Evening star., 1938-01-16
Survey Gives
S ing
Facts
Why's, Wherefores
OF Dance Are
Revealed.
Continued From First Pase.)

channels. and what for1 No one
Understands 1t and what does 1t mat
ter, anyway"
Oddly enough, 1t seems to matter
quite = lot. Swing u . sign Of the
times and is still . topic Of discussion
on the tips Of pens and tongues. It
seems to Be . convention to delve into
the intricacies Of . new development,
discuss the details, reveal the why's
and wherefores and then to make .
general survey Of the public's opinion
on the subject. As this has already
been done among the young set Of
New York and Boston, We thought 1t
appropriate to find out what answers
were made to the examination here.
1t might prove amusing for you to try
to answer the questions yourself before
reading the general consensus. Ten
questions to tax the mind on Sunday
morning. Are you ready, pupils?
Write in ink on one side OF the paper
only, and no cribbing. No. you may
not leave the room. All right? Go!
l. When did swing first make its
appearance at Washington dances and
when did the young things notice and
advocate 1t?
2. Was its introduction due to popu-
lar orchestras, or did every one sud-
denly realize that they had been
listening to corny music q. e., of the
cob; !. e., farm-ish fiddling) and that
they wanted something worth while
listening to, and that swing answered
the purpose?
3. Did the trek to Harlem Of the
collegiates have any influence on the
spread OF swings popularity?
I. Had the big apple come out four
years ago. would 1t have gone over as
well as 1t did this year?
5. What sort Of songs do the young
demand at the dances?
6. What Is 1t that has caught their
fancy? After all. lie Jazz Hot Is not
news. and there has been ragtime ever
since one can remember. Why all the
fuss?
Z. Does a swing addict retain or de-
velop any appreciation he may once
have had for truly good music, or has
the ranting Of rhythm breaks ruined
his ear for subtler effects?
8. If the future of swing is perma-
nently assured. is it going to find its
basis in trick orchestration or free i'm
provisation?
8. What is the greatest proof Of
swings influence being felt?
10. Will its power outdo itself? Will
true appreciation be developed enough
to sponsor swing and urge 1t to greater
heights, or is the enthusiasm merely
another fad?
Answers Are Found
Generally the Same.
We have asked . varied group Of
people, including an orchestra leader,
a debutante, . broker, = banker and q
reporter and with 20 others, the
answers were the same, with few ex-
ceptions. Here they are; how do they
compare with yours?
l. Swing made its appearance in
Washington more gradually than any
where else. (Are We becoming con-
servative?) The young people began
to talk Of it about two years ago.
2. Its introduction was due to the
radio and recordings, for when the
good orchestras took it upon them
selves to play swing willy-nilly, wheth-
er it was commercial or not, they
plugged it" until it was on the mar
ket. For swing Is free improvisat ton
pinned In black and white 20 that its
inspiration may not escape. As an
orchestration using these momentary
flights Of inspiration must be more
colorful than one using ordinary form;
people found that they enjoyed hear
ing recording Of = swing arrange
ment over and over again for it Is
with certain SNUG satisfaction that
one can play . record and notice some
thing new each time. So it came
about that the young people began to
buy records and to say, Listen!
There's that trumpet break!" And
soon they wanted to hear the tune