Photo by Travis Trautt
It’s been almost 100 years since the Swing Era — a time of fast and funky dancing, an emphasis on off-beats, and the last real iteration of the Jazz Age before rock ‘n’ roll took over. Jazz as a whole — but especially swing — stood for a new kind of freedom: Gone were the days of sticking strictly to sheet music and scrupulously scripted Broadway shows, and in were the days of improvisation, closely-moving bodies, and, most importantly, (some) racial integration.
Today, Dan’s Tunes is excited to premiere “Shout,” the latest single from Seattle electro-swing band Good Co — but first, we need to pay homage to the history of the genre.
In the mid 1930s, swing was born out of the jazz tradition, a genre originally developed in black communities in New Orleans that stemmed from the blues — music also created by African Americans from spirituals and work songs. Swing (a faster, less improvisational form of jazz) was first introduced in the 1920s by black pianist Fletcher Henderson, but it wasn’t until Henderson sold his arrangements in the mid 1930s to white bandleader Benny Goodman that the genre cemented itself as the music of the decade. Using Henderson’s arrangements, Goodman drew white audiences, popularized the genre, and ultimately became known as the “King of Swing.”
In its time, jazz and swing music was highly controversial for drawing both black and white crowds. As white bandleaders like Goodman and Glenn Miller grew in popularity, white audiences began overtaking the genre, and bands led by black musical pioneers like Duke Ellington and Count Basie became relegated to the sidelines of mainstream American culture.
Now, approximately 85 years after the start of swing, Good Co — the project of trumpeter Carey Rayburn — has dropped a neo-swing album, So Pretty. “Shout” is the third single from the release, following “Come Alive” and “Home,” originally written to be an entrance song for a boxer.
“When the boxer’s management didn’t follow up with us, we decided to keep it for ourselves!” said Rayburn. “We made a couple of changes, added some lyrics, and all of a sudden had one of our favorite songs of the album.”
While the boxer didn’t end up using the track, the lyrics Good Co added are still very much influenced by the go-time attitude inherent in the sport, and they also feel extremely pertinent to the local and national happenings of the past two weeks. At the start of the track, vocalists Sasha Nollman and Shannon O’Bent (live vocalist Katrina Kope was not on the recorded album) intone, “Step out front and take the lead, that’s all you really need / I don’t know what you see, when you’re out there away from me.”
“The lyrics are inspired by coming into one’s own, realizing your own strength, and moving forward,” said Rayburn.
In the chorus, Nollman and O’Bent continue, “Shout baby, take a giant step outside / Shout baby, let the feelings come alive / It’s your chance to do your dance, show them that you’re bonafide.” In the context of the sports movie that played in my head when I read the original inspiration for the track, these lyrics are a fun push towards self-actualization. In the context of the current, nationwide movement, these lyrics are a quite literal call to action: Go outside and make the world listen.
While the dynamics in the track are fairly flat, the written instrumentation builds smoothly until “Shout” hits its climax after the third chorus, when Rayburn and saxophonist Peter Daniel lay down subsequent solos on top of a steady, cymbal-filled backing from percussionist Joseph Eck and a sultry bass line from upright bassist Benjamin Verdier. Keys from Jacob Sele twinkle in the background and mimic the light, lilting feet of a boxer preparing for the ring — or, perhaps, the rhythm of an optimistic protestor sliding on a face mask and gloves.
No matter how you’re protesting — on the front lines, on the back lines, posting on social media, unlearning, or donating — we could all use a solid pump-up track. “Shout” will have you feeling like you can “step out front and take the lead,” whatever that looks like for you. Take a listen to the track below to get all gussied up to use your voice.