A new documentary by Mike Jones and Jennifer Szabo
Every time Jonesy said how swingin’ a piece of music was, his friend Jennifer asked what he meant by that. She knew the gist, of course, but just couldn’t seem to get it. Jonesy told her not to worry; most non-jazz musicians just don’t understand.
That got her thinking. Could she and Jonesy find a way to explain it so everyone gets it?
Thus began the journey to explain this idea to everyone, musicians and non-musicians alike. And, thus began the creation of a documentary highlighting their journey.
Learn More
Mike Jones has performed live for over four million people over the last sixteen years as music director and opening act with legendary magicians Penn & Teller. Numerous television appearances on “Penn & Teller’s BS”, “Penn & Teller Tell A Lie” and currently on “Penn & Teller Fool Us” have given Mike a much wider audience, and yearly headlining appearances at Chicago’s famed Green Mill Jazz Club and others, have kept him in the jazz world.
Jennifer Szabo is a small business owner, a web developer, and a filmmaker. She met Jonesy while working as a professional juggler and has been fascinated by swinging jazz ever since.
Mike and Jennifer filmed over 100 videos of Mike playing during the pandemic. They want to explore some of those musical ideas as part of their documentary. See more videos of Mike in action.
We want to talk to other musicians!
We know other musicians have dealt with this before and we want to hear what you have to say! How do you explain swing to non-musicians? Do they get it? Do you have any funny stories about it? Fill out the form below. We’ll chat!