Basics - Rhythm - Swing 4

Modern version of swing. Not exactly the same as the old school swing... This is what I'd say is a lot more organic. There's still a lot of similarity, from the big phrasing and hits of Keith Jarrett's left hand comping to the walking bassline to the ride pattern, there is are a lot of similarities, but at the same time a lot of difference.

No more hi-hat at 2 and 4. A lot more responding from the drummer and bass than old school swing. Bass has a rather modern take on the bassline (mainly started by individuals such as Ron Carter) with a smooth walking bassline which uses melodic control to guide the song rather than just simply pushing and rhythmic methods. And at the head out, notice that there's this open sound that came. This was largely inspired by the Bill Evans Trio, but developed to this sound...



And alas it leads you to a pianist like Brad Mehldau and a whole host of other musicians who bring it to what most people in the past might not count it swinging... People like Brian Blade, Jeff Ballad, and a whole host of new breed of modern drummers who sound vastly different because they're inspired not only from old school swing, but a whole bunch of other music like World music and the rest.

Also bass has become a very organic style of playing. The 2-feel thing taken to a high level gives the bass almost infinite amount of freedom to phrase and displace and do a lot of rhythmic ideas, but at the same time able to keep time without explicitly keeping time.

Pianists basically develop so much that the emphasis is no longer just keeping time and playing lines... Each line has developed to be a colouring as much as it is a melodic idea. The harmonic ideas developed to an extent that they are able to express and convey a whole host of new ideas. New even bigger phrases, odd timing phrases and a lot more things.

And for the band as a whole, hits became a very interesting thing. Progressive rock was about change in time signature and developments in grooving, modern jazz is about that and metric modulations, displacements and harmonic pushes.

Swing was redefined after the eras of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Was developing ever since the 70s with the influx of Fusion and a lot of other genres. Nowadays free jazz, modern jazz, hip hop, R&B, funk, fusion, gospel and many of these genres mix and match to give a very modern sound in jazz.

Here are a few more links to give you and idea of "swing" and "jazz" nowadays. These are still songs which "swing" but don't...







And some really cool stuff like





Hope you guys learned quite a bit from this. It's about exposure and noticing the music that is already there. Remember that listening is just as important as practising! =)