It’s the jitterbug meets dub step, it’s flappers on Facebook. “It’s Cab Calloway meets Daft Punk,” explains Good Co bandleader Carey Rayburn.

Good Co is the US’s first live Electro Swing Band, a genre mixing the music of the swing era with the dance music of today. Like baseball, mom, and apple pie, Jazz is about as American as it gets. But for years jazz has faded from the mainstream, and is now often thought of as an eclectic or intellectual type of music. Of course this was not always the case. When jazz was first invented it was the music of the clubs, it was for dancing, it was for boozing, it was forbreaking away from the constraints and formalities of the time. What’s a good speakeasy without some wild jazz music to go along with all that gin? 

Electro Swing takes these sounds, embedded in the American identity, and brings them into the 21st century. Its Roaring‘20s meets 2020s as swinging samples are mixed with electronic beats and modern production techniques. 

For Seattle six piece Good Co, the Jazz came first and the Electro followed after. “All of the band members are musicians who studied performance at college, our background is pretty traditional” explained Rayburn. But that all changed when a friend introduced him to the Electro Swing sounds that were percolating in Europe. “I’d always been a big fan of early jazz, and I had just starting really getting into Electronica, so it was a perfect fit!”

Rayburn quickly started writing Electro Swing music of his own and formed the band Good Co. He was surprised to find there were no other bands performing the genre in the US. “It was taking off in Europe but I was shocked to find there were no groups back here. It seemed crazy to me, I mean, the US invented Jazz!” 

Since forming the band in 2012 Good Co has been called “pure entertainment” and “a bit addictive” by reviewers. The group has played throughout the the country in an effort to, according to Rayburn, “spread the sound of Electro Swing, and, most importantly, show people a good time. I mean, that’s the whole point dance music, no matter the era!”

GOOD CO OUTREACH DESCRIPTION 
Taking their passion for music into the classroom Good Co provides an opportunity for students to interact with a professional band where they will have hands on experiences to develop skills such as critical listening, performance technique, intonation, and rhythm.

Good Co offers educators the ability to personalize what their students learn and customizes each experience to the needs of each class.

From short clinics to multi-day residencies, Good Co allows educators to choose from many different flexible options.

SAMPLE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OUTLINE -

Lesson Objectives: Explore the history and fundamentals of jazz and how it revolutionized music. Student will learn about the following elements of jazz: 
• Improvisation in melody and rhythm
• Basic understanding of the historical origins of jazz/blues in African-American and immigrant culture
• Connections to Rock and Roll and other contemporary music 

Opening Exercise: (5 min)  Ask the crowd what they think jazz is. Establish knowledge-level of the group and see if they have an understanding of what differentiates jazz from other types of music. Give broad overview of the basic tenets of jazz to be explored further throughout the presentation. 
Where Did Jazz Originate?: (10-15 min): 
• Introduce jazz as the first true American art form. Cover history of The Blues and of the musical roots of the people brought as slaves from Africa and of the people coming over in large numbers from Europe. Explain the process (starting in New Orleans) of cultures blending to create the new form of expression which we now call jazz. 
• Explain purpose of early jazz: that of personal expression and for celebration (dancing, drinking, etc). Quick note to differentiate the early forms of jazz from later styles that arose such as Bebop, Modern Jazz, etc.
What Makes Jazz Different?: (5-10 min): 
• Perform several 30 second American popular music segments that originate prior to jazz (march-”Stars and Stripes Forever”, folk-”Ashokan Farewell”,ragtime- “Maple Leaf Rag”). Ask the audience what stands out to them about the different pieces. Talk about commonality and consistency as valuable aspects of that music because of the lack of recordings during the time period. 
• Prepare 30 second segment of jazz (“I’ve Found a New Baby”) highlighting the aspects of the previous segments which are present in the piece. Ask the audience what stands out to them about that piece of music, what makes it different, what makes it familiar. 
Jazz’s Influence: (5-10 min)
• Perform several 30 second segments that illustrate the transition from jazz to rock and roll to contemporary pop music (for example, “Johnny B Goode”, “Wooly Bully”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Thriftshop”). Between each segment draw out the common strains between each song to clarify how they contribute to the evolution of music and why such evolution happens (blending cultures, improvisation, new inventions, etc). Do not assume knowledge of pop music but if possible pick widely popular music that is likely to be recognized by the students. 
Why is jazz important today?: (5-10 min) 
• Briefly overview connection with rhythm and improvisation. Discuss how this allows for greater creativity in contemporary music and differing rhythm and improvisational techniques, as well as cross-over capability between genres and cultures. 
• Transition into quick talk on electro-swing and how it utilizes jazz elements as well as using electronic elements. Talk briefly about the use of samples. Group Performance (15-20 min) 
• Lead a performance of “Minnie the Moocher” with call and response choruses where band improvises scat choruses and the group repeats. Repeat performance inviting individuals on stage to make up choruses for the band and group to repeat 
• Lead the group in rhythmic clapping over the piece ‘Iko Iko’ and invite individuals up to improvise rhythmic and melodic phrases (through singing, dancing, clapping, and/or conducting the band members) 
• Repeat notes about original intent for jazz (individual expression and to make people dance) and perform original Electro Swing pieces inviting crowd to express themselves by dancing along with the band