The repertoire of swing bands featured both jazz and popular arrangements. Other renowned vocalists are blues singers Jimmy Rushing with You Can Depend on Me and Joe Williamss Roll Em Pete, featured with the Count Basie Orchestra, whose repertoire included ballads, jazz and pop standards. syllables). the following instruments: The The swing era followed boogie-woogie. "Stachmo") is arguably the most influential performer in the history began to emerge from the vocal blues All Jazz styles have two common features: - Ra's eclectic music was played by a roster of musicians from ten to thirty and was presented as theater, with costumes, dancers, and special effects.[1]. This pattern reinforced the second and fourth beat of every measure and later became known as a back beat. Additionally, the drummer accommodated the improvisations of soloists, providing a non-intrusive, laid-back swing pattern. [9] During the 1940s, somewhat smaller configurations of the big band emerged in the form of the "rhythm sextet". and Benny Goodman (who took jazz to Hollywood in the mid-1930s). Perhaps it started with the habanera in Mortons early compositions, and in the bridge of W. C. Handys St. However, some of the major artists, such as Ellington and Basie, provided much of the music for their orchestras themselves. more traditional instruments such as horn, cello, flute and oboe. to jazz, Many musicians served in the military and toured with USO troupes at the front, with Glenn Miller losing his life while traveling between shows. hb```. @1&$3.YTyfx.=**hE+f|5SSz/=n/ (called a "chorus"). The Henderson band is considerably larger than most syncopated dance bands of the 1920s (eight or nine musicians). projected in the way the drums and bass express the beat, how the piano of the most creative composers in the history of jazz, particularly renowned Lead players (alto sax 1, trombone 1 and trumpet 1) should be in the middle of their sections, in a direct line with one another. %PDF-1.5 % Cubans Mario Bauz and Machito (Francisco Ral Gutirrez Grillo), founder of the Afro-Cubans; Puerto Rican Ernesto Antonio Tito Puente with Oye como va; and Afro-Cuban drummer Chano Pozo (Luciano Pozo Gonzlez), famous for playing with and influencing Dizzy Gillespies Manteca, were among the most prominent band leaders and musicians. "Call and Response" was a common musical device. CROSBY, Frank SINATRA, and Doris DAY, who blossomed as featured vocalists with prominent bands ways. Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie. It served to distract people from the daily grind of reality. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
. The Great Depression, which started with the stock market crash in 1929, and WWII which ended in 1945. [47] In Kansas City and across the Southwest, an earthier, bluesier style was developed by such bandleaders as Bennie Moten and, later, by Jay McShann and Jesse Stone. They were assisted by a band full of talent: Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone, Louis Armstrong on cornet, and multi-instrumentalist Benny Carter, whose career lasted into the 1990s.[1]. [36]:p.31, Before 1910, social dance in America was dominated by steps such as the waltz and polka. As in midwestern cities, African American migrants transformed New York City in the first half of the 20th century. His "C" 6 Steps to Big Band Writing with Steven Feifke. During the 1960s and '70s, Sun Ra and his Arketstra took big bands further out. (London: Paladin) 1987. serene style of "cool jazz" became the rage on the west coast. was introduced with greater emphasis on the soloist. Whether your event needs a small ensemble or a full big band sound, we have the professionalism and class needed for functions requiring real live music! The popularity of many of the major bands was amplified by star vocalists, such as Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey, Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly with Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb, Billie Holiday and Jimmy Rushing with Count Basie, Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest with Harry James, Doris Day with Les Brown,[40] and Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman. Since 1960, several newer types $27.95. The Cotton Club started in Harlem before it moved downtown. However, its so large that its most often placed upright next to the bassist when its being played. Swing bands featured a large ensemble of violin--Ray Nance), (3) trumpet--Rex Stewart, (4) tenor saxBen Webster, has complex syncopated polyrhythms, (3) expressive "blue" (bent Since the 1920s, Jazz Since he could not read music, Webb memorized the arrangements. IMPORTANT MUSICIANS: Louis Armstrong (cornet/trumpet), Bix Beiderbecke (cornet), Jelly Roll Morton (piano/composer), Sidney Bechet (soprano sax, clarinet), Earl "Fatha" Hines (piano) Swing/Big Band Era (1930-1945) It was mostly performed by Big Bands, which were large orchestras divided into trumpets, saxophones, trombones, and a rhythm section (which consisted of the drums, bass, guitar and piano). "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald, It Dont Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing),, Kansas City was the swingingest sound in the world. The group emphasized correct technique and accurate playing and released its first recording in 1930. He toured and recorded many solos with, most notably, the Count Basie band. (who are noted for their blending of Afro-Cuban jazz elements within a is exactly what the jazz musician does to keep track of the blues formone The style features prominent horn riffs, call and response between the brass and reed sections, and a consistent rhythmic drive derived from walking and/or boogie-woogie-type bass lines. A unique feature of this style was the use of riffs performed as call and response between woodwinds and brass as an integral part of the arrangement heard in Bennie Motens Moten Swing (1932) and Count Basies One OClock Jump (1937). Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and trombones The invention of ______ helped the record industry to recover in the mid-1930s. For example, Tommy Dorsey played with a beautiful tone and control on the trombone. White teenagers and young adults were the principal fans of the big bands in the late 1930s and early 1940s. style based on a faster, danceable beat with featured improvised solos. tenor saxophone. (, : This can be best described as "composing and 1920s as a blending of blues, ragtime, and civic brass band traditions, then this A ballad is a simple song, usually romantic in nature, and uses the same melody for each stanza. So generally the pianist played very rhythmically, and helped keep the beat. A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Tenor saxophonist Lester Young (19091959) had a different approach than Hawkins and used a lighter tone. Swing as popular music usually had vocals, such as Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and was intended for dancing. Williams is considered one of the great jazz pianists and one of the greatest performers from Kansas City. Many bands toured the country in grueling one-night stands. This is where one section (say, the brass section, i.e., trumpets and trombones) would play a musical phrase and then be "answered" by another section (say, the saxes); the first phrase is the call, the answer is the response (like a musical conversation). When the tradition came back full-circle into vocal jazz with a Swing was massively popular during the 1930s, so popular, in fact, that it was the pop music of its time. The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 19301945. "Fusion" in its strictest She led her Swingphony while playing marimba. Many bands featured strong instrumentalists whose sounds dominated, such as the clarinets of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, the trombone of Jack Teagarden, the trumpet of Harry James, the drums of Gene Krupa, and the vibes of Lionel Hampton. of American jazz. "walking bass" accompaniment, - Harmony jw7(W3;TEd5SOBmlyb./hh IOQ,+B}I\fT-q\ dJ(0!GF>B)- |0~J;:AC*: Y3[.(&=>:UU5aH@ZLLEc))3c.mcX=ia&1cy]aE~9CB7L_ These bands had identifiable leaders, such as Glenn Miller and the Dorsey brothers, who placed their individual stamps on their musical arrangements. The swing era took place during which two important historical events? Yet, as woodwind-style instruments, they also feature a wide range of available notes and pitches. Phil Spitalny, a native of Ukraine, led a 22-piece female orchestra known as Phil Spitalny and His Hour of Charm Orchestra, named for his radio show, The Hour of Charm, during the 1930s and 1940s. Goodmans band was the first to integrate black and white musicians. Packed with Ph.D.s, this scientific swing band performs a play list that leans heavily toward the heavens. Trumpets feature a hollow brass tube that is doubles back on itself twice. [48][49][50] Big band remotes on the major radio networks spread the music from ballrooms and clubs across the country during the 1930s and 1940s, with remote broadcasts from jazz clubs continuing into the 1950s on NBC's Monitor. Coast" Cool Jazz emerged, using Examples include the Vienna Art Orchestra, founded in 1977, and the Italian Instabile Orchestra, active in the 1990s. A large string instrument with an extremely low pitch, the Double Bass is a staple of most swing bands. daring arrangements of classic jazz tunes. In the 1950s, a smooth style of "West emerged as piano was added to the rhythm section, and a stronger driving rhythm virtuosity. "Swing" feeling: The rhythmic phenomenon of "swing" feeling is orchestral jazz crossover movement that had an enormous impact on getting white "Duke" ELLINGTON At these venues, which themselves gained notoriety, bandleaders and arrangers played a greater role than they had before. [52], Schuller, Gunther. The saxophone section included two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, and one baritone saxophone. Nostalgia for the Big Band style has kept it alive today. bWkwf>JW'wJj_]6/?NxP]-0_wg"2;WjbuY5sujr7g/sueG>trp~ZBV7]M(//m!o/f[^fb]x>f]aX?UnAW|ng)]s? harmony, structure and instrumentation. His famous recording Body and Soul, recorded in 1939, is known for its continuous smooth sound. The rhythm section would typically include piano, string bass, drum set, with occasional additions of guitar or other chordal/melody instruments. Very important to the development of the Swing Bands were the role of the composer/arranger and the excellent stylizations of musicians. The The band severed ties with the school in 1941 to claim professional status. Lester Leaps In: The Life and Times of Lester Pres Young. Instead of just embellishing the melody, he created a whole new melody based on the songs harmony by arpeggiating the chords and adding further chord alterations and substitutions to make his solo more complex. City. the late 1950s led to the more daring experiments of "free jazz" by instruments (one or more: Piano, [4] While most big bands dropped the previously common jazz clarinet from their arrangements (other than the clarinet-led orchestras of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman), many Duke Ellington songs had clarinet parts,[5] often replacing or doubling one of the tenor saxophone parts; more rarely, Ellington would substitute baritone sax for bass clarinet, such as in "Ase's Death" from Swinging Suites. Air blown into the tube of the saxophone reverberates as it hits the brass tubing. ragtime creating a style known as "Dixieland" Jazz or Louis Armstrong was the first to establish vocals as a part of an instrumental tradition. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_band&oldid=1142698476, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 22:19. woodwinds (saxophones, clarinets), brass (trumpets, trombones) and a back-up So the Swing Era was during the Depression and it acted as a kind of counter-statement or rebellion against the unemployment and misery that the Depression caused. in Blue (1925). "Hot" Jazz, as improvised over standard blues patterns. Here are the five most common swing band instruments, and how they commonly fit into swing music. techniques (from native African musical tradition in which a leader does a [14][12][13] [15][16][17][18], Twenty-first century big bands can be considerably larger than their predecessors, exceeding 20 players, with some European bands using 29 instruments and some reaching 50. uses "call and response" The 1930's brought a new style of jazz "big band swing". The International Sweethearts of Rhythm became known for its strong riffing brass section, heavy percussion, rhythmic sensibility, and dynamic blues playing heard in Jump Children.. for hits such as Take the A Train, and Satin Doll, as well as colorful and Bob Hope, Shep Fields and The Rippling Rhythm Revue", Photograph of Bob Hope as master of ceremonies on the "Rippling Rhythm Revue" Show in 1937 on Gettyimages, State University of New York, Fredonia. Whiteman started his first band in San Francisco in 1918 and his fame spread into the 1920s. endstream endobj 1555 0 obj <>/Metadata 104 0 R/Outlines 108 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/Pages 1544 0 R/StructTreeRoot 655 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 1556 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Type/Page>> endobj 1557 0 obj <>stream Count Basie played a relaxed, propulsive swing, Bob Crosby (brother of Bing), more of a dixieland style,[39] Benny Goodman a hard driving swing, and Duke Ellington's compositions were varied and sophisticated. Henderson and arranger Don Redman followed the template of King Oliver, but as the 1920s progressed they moved away from the New Orleans format and transformed jazz. In Harlem, the creative and literary arts, Black musicals, and big band entertainment flourished within the movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, in which music played as great or possibly a greater role than literature. Her version of the nursery rhyme A-Tisket, A-Tasket (1938) brought her international fame. Print, p. 226, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Ellingtonians salute swing era clarinets", Discography of American Historical Recordings: Charles Magnante's Accordion Quartette with guitar and string bass on uscb.edu, "Leone Jump; Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; The Jazz Me Blues; Nursery Rhymes", Discography of American Historical Recordings- John Serrapica (aka John Serry) as a member of the Charles Magnante Accordion Quartette with guitar and string bass on uscb.edu, "JazzTimes 10: Great Modern Big-Band Recordings", "Difference Between Music Composer & Arranger", "Composer Maria Schneider Returns, With A Reckoning, On 'Data Lords', "Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life Beyond Duke Ellington", "Big Band Arranging: for composers, orchestrators and arrangers: 16, Solos and Backgrounds", "Inside the Score in the 21st Century: Techniques for Contemporary Large Jazz Ensemble Composition", "1910s Pop Trend: The Ragtime Dance Craze", "George Robert Crosby Bandleader, Vocalist, Actor, Radio/TV Host", "Sounds of Hot Jazz Stay Warm: Harry James Band to Play at the Mission", "Chapter 11. here to see a YouTube clip on jazz improvisation). Other female bands were led by trumpeter B. Above all else, Swing music is dance music which means it was: This also meant it was incredibly commercial. The instrumental lineup of a big band will vary from ensemble to ensemble, but is typically composed of around 17 musicians, divided into four sections: five saxophones; four trombones; four trumpets; a rhythm section of piano, double bass and drums; Common additions might include guitar, french horn, tuba or a vocalist. interacts with the bass and drums, and how the beat is divided up in complex Columbia, Victor, and Decca were the three most important, Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and. II era. art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. Ellington expanded Armstrong's small But there were a few instrumental popular hits, such as Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" and Miller's "In the Mood." 3. Big bands of today are not all from an earlier era. The music of Count Basie (19041984) represents a leading voice in the big band style. His pioneering vocal style, which treated his voice as an instrument, provided the foundation for vocal jazz interpretation. [44], Although big bands are identified with the swing era, they continued to exist after those decades, though the music they played was often different from swing. The swing era is thought to be the best time to consider big band music as a concept for music fans. Mary Lou Williams (19101981) was the first woman in jazz history to compose and arrange for a large jazz band. The manner in which theyre utilized often depends on the particular composition of the song being played. [3] They incorporated elements of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, ragtime, and vaudeville. As a result, employment opportunities for jazz musicians increased and Kansas City became a jazz mecca. "8-to-the-bar" rhythmic structure: (LONG-short-LONG-short-LONG-short-LONG-short), 1 2 introduction, the main theme, and four varied improvised choruses. 1U^ p(s XA@H:@!+H30q:pYL4#9 S A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Four trombones comprised the trombone section. grooves, click When it comes to swing music, keyboards are typically used as a harmonic element. When you mentioned the word Jazz to the average person, they probably think of Swing music, and for good reason. is a Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Black Studies and History, and former Chair of Black Studies and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In the mid-1930s, he was the featured soloist in the Basie Orchestra. Company" vocal jazz ensemble performing a the Lincoln Center in New York The composer writes original music that will be performed by individuals or groups of various sizes, while the arranger adapts the work of composers in a creative way for a performance or recording. Kansas City, in particular, became a wide-open town totally ingrained in the entertainment business. Improvisation: This can be best described as "composing and YouTube clip with basic piano chords, click here to see a YouTube completely abandoned the song's melody, which has made this style less The popular appeal of Benny Goodman's Trio and Quartet had a good deal to do with the extroverted energy of. Hickman relied on Ferde Grof, Whiteman on Bill Challis. here to see a YouTube clip on jazz improvisation, click here to see animated Since theyre built of brass, saxophones tend to produce a trumpet-like buzzing sound. In 1919, Paul Whiteman hired Grof to use similar techniques for his band. BASIE popularized "pure" jazz through a "Big Band" Bluesy feel (often using a 12 Bar Blues structure), Songs that were based and structured around riffs. George GERSHWIN (1898-1937): Rhapsody clip on the basic jazz rhythm section. characterized by independent instrumental lines, massive harmonic dissonance, HWYo8~G ("b+[:r$%_r8oFdnIt]5pu\Kr|z~+au/I8vTm3}` e Figure 1: The Western Jazz Quartet (piano: [32] They experiment, often with one player coming up with a simple musical figure leading to development within the same section and then further expansion by other sections, with the entire band then memorizing the way they are going to perform the piece, without writing it on sheet music. (Click American sound has fascinated listeners, performers and composers around the here to see a YouTube video on "swing" groove vs. other types of (of the Dave Brubeck Quartet that also featured alto saxophonist Paul DESMOND), Carnegie Hall in New York City presented Benny Goodman jazz concerts for the first time in 1938. Their styles are uniquely different, yet both helped shape the definition of the pure jazz singer. of the United States between 1920 and 1970. And what better instrument to provide a bona fide rhythm for a swing band than a set of drums? black jazz musicians developed an. By 1937, the "sweet jazz band" saxophonist Shep Fields was also featured over the airways on the NBC radio network in his Rippling Rhythm Revue, which also showcased a young Bob Hope as the announcer. Swing Shift: All Girl Bands of the 1940s. In swing, the saxophone was usually featured as the leading instrumental soloist. Beacon, 2002. premiered George GERSHWIN's Rhapsody in Blue and kicked off an Swing bands featured orchestras with sections of trumpets, saxophones, and. 3 4 5 6 7 8, - leaders in America. - the tuba was replaced the string bass - the banjo was replaced the guitar - (a&c on test) Ellington, Duke Kennedy.
And this is where the term head comes from, meaning the original melody of the song that is, its all in your head, not written down on paper. There was a quality to her voice that fascinated me, and Id sing along with her, trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words., A lot of singers think all they have to do is exercise their tonsils to get ahead. Keyboards are the swing band equivalent of rice in Gumbo. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. The attractive to general listeners. But you also need to inject your style and personality into the music you make. performing at the same time. Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and Jimmie Lunceford each led orchestras that achieved international standing. Jazz began in New Orleans in the and Ph. 1554 0 obj <> endobj !/$v}5cliH_+B9W#PBY]C ::B) Lester Young & Herschel Evans. Apple Loops/REX/WAV. Maria Schneider assisted Gil Evans, wrote for Woody Herman and Mel Lewis, and has conducted jazz orchestras around the world. The trumpet section included four trumpets; the first was responsible for the highest notes. Count Basie's saxophone section included. 1930s, jazz expanded into a "Big Band" phenomenon with Duke Ellington jazz-fusion (combining elements of jazz and rock musics). By the end of the war, swing was giving way to less danceable music, such as bebop. The piece Hotter Than That Byron Almen, Dorothy Payne, Stefan Kostka. The first jazz concert, called A Swing Music Concert took place in 1936 in New York City. During the swing era, popular, blues, and jazz vocalists were essential to big band performances. (Change the second verb to the future progressive form.). 1920s as a blending of blues, ragtime, and civic brass band traditions, then this She recorded with various jazz orchestras, including her own (Long Gone Blues, 1939) and those led by Benny Goodman (Your Mothers Son-in-Law, 1933) and Teddy Wilson (Sugar, 1939). A. The 194244 musicians' strike worsened the situation. Fueled by the non-stop nightlife under political boss Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well beyond sunrise, fostering a highly competitive atmosphere and a unique music culture, attracting many bands from the Southwest known as territory bands, such as Bennie Motens orchestra and the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. In a big band jazz group, at least three trumpets, two trombones, four or more saxophones, and a rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass, and drums are combined with a vocal element. These musical ensembles associated with the swing era. hbbd``b`:$g@Hp,@,Fb 0 O3 They can be used to produce a melody or harmony for nearly every musical style. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the only style of music played by big bands. Bandleader Charlie Barnet's recording of "Cherokee" in 1942 and "The Moose" in 1943 have been called the beginning of the bop era. here to see a YouTube video on "swing" groove vs. other types of In 1927, he taught music at Manassas High School in Memphis and organized a student jazz band. In general, swing refers to the music of large dance bands that played written arrangements. Whiteman was educated in classical music, and he called his new band's music symphonic jazz. Orchestra. Swing is a term often used in reference to large dance bands of 15 or more musicians that played written arrangements using improvised sections alternating with arranged passages by brass and/or reeds. The Henderson band is considerably larger than most syncopated dance bands of the 1920s (eight or nine musicians). In the 1960s, Gunther SCHULLER developed a style known as "Third Blues tradition, then became popular with white listeners during the World War Benny GOODMAN (1909-1986): Sing, Sing, Sing! He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an M.A. Ive listed someSwing Era Jazz musicians below. trombone. In addition, Miller had a radio program and made motion pictures. One of the most common forms used in jazz (click highly-improvisatory new style of jazz called "Bebop" was developed His efforts helped make it possible for jazz musicians to earn a decent wage. This intermingling of sections became a defining characteristic of big bands. Pianist and vocalist Sarah Vaughan also influenced many singers. But on performance day, this band of Lab rats replaces the high-tech gizmos with trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums and a piano. Asthe name of that sound suggests, Count Basie played in Kansas City. innovators include pianist Dave BRUBECK and the Lincoln Center Jazz The "Modern Popular Music" chart below, trombones Swing music appealed most dramatically to this demographic group: teenagers A "shout chorus" is: the final, climactic chorus in an arrangement Which changes occurred in the rhythm section during the 1930s? Up until that time, it was viewed with ridicule and looked upon as a curiosity. Arrangers notated specific notes for each instrument to play in every measure on a written score. However, jazz continued its artistic evolution as swing became established around 1929. endstream endobj 1558 0 obj <>stream The focus shifted away from the arranger and toward the improvising performer. Many Kansas City bands featured head arrangements, which were . [26], Typical big band arrangements from the swing era were written in strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. The stage was set up with five saxophones, two altos, two tenors, and one baritone, stage front left with four trombones directly behind them, and three trumpets at the back, the electric guitar was in center stage with . out of tune) notes, (4) and even a section with Armstrong's famous "scat During the 1920s, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and Dallas were vital crossroads resulting in a mix of musical styles and cultures. Only hotel-type bands such as that of Guy Lombardo and select jazz players such as Benny Goodman found consistent employment. In the Jazz vocalists during this era were highly influenced by horn players. During the "Roaring The genre was gradually absorbed into mainstream pop rock and the jazz rock sector.[45]. [20] Arrangers frequently notate all or most of the score of a given number, usually referred to as a "chart". Swing was the predominant style of jazz music played from the late 1920s to mid-1940s. Guiding Principals. collectively . are described below. The trumpet section included four trumpets; the first was responsible for the highest notes. In the late 1940s, progressive The music business suffered during the Great Depression. Jazz elements into his famous musical, Count Basie became an Oklahoma City Blue Devil around 1929 and also played with Bennie Moten. Many of the great swing bands broke up, as the times and tastes changed.