Lounge vs. Swing

[Trviaguy]

Greetings everyone,

I have a question for the group.

Do you think that there is a difference between Lounge and Swing music?

My tastes tend to run towards more Duke Ellington and Count Basie as opposed to
Herb Albert and Henry Mancini. Do you think these are different genres of
music or two siblings in the same swingin' family?

Interested in your opinion,

Peter

[Twiddle]

> My tastes tend to run towards more Duke Ellington and Count Basie as opposed to
> Herb Albert and Henry Mancini. Do you think these are different genres of
> music or two siblings in the same swingin' family?

Hmmm, an interesting question, and well put.

I'd say they were sort of distant cousins. One could easily make an
argument that the swingin' sounds of big band became cannabilized over
the course of time with increasing modifications (and some
homogenization...) to ultimately become lounge... kind of like fifties
rock became rock and roll became what we now know as classic rock, each
time mutating a little until the end result was only distantly related
to what started it.

I, too, will be interested in other opinions! Good thread potential!

Regards,
Craig

[Greg Clow]

Trviaguy <trvi...@aol.com> wrote:
: Do you think that there is a difference between Lounge and Swing music?

I think the difference is quite apparent actually:

Swing is a genre of music (or more specifically, a subgenre of jazz).
Lounge is not.

That is to say that "Lounge" in reference to music tends to be more of an
umbrella term, encompassing everything from space-age pop to E-Z listening
to 60s/70s go-go music to smoky jazz to ambient trip-hop to, yes, some
swing.

Therefore, I think that the circles intersect - some swing music is
loungey, but not all of it. And some lounge music swings, but not all of
it.

And by the way, a lot of current swing bands don't really like being
lumped into the whole "lounge revival"/"cocktail nation" thing.

Greg

[Crooner RK]

Here's my input, although I am not the expert.

There is swing, which is upbeat, swung well respected american jazz.
Then there is lounge which is swing taken to another level. It was not
completely respected the same way swing was. It was sort of basterdized by
bachelor pad cheesiness and, of course, the hammond organ. The entire lounge
coulture revolved around single men, trying to be hip and swank, and attempting
to impress ladies with their pads and their Hi Fi stereo systems. Eventually,
making lounge music meant making music that would go real nice in a bachelor's
appartment.

Of course, lounge music is any form of music that would be played at a
cocktail party, a lounge, and the like. That includes traditional swing,
cheesy american attempts at experimental latin music, easy listening, the
casino croner's standard vocals, etc etc.

Swing is a form of lounge music, however there is some music that is only
considered lounge. So it works in all kinds of ways.

Hope I helped.

-bDouglas
The Urination Kings
Funny How Things Turn Out...