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Is he swinging?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Gonna disagree with ya here. Ironically Ray Brown doesn't do any of what you suggest doing. He doesn't place an emphasis on the 2 & 4 and generally plays just a tiny bit ahead of the beat to the point that he is known for it.
Good Lord, it took four pages before someone mentioned “New Orleans”.
This is a “second line” groove filtered through modern jazz-Ed “sensibilities”- or lack thereof. Funky, certainly but no, not really “swinging”.
I prefer virtuosity (like Janek’s) wedded to some sort of pop or dance sensibility or even just a strong compositional vision. That isn’t present enough here for me to listen twice. It was fun, though… just a personal opinion.
This is a “second line” groove filtered through modern jazz-Ed “sensibilities”- or lack thereof. Funky, certainly but no, not really “swinging”.
I prefer virtuosity (like Janek’s) wedded to some sort of pop or dance sensibility or even just a strong compositional vision. That isn’t present enough here for me to listen twice. It was fun, though… just a personal opinion.
Lots of faces and some chops , but this does not swing . There are a lot of electric bassists that actually “ swing “, such as Marcus miller , Jeff Andrews, Anthony Jackson , Jaco pastorius, Victor Bailey etc
The video actually made me tired , very uninspiring.
The video actually made me tired , very uninspiring.
Upon further listening I guess I'd call it Swunk.
For the record, watching his head moving around like that made me
For the record, watching his head moving around like that made me
There are moments but overall I don’t hear swing. The half time stuff pulls the rug out from under it.
He swings around 50 and then loses it or shifts it. ... It might be his over-dependence on the one, which drummers like to do but can follow it up with the ride cymbal. ... Jaco did that but since he started as a drummer he could follow it up with the groove. ... He's not setting a groove, he's following one, so I wouldn't say it swings. ... When you swing you are the groove that can't change.
Sounded like every 1/8th and ghost note he played was with a swing feel to me. I didn’t hear any straight 1/8ths.
For a two feel, I think it swings pretty good. (The first minute or so at least)
For a two feel, I think it swings pretty good. (The first minute or so at least)
How does everyone here define, “swing,” or, “swinging?”
I think he's swinging his *** off, while bringing a really groovy vibe to the music and leaving a lot of space in there. Swing doesn't need to be 100% walking bass. Swinging "in two" is its own art.
I think there’s a lot of truth to that. IMO there’s a curtain laid back arrogance and lack of soul that has found its way into jazz over the years. And to a large extent that’s what turned me off to the genre as a player despite me starting out as a jazz bassist. I still listen to my old progressive and bebop jazz favorites. But something happened to jazz starting sometime around the early 70s that left me feeling cold.
However, maybe that’s just me.
It’s only recently I’ve started taking an interest in some of the new breed of bands such as Snarky Puppy, although the purists would probably insist their music was “jazz influenced” rather than actual jazz. To which I say: whatever.
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Probably differently than you since you quoted so many that didn’t think it swings. I’m not going to get into a “swing” battle online. It’s just my opinion that this doesn’t swing.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,079
- 46,050
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I was just thinking that when I read your post. Anyone who thinks swing can’t be done with half notes really doesn’t understand swing.
That’s a little presumptuous. I happen to think he both swings and doesn’t swing, depending on what we mean by, “swing.” So I’m genuinely curious what we’re all talking about here, and I don’t see how asking for clarification directly about the main topic of a thread is starting a battle. Some here seem to be talking about different things in regards to the word, “swing,” ie. swing as a genre, swing as the feel/spacing between 1/8th notes, swing as a 1/4 note walking bass line, etc.
Most who said this player does “swing” in the video gave their definition, and most who said he doesn’t (and those who I quoted) did not mention what they mean by “swing.”
My answer to the original question, “is he swinging?” has different answers, depending on what we mean by the word, “swing.”
Yes he is swinging: the player in this video is indeed swinging his 1/8th note patterns (when he does play 1/8th notes). He has a two beat swing feel with his subdivisions. He’s not using straight 1/8th notes.
No he is not swinging: the player in this video is not playing a walking 1/4 note bass line.
No he is not swinging: the player in this video is not playing music in the style of the swing music genre.
I don’t think it can’t be done. But IMO Janek isn’t doing it, or at least not doing much of it in that song. He gets a bit of a swing feel going in places. But then it seems it always snaps back to him playing on the grid. Which isn’t a bad thing. It’d be nice if more bassists played with more precision these days. But (to me) he doesn’t get a swing feel throughout that song.
FWIW swing isn’t a be all end all IMO. It has its place and I respect it for what it is and what it brings to the party. It has its place - in places. But I don’t get all religious about it.
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I guess I really don't have a good, technical description for "swing", but I know it (as is defined in my mind) when I hear it. For Janek's example, it just doesn't flow and seems to take a step, stop, look around, take a step, repeat. Jazz is very subjective, but to me, "Stray Cat Strut" swings more than Janek's bass line.
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