''Swing!'' is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the Swing era of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

(1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

, William "Count" Basie,

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and others. It received a nomination for the 2000

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

and other

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

Productions

''Swing!'' premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on December 9, 1999 and closed on January 14, 2001, running for 461 performances. The director and choreographer was Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and the production was supervised by Jerry Zaks. Among the cast were Laura Benanti, Ann Hampton Callaway and Everett Bradley. A US tour began Nov 20, 2000 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.McBride, Murdoc
Swing Closes Jan. 14 on Broadway; Touring Co. Gets Strong Start in L.A.
playbill.com, January 14, 2001 The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production, directed and choreographed by one of the original cast members, Dana Solimando, ran in June 2009. The original cast album was released by Sony Classical on January 18, 2000. The original cast album was nominated for a Grammy in the "Musical Show" category.

Premise

''Swing!'' combines high energy dancing, singing and acrobatics. There is no dialogue in the show, and the story is told entirely through music and dance. The show tries to recreate the swing style of jazz, which used large bands, fixed musical arrangements and solo-driven improvisations. Together with the development of the music, various forms of swing dancing emerged, varying by geographic regions, such as the Lindyhop or

Jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe Swing (dance), swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the Jive (dance), jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, Charleston (dance), charlesto ...

in Harlem or the Whip in Houston.
There are also story-driven numbers for example "I'll Be Seeing You", with Scott Fowler and Carol Bentley doing a Gene Kelly kind of ballet. The show includes music and dance styles from early swing, West Coast, to other jazz styles, and even hip-hop (as shown as in an all-male version of " Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"). Some of the individual couples, for example

Ryan Francois Ryan Francois is a swing dancer, choreographer and actor, who played a central part of the revival of the Lindy Hop . Specialising in dances related to the Jazz & Swing era - including the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Tap and Authentic Vernacular Jazz, ...

and Jenny Thomas, perform their own choreography. Francois and Thomas are established stars in the world of swing, having been the Lindy champions in 1997 The American Swing Dance Championships and the U.S. Open Championships.Sommer, Elys
"A CurtainUp Review:Swing!"
Curtainup.com, February 3, 1999 Some of the songs have new lyrics, but most are well-known swing-era hits, including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"; " Sing, Sing, Sing", "Jumpin at the Woodside"; and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)".

Songs

;Act I * " It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" – Lyrics by

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 18, 1894 Odessa, Ukraine – April 21, 1985) was a music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz promoter. He often used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal life Mills ...

, Music by

* " Air Mail Special" – Music by

, James Mundy and Charlie Christian * " Jersey Bounce" – Lyrics by Buddy Feyne, Music by

Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer. His biggest hit was "Well Oh Well" in 1950, and the following year he record ...

, Eddie Johnson, and

Bobby Plater Robert C. Plater (May 13, 1914, Newark, New Jersey - November 20, 1982, Lake Tahoe) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Plater began playing alto sax at age 12, and played locally in Newark with Donald Lambert and the Savoy Dictators in the ...

* " Opus One" – Music by

Don George Don R. George (August 27, 1909 – 1987) was an American lyricist of popular music. His songs include " The Yellow Rose of Texas" " I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (1937), " I'm Beginning to See the Light" (1944) and " Everything but You" (194 ...

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on sop ...

and

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

* " Jumpin' at the Woodside" – Music by

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

* "Bounce Me, Brother (with a Solid Four)" (from '' Buck Privates'') – Music and Lyrics by Don Raye and Hughie Prince * "Two and Four" – Music by Ann Hampton Callaway * "Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce" – Lyrics by D. George, Music by D. Ellington * "Rhythm" – Music by Casey MacGill * "Throw That Girl Around" – Music and Lyrics by Everett Bradley, Ilene Reid and Michael Heitzman * "Show Me What You Got" – Music by Jonathan Smith and E. Bradley * " Bli Blip" (from '' Jump for Joy'') – Lyrics by Sid Kuller, Music by D. Ellington * "Billy-A-Dick" – Paul Francis Webster and additional lyrics by Seán Martin Hingston, Music by

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

* " Harlem Nocturne" – Music by

Earle Hagen Earle Harry Hagen (July 9, 1919 – May 26, 2008) was an American composer who created music for films and television. His best-known TV themes include ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''I Spy (1965 TV series), I Spy'', ''That Girl'' and ''The Mod Sq ...

and Dick Rogers * "Kitchen Mechanics' Night Out" – Music and Lyrics by J. Smith, Paul Kelly, Lynne Taylor-Corbett and C. MacGill * "Shout and Feel It" – Music by C. Basie * " Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)" (from '' Buck Privates'') – Music and Lyrics by D. Raye and H. Prince * " G.I. Jive" – Music and Lyrics by

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...

* " A String of Pearls" – Lyrics by Eddie DeLange, Music by Jerry Gray * " (I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" – Lyrics by Mack Gordon, Music by Harry Warren * "

Candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

" – Music and Lyrics by

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

Joan Whitney Kramer Joan Whitney Kramer (June 26, 1914 – July 12, 1990), also known as Zoe Parenteau and Joan Whitney, was an American singer and songwriter. Early years Born as Zoe Parenteau in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 26, 1914,"Joan Whitney Kramer; ...

and

Alex Kramer Alex J. Kramer (May 30, 1903 – February 10, 1998) was a Canadian songwriter. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents were Adolph and Freda Kramer. At age 17 he was hired as a pianist in a silent movie theater in Montreal. He tra ...

* "I'm Gonna Love You Tonight" – Lyrics by Jack Murphy, Music by C. MacGill * " I'll Be Seeing You" (from '' Right This Way'') – Lyrics by Irving Kahal, Music by

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatr ...

* "

In the Mood "In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by Americans, American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was re ...

" – Lyrics by Andy Razaf, Music by Joe Garland * " Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)" – Lyrics by

Lew Brown Lew Brown (born Louis Brownstein; December 10, 1893 – February 5, 1958) was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States. During World War I and the Roaring Twenties, he wrote lyrics for several of the top Tin Pan Alley composers, espec ...

and Charles Tobias, Music by Sam H. Stept ;Act II * "Swing! Brother, Swing!" – Music and Lyrics by Walter Bishop, Sr., Lewis Raymond and Clarence Williams * " Caravan" – Lyrics by I. Mills, Music by Juan Tizol and D. Ellington * "Dancers in Love" – Music by D. Ellington * " Cry Me a River" – Music and Lyrics by Arthur Hamilton * "

Blues in the Night "Blues in the Night" is a popular blues song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun wi ...

" – Lyrics by J. Mercer, Music by

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

* " Take Me Back To Tulsa"/" Stay A Little Longer" – Music by

Bob Wills James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...

and Tommy Duncan * "Boogie Woogie Country" – Music by J. Murphy and Jonathan Smith * "All of Me" – Lyrics by Seymour Simons, Music by Gerald Marks * "I Won't Dance" (from '' Roberta'') – Dorothy Fields and Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway, Music by Jerome Kern * "Bill's Bounce" – Music by Bill Elliott * "Stompin' at the Savoy" – Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway and Andy Razaf, Music by Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson and Chick Webb * "Swing, Brother, Swing" (Reprise) – Music and Lyrics by Walter Bishop, Lewis Raymond and Clarence Williams * " Sing,_Sing,_Sing_(With_a_Swing)" – Music and Lyrics by Louis Prima, Andy Razaf and Leon Berry * "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (Reprise) – Lyrics by Irving Mills, Music by Duke Ellington

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

*
Swing study guide from TUTSSwing song lyrics
{{Authority control 1999 musicals Broadway musicals