several kinds of vintage and modern swing music: Swing Jazz, Western Swing, Gypsy Swing, and New Jack Swing and learn what music needs to have in order to “Swing.”

Does it Swing?

Louis Armstrong said, “If you can’t feel Swing, you’ll never know it.” This series, hosted by Connaitre Miller of Howard University, explores why Swing was the most popular dance music in America and how it is still alive today in dance halls, clubs and movies. For more on Swing music and dancing, visit artsedge.kennedy-center.org.