Piano: A New Swing

Greetings to the wedding couple reading this week’s post. I’d like to share with you some thoughts on having Swing music at your wedding. There are three options you have in terms of utilising Swing music; you might have a piano player perform swing during your wedding ceremony, your wedding meal or before it as for the pre-dinner drinks reception and to have a Swing band perform as your dancing and entertainment for the night. Classy, right? But, you may wonder, what is the deal with Swing anyway?

You might find yourself slightly uneasy at the notion of having Swing as the musical theme for your wedding evening. Perhaps the guests won’t like it. Perhaps it will seem too cheesy or pretentious. Perhaps you like the idea of having it but feel that you don’t know enough about the genre to enjoy having it. That’s where this post comes in; to reassure you that it is a fabulous choice, to dispel misconceptions about the genre and to educate you more about it.

What is Swing anyway?

Swing is a subgenre of Jazz, meaning that Jazz came before it and that it takes inspiration from elements of Jazz but is yet its own style of music. It began with big bands in 1920s taking over where the classical orchestra left off. Emerging in cities such as New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia, Kansas and New York , it was in full swing (pardon the pun) by the 1930s. By its very nature, Swing comes from the emphasis placed on the ‘wrong’ beat in music which makes it groovy and fantastic to dance to.

Taking up on this new genre was a whole array of musicians such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. As Swing gradually morphed into Traditional Pop which in turn became Rock and Roll, it enjoyed a revival in the 1960s with vocalists Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin coming to the fore. In time, it has been neatly stacked into history as a classy musical genre with a great vintage feel and is subsequently a popular option at weddings.

Bringing class to your wedding day.

Swing is loved, enjoyed and at least appreciated by most people. Regardless of age, Swing has not lost its appeal to the human desire for beat, melody, rhythm and dancing and is therefore most appropriate for anyone’s special day. An instrumental pianist can perform beautiful arrangements of well-known numbers and bring immense class and charm to the afternoon. This works equally well before and during a wedding meal. It also nicely sets up the atmosphere for a Swing band to follow.

People wonder if Swing music is only for a certain age group, a certain class of people and if it’s appropriate because it seems slow and subdued. Swing appeals to all people and because it encompasses such a massive variety of songs and solos, it has any amount of fast or slow music to jive or sway to. It works as a pacifier to accompany drinks and dinner, as a fantastic option as a first dance and later, as music to dance all night to. It is diverse and your Swing musicians will be on hand to work with you on choosing the right songs for the day.

So get booking your pianist first.

Paul is available throughout the year as a wedding reception pianist and/or as an accompanist to your singer or instrumentalist during your ceremony. Get in touch today for a quote for your wedding and he will be delighted to be of assistance. Your complete satisfaction is guaranteed. Fill out the Contact Form here.