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Swing was the predominant style of jazz music played from the late 1920s to mid-1940s. exemplifies many of the most innovative aspects of this new jazz style: (1) It During the 1960s and '70s, Sun Ra and his Arketstra took big bands further out. out of tune) notes, (4) and even a section with Armstrong's famous "scat www.bigfishaudio.com. hmk6^/,$mA% All Jazz styles have two common features: - Swing band music was organized in homophonywhere two or more instruments played similar or complementary lines. Louis ARMSTRONG (1900-1971): Hotter Than That (1927). Much like the stock in Gumbo, it provides an essential rhythmic and harmonic element in swing music. Samplephonics Soulful Brass Constructions orchestral jazz crossover movement that had an enormous impact on getting white The Cotton Club started in Harlem before it moved downtown. The genre was gradually absorbed into mainstream pop rock and the jazz rock sector.[45]. White teenagers and young adults were the principal fans of the big bands in the late 1930s and early 1940s. This lineup was typical of swing era bands. note-for-note. Ellington recorded this And because of this, Swing had a greater emphasis on written-out composition and arrangements. [20] Arrangers frequently notate all or most of the score of a given number, usually referred to as a "chart". Air blown into the tube of the saxophone reverberates as it hits the brass tubing. Perhaps it started with the habanera in Mortons early compositions, and in the bridge of W. C. Handys St. 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. Count Basie became an Oklahoma City Blue Devil around 1929 and also played with Bennie Moten. woodwinds (saxophones, clarinets), brass (trumpets, trombones) and a back-up Maria Schneider assisted Gil Evans, wrote for Woody Herman and Mel Lewis, and has conducted jazz orchestras around the world. A versatile instrument, the saxophone is swing musics version of the Holy Trinity (celery, bell peppers and onions) used in Gumbo. Others challenged him, and battle of the bands became a regular feature of theater performances. Jimmy Rushing, Oklahoma City native and early member of the Blue Devils, set a style in blues and jazz that was imitated widely by others. a hint of improvisationthe scores are completely written out has undergone several stylisdtic transformations, the most significant of which style promoted by Ornette COLEMAN and John COLTRANE), which has raised a continuing controversy about One Oclock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. - jukebox Which changes occurred in the rhythm section during the 1930s? His "C" It was all about showmanship which is epitomised by people like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller. In general, swing refers to the music of large dance bands that played written arrangements. 1930s, jazz expanded into a "Big Band" phenomenon with Duke Ellington Some bands were "society bands" which relied on strong ensembles but little on soloists or vocalists, such as the bands of Guy Lombardo and Paul Whiteman. A. Rolfe, Anna Mae Winburn, and Ina Ray Hutton.[35]. shows the development of the main jazz styles in relation to other aspects of Social life changed and large ballrooms were needed for the thousands who wanted to dance every night and large bands seemed to be the answer to filling these dance halls with music. His music uses Eastern rhythms, meters, and advanced rhythmic techniques. %PDF-1.5
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by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
. improvised solo structure on the choruses: (1) piano--Ellington), (2) jazz 1560 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<10C156E632F2BA46ADA9AD0651C7900F><95985AC68A5B3B44A7FED2E54018B539>]/Index[1554 17]/Info 1553 0 R/Length 52/Prev 145355/Root 1555 0 R/Size 1571/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Daniels, Douglas. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_band&oldid=1142698476, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 22:19. early style of "Hot Jazz" made its way north to Chicago and east to The music business suffered during the Great Depression. 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. accompaniment (acoustic bass with piano and/or guitar). 1554 0 obj <> endobj The latter included blues, ballads, novelty songs, and Broadway tunes. Since theyre built of brass, saxophones tend to produce a trumpet-like buzzing sound. Henderson was a pianist and excellent arranger who wrote most of the musical arrangements that helped launch the success of Benny Goodmans orchestra. (String Bass or Electric Bass), plucked with the fingers, often providing a The swing era is thought to be the best time to consider big band music as a concept for music fans. Nostalgia for the Big Band style has kept it alive today. "C" Jam Blues (1942). Pianist and vocalist Sarah Vaughan also influenced many singers. In 1925, bandleader Paul Whiteman When new arrangements are written, they are usually in the same style as the original band. freedom vs. chaos. Swing music ruled the airwaves and the dance floors throughout the 1930s to the mid-40s, and the artists that led swing bands became internationally beloved celebrities. 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. Guiding Principals. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2000. Explain your opinion in a book review. I am Joaqun/Yo Soy Joaqun was first published in 1967. Many of the better known bands reflected the individuality of the bandleader, the lead arranger, and the personnel. They can be used to produce a melody or harmony for nearly every musical style. 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. "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. Williams is considered one of the great jazz pianists and one of the greatest performers from Kansas City. Later, Trumpets A prominent feature of swing music is a leading brass section, which is often provided by a trumpet. sense means to merge styles together. But there were a few instrumental popular hits, such as Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" and Miller's "In the Mood." 3. in its strictest His music was a combination of solo and ensemble playing. Many Kansas City bands featured head arrangements, which were . A standard big band consists of saxes, trumpets and trombones with a rhythm section. Duke Ellington's . Swing grew out of New Orleans Jazz and the evolved into Bebop. For example, Tommy Dorsey played with a beautiful tone and control on the trombone. Jam Blues features a 12-bar blues pattern with each subsequent varied chorus KC Jazz marked the transition from the heavily structured, arranged and written out Big Band style of Swing to the more fluid and improvisation style of Bebop. Ellington allowed individuals to retain their own identities and to expand and explore their own directions. They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the waysideIm going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do., I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.. have emerged: "Free jazz" (a "random" loosely-structured Hickman's arranger, Ferde Grof, wrote arrangements in which he divided the jazz orchestra into sections that combined in various ways. Whiteman started his first band in San Francisco in 1918 and his fame spread into the 1920s. Keyboards are some of the most versatile instruments out there. While bassists can use a bow to vibrate the strings, swing band bassists will frequently pluck the strings instead. Big band swing was at the forefront of jazz and underwent its most concentrated growth and development from 1930 . Critics and historians refer to these groups as ghost bands because of the absence of their leaders and new personnel. a) Henderson's big band comprises five brass instruments (three trumpets and two trombones), four reed instruments (saxophones and clarinets), and a rhythm section consisting of piano, bass, Company" vocal jazz ensemble performing a the Lincoln Center in New York 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 During the swing era, popular, blues, and jazz vocalists were essential to big band performances. [26], Typical big band arrangements from the swing era were written in strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. style known as SWING. was introduced with greater emphasis on the soloist. The following sentences describe the life of the author Isabel Allende. This was in part due to a political organization called the Pendergast Machine which encouraged a nightclub atmosphere. Playing multiple riffs playing at once as a kind of call and response. daring arrangements of classic jazz tunes. BASIE popularized "pure" jazz through a "Big Band" The "Modern Popular Music" chart below, This approach was then further expanded upon by Bebop, which largely abandoned the original melody of the song to create brand new melodies based on an established chord progression this was known as a contrafact. During the next decades, ballrooms filled with people doing the jitterbug and Lindy Hop. Packed with Ph.D.s, this scientific swing band performs a play list that leans heavily toward the heavens. 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]. 1U^ p(s XA@H:@!+H30q:pYL4#9 S 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_ Foremost, they accentuated the movement of choreographed dancers. But you also need to inject your style and personality into the music you make. Figure 2: Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis initiated by a 4-measure lead-in improvised over a "C" chord Boyd Raeburn drew from symphony orchestras by adding flute, French horn, strings, and timpani to his band. Paul Whiteman (18901967), called the King of Jazz, sought after talented top names for his band like Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Beacon, 2006. harmony. ARMSTRONG took "Hot" Jazz to Chicago, where its popularity grew The successful bands of the Swing Era featured carefully . In the 1940s, an intensely virtuosic and And they played a particular type of Swing in Kansas City known as: Kansas City Jazz. 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. Singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald came to the popular forefront during the swing era. Click here for a FREE preview of The Classic Swing Bands newest CD Ballroom Dance Favorites.. Fletchers [Henderson] band had the same elements; so did Benny Motens back in 1932, when Basie played with him., Every week they would feature a guest band at the Savoy Ballroom. Since the 1920s, Jazz below to see YouTube performance clips), - Blues tradition, then became popular with white listeners during the World War As purely instrumental jazz Jazz began in New Orleans in the instruments (one or more: Piano, interacts with the bass and drums, and how the beat is divided up in complex performing at the same time." 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. are described below. [24] In many cases, however, the distinction between these roles can become blurred. photo by Patricia Schneider. Figure 3: WMU's "Gold These musical ensembles associated with the swing era. This form maintains the same chord [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. tenor saxophone. sense means to merge styles together. Southwest bands offered a different solution to big band improvisational structures. In New Orleans, black 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. here to see a YouTube video on "swing" groove vs. other types of - a jazz choir (with or without instrumental accompaniment): Jazz combos often feature virtuoso performers, on Gloria Parker had a radio program on which she conducted the largest all-girl orchestra led by a female. He toured in many parts of the world and was also commissioned to record classical compositions. He was also a band leader and arranger who traveled throughout Europe and Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. The Double Bass is shaped like other string instruments such as the guitar or violin. By the 1930s, these and other cities became major centers for the development of the swing style. highly improvisatory style called Bebop, John Coltrane's "hard bop" of sprouted up in different parts of the United States, and their uniquely Progressive bands were led by Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Don Ellis, and Anthony Braxton. You must have javascript enabled to view this website. [21] Bandleaders are typically performers who assemble musicians to form an ensemble of various sizes, select or create material for them, shape the musics dynamics, phrasing, and expression in rehearsals, and lead the group in performance often while playing alongside them. premiered. While all my lessons are free, if you find them useful please consider donating to help keep them coming. for hits such as Take the A Train, and Satin Doll, as well as colorful and 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. Until the political climate changes in Chile, Allende will write from her current home in The repertoire of swing bands featured both jazz and popular arrangements. "Hot" Jazz, as improvised over standard blues patterns. Swing music began appearing in the early 1930s and was distinguished by a more supple feel than the more literal 44 of early jazz. He was a pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. So generally the pianist played very rhythmically, and helped keep the beat. Many college and university music departments offer jazz programs and feature big band courses in improvisation, composition, arranging, and studio recording, featuring performances by 18 to 20 piece big bands.[46]. Three bypass valves over the tube can be used to lower the pitch of the trumpet. Benny GOODMAN (1909-1986): Sing, Sing, Sing! The Timeline of African American Music has been made possible in part by a major grant from theNational Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Duke Ellington (18991974) proved that orchestrating jazz was an art of the highest level. techniques (from native African musical tradition in which a leader does a to jazz, Please change your browser preferences to enable javascript, and reload this page. Modern big bands can be found playing all styles of jazz music. By the end of the war, swing was giving way to less danceable music, such as bebop. [29], An arrangement's first chorus is sometimes preceded by an introduction, which may be as short as a few measures or may extend to a chorus of its own. uses "call and response" After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. HWYo8~G ("b+[:r$%_r8oFdnIt]5pu\Kr|z~+au/I8vTm3}` e singing" (in which he sings like an instrument on scat trumpeter Miles DAVIS, and baritone the following instruments: In 1925, bandleader Paul Whiteman Fitzgerald was unique in her ability to render exact imitations of nearly any instrument in the band. Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and . Basie, Count. Big bands generally have four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section of guitar, piano, double bass, and drums. [9] During the 1940s, somewhat smaller configurations of the big band emerged in the form of the "rhythm sextet". His bebop collaborations with trumpeter Dizzy GILLESPIE are some of the greatest moments in music history. Bridging the gap to white audiences in the mid-1930s was the Casa Loma Orchestra and Benny Goodman's early band. 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. "[34][35] Head arrangements were more common during the period of the 1930s because there was less turnover in personnel, giving the band members more time to rehearse. Charlie PARKER and Dizzy 20th-century popular music and culture. [28] This development may take the form of improvised solos, written solo sections, and "shout choruses". Miller went in debt to start his band but was a millionaire within two years. Stream Jazz" by combining a jazz combo with symphony orchestra. In the 1960s and 1970s, big band rock became popular by integrating such musical ingredients as progressive rock experimentation, jazz fusion, and the horn choirs often used in blues and soul music, with some of the most prominent groups including Chicago; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Tower of Power; and, from Canada, Lighthouse. The Henderson band is considerably larger than most syncopated dance bands of the 1920s (eight or nine musicians). Jazz vocalists during this era were highly influenced by horn players. Kenton pushed the boundaries of big bands by combining clashing elements and by hiring arrangers whose ideas about music conflicted. African American big band arrangers such as Fletcher Henderson and Eddie Durham were major contributors to the success of white bandleaders such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glen Miller. an improvisation: melody, harmony, and form. Many bands toured the country in grueling one-night stands. Dance bands had made phonograph records since the days of ragtime. 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). As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. Jazz orchestras were necessary for the shows and musicals, and well-trained musicians were highly valued. basic chord progression of a 12-bar blues in the key of "C": (click here to see animated "Duke" ELLINGTON art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American Other female bands were led by trumpeter B. The embellishments gradually became more adventurous, but they were generally always played with the melody in mind. Figure 1: The Western Jazz Quartet (piano: The Timeline of African American Music by Portia K. Maultsby, Ph.D. presents the remarkable diversity of African American music, revealing the unique characteristics of each genre and style, from the earliest folk traditions to present-day popular music. [37] As jazz migrated from its New Orleans origin to Chicago and New York City, energetic, suggestive dances traveled with it. Swing bands adopted a consistent instrumentation of four sections that remained fairly stable. Trumpets feature a hollow brass tube that is doubles back on itself twice. An Autobiography: John Hammond on Record with Irvin Townsend. Some large contemporary European jazz ensembles play mostly avant-garde jazz using the instrumentation of the big bands. [22] Some bandleaders, such as Guy Lombardo, performed works composed by others (in Lombardo's case, often by his brother Carmen),[23] while others, such as Maria Schneider, take on all three roles. performers such Louis ARMSTRONG completed the transition from When you mentioned the word Jazz to the average person, they probably think of Swing music, and for good reason. Hawkins made his first recording with Fletcher Henderson and he would go on to perform throughout England and Europe. (called a "chorus"). The History of Jazz. It served to distract people from the daily grind of reality. With no market for small-group recordings (made worse by a Depression-era industry reluctant to take risks), musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines led their own bands, while others, like Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver, lapsed into obscurity. style based on a faster, danceable beat with featured improvised solos. Arrangers notated specific notes for each instrument to play in every measure on a written score. [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. - Then, during the Swing Era, the sax player Coleman Hawkins changed the way jazz approached improvisation from melody to harmony (horizontal to vertical). [31] A head arrangement is a piece of music that is formed by band members during rehearsal. (Click They had the Blue Devils. D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. 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.Big bands originated during the early 1910s and dominated jazz in the early 1940s when swing was most popular. began to emerge from the vocal blues 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. Important New York figures of this time include Chick Webb, Jimmie Lunceford, and Duke Ellington. The Glenn Miller band was one of the most popular bands of the Swing Era. the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band Swing bands featured orchestras with sections of trumpets, saxophones, and _________________. New York in the late 1920s. art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American Yes drums are like the Roux or Fil in Gumbo. Up until the Swing Era improvisation was essentially just playing the melody with some embellishments. They danced to recordings and the radio and attended live concerts. introduction, the main theme, and four varied improvised choruses. of main line "crooners" such as Bing harmony, structure and instrumentation. and Ph. [19], It is useful to distinguish between the roles of composer, arranger and leader. of jazz Swing was almost entirely commercial and part of the mass entertainment industry. is called the "12-bar blues." Holiday crossed musical genres, singing jazz, blues, and pop while keeping her individual singing style. II. In Kansas City, Bennie Motens and Count Basies bands had begun developing a looser type of big band arrangement that allowed for freer styles of soloing, giving rise to a unique Kansas City swing style in the 1930s. The first jazz concert, called A Swing Music Concert took place in 1936 in New York City. While each instrument in a swing band can be compared to an ingredient in Gumbo, none of them have been equated with the seasoning so far. Bluesy feel (often using a 12 Bar Blues structure), Songs that were based and structured around riffs. One of the most common forms used in jazz attractive to general listeners. "Fusion" in its strictest Swing is sandwiched between two huge historical events. harmony, structure and instrumentation. Apart from the star soloists, many musicians received low wages and would abandon the tour if bookings disappeared. As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. bWkwf>JW'wJj_]6/?NxP]-0_wg"2;WjbuY5sujr7g/sueG>trp~ZBV7]M(//m!o/f[^fb]x>f]aX?UnAW|ng)]s? Many bands from the swing era continued for decades after the death or departure of their founders and namesakes, and some are still active in the 21st century, often referred to as "ghost bands", a term attributed to Woody Herman, referring to orchestras that persist in the absence of their original leaders. Although Cool Jazz Which of the following changes occurred in the rhythm section during the 1930s? They were knowledgeable and often biased toward their favorite bands and songs, and sometimes worshipful of famous soloists and vocalists. L6G9MTRv&hVSOC9Y)~06CW)j#8qE#C?YOK%d\SC9IT~U {J;F\m`F># In 1927, he taught music at Manassas High School in Memphis and organized a student jazz band. During the 1930s, Earl Hines and his band broadcast from the Grand Terrace in Chicago every night across America. Trumpets provide a brash buzzing sound thats well suited for a melody. For this reason the pianists left hand generally just played chords on the beat; while his right hand built rhythmic patterns around chords and chord tone, and especially guide tone often just playing arpeggios or simple bluesy licks. Fitzgerald recorded several standards that became hit songs. By this time the big band was such a dominant force in jazz that the older generation found they either had to adapt to it or simply retire. The most basic element of a song is also one of the most important a good rhythm. Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and trombones The invention of ______ helped the record industry to recover in the mid-1930s. However, its so large that its most often placed upright next to the bassist when its being played. in Blue (1925). A general format emerged from the creation of a swing jazz arrangement. The 1930's brought a new style of jazz "big band swing". Only hotel-type bands such as that of Guy Lombardo and select jazz players such as Benny Goodman found consistent employment. . In the mid-1930s, he was the featured soloist in the Basie Orchestra. Swing as popular music usually had vocals, such as Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and was intended for dancing. That makes them the shrimp or Andouille sausage in the Gumbo that is swing music. Trumpet image courtesy: PJ via Wikimedia Commons, Saxophone image courtesy: via Wikimedia Commons, Keyboard image courtesy: Eurotuber via Wikimedia Commons, Double Bass image courtesy: David Price via Wikimedia Commons, Drum set image courtesy: Pbroks13 via Wikimedia Commons, Gumbo image courtesy: Amadscientist via Wikimedia Commons, For more than 10 years, The Classic Swing Band of Dallas has offered the best in live entertainment.
. improvised solo structure on the choruses: (1) piano--Ellington), (2) jazz 1560 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<10C156E632F2BA46ADA9AD0651C7900F><95985AC68A5B3B44A7FED2E54018B539>]/Index[1554 17]/Info 1553 0 R/Length 52/Prev 145355/Root 1555 0 R/Size 1571/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Daniels, Douglas. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_band&oldid=1142698476, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 22:19. early style of "Hot Jazz" made its way north to Chicago and east to The music business suffered during the Great Depression. 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. accompaniment (acoustic bass with piano and/or guitar). 1554 0 obj <> endobj The latter included blues, ballads, novelty songs, and Broadway tunes. Since theyre built of brass, saxophones tend to produce a trumpet-like buzzing sound. Henderson was a pianist and excellent arranger who wrote most of the musical arrangements that helped launch the success of Benny Goodmans orchestra. (String Bass or Electric Bass), plucked with the fingers, often providing a The swing era is thought to be the best time to consider big band music as a concept for music fans. Nostalgia for the Big Band style has kept it alive today. "C" Jam Blues (1942). Pianist and vocalist Sarah Vaughan also influenced many singers. In 1925, bandleader Paul Whiteman When new arrangements are written, they are usually in the same style as the original band. freedom vs. chaos. Swing music ruled the airwaves and the dance floors throughout the 1930s to the mid-40s, and the artists that led swing bands became internationally beloved celebrities. 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. Guiding Principals. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2000. Explain your opinion in a book review. I am Joaqun/Yo Soy Joaqun was first published in 1967. Many of the better known bands reflected the individuality of the bandleader, the lead arranger, and the personnel. They can be used to produce a melody or harmony for nearly every musical style. 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. "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. Williams is considered one of the great jazz pianists and one of the greatest performers from Kansas City. Later, Trumpets A prominent feature of swing music is a leading brass section, which is often provided by a trumpet. sense means to merge styles together. But there were a few instrumental popular hits, such as Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" and Miller's "In the Mood." 3. in its strictest His music was a combination of solo and ensemble playing. Many Kansas City bands featured head arrangements, which were . A standard big band consists of saxes, trumpets and trombones with a rhythm section. Duke Ellington's . Swing grew out of New Orleans Jazz and the evolved into Bebop. For example, Tommy Dorsey played with a beautiful tone and control on the trombone. Jam Blues features a 12-bar blues pattern with each subsequent varied chorus KC Jazz marked the transition from the heavily structured, arranged and written out Big Band style of Swing to the more fluid and improvisation style of Bebop. Ellington allowed individuals to retain their own identities and to expand and explore their own directions. They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the waysideIm going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do., I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.. have emerged: "Free jazz" (a "random" loosely-structured Hickman's arranger, Ferde Grof, wrote arrangements in which he divided the jazz orchestra into sections that combined in various ways. Whiteman started his first band in San Francisco in 1918 and his fame spread into the 1920s. Keyboards are some of the most versatile instruments out there. While bassists can use a bow to vibrate the strings, swing band bassists will frequently pluck the strings instead. Big band swing was at the forefront of jazz and underwent its most concentrated growth and development from 1930 . Critics and historians refer to these groups as ghost bands because of the absence of their leaders and new personnel. a) Henderson's big band comprises five brass instruments (three trumpets and two trombones), four reed instruments (saxophones and clarinets), and a rhythm section consisting of piano, bass, Company" vocal jazz ensemble performing a the Lincoln Center in New York 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 During the swing era, popular, blues, and jazz vocalists were essential to big band performances. [26], Typical big band arrangements from the swing era were written in strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. style known as SWING. was introduced with greater emphasis on the soloist. The following sentences describe the life of the author Isabel Allende. This was in part due to a political organization called the Pendergast Machine which encouraged a nightclub atmosphere. Playing multiple riffs playing at once as a kind of call and response. daring arrangements of classic jazz tunes. BASIE popularized "pure" jazz through a "Big Band" The "Modern Popular Music" chart below, This approach was then further expanded upon by Bebop, which largely abandoned the original melody of the song to create brand new melodies based on an established chord progression this was known as a contrafact. During the next decades, ballrooms filled with people doing the jitterbug and Lindy Hop. Packed with Ph.D.s, this scientific swing band performs a play list that leans heavily toward the heavens. 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]. 1U^ p(s XA@H:@!+H30q:pYL4#9 S 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_ Foremost, they accentuated the movement of choreographed dancers. But you also need to inject your style and personality into the music you make. Figure 2: Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis initiated by a 4-measure lead-in improvised over a "C" chord Boyd Raeburn drew from symphony orchestras by adding flute, French horn, strings, and timpani to his band. Paul Whiteman (18901967), called the King of Jazz, sought after talented top names for his band like Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Beacon, 2006. harmony. ARMSTRONG took "Hot" Jazz to Chicago, where its popularity grew The successful bands of the Swing Era featured carefully . In the 1940s, an intensely virtuosic and And they played a particular type of Swing in Kansas City known as: Kansas City Jazz. 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. Singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald came to the popular forefront during the swing era. Click here for a FREE preview of The Classic Swing Bands newest CD Ballroom Dance Favorites.. Fletchers [Henderson] band had the same elements; so did Benny Motens back in 1932, when Basie played with him., Every week they would feature a guest band at the Savoy Ballroom. Since the 1920s, Jazz below to see YouTube performance clips), - Blues tradition, then became popular with white listeners during the World War As purely instrumental jazz Jazz began in New Orleans in the instruments (one or more: Piano, interacts with the bass and drums, and how the beat is divided up in complex performing at the same time." 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. are described below. [24] In many cases, however, the distinction between these roles can become blurred. photo by Patricia Schneider. Figure 3: WMU's "Gold These musical ensembles associated with the swing era. This form maintains the same chord [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. tenor saxophone. sense means to merge styles together. Southwest bands offered a different solution to big band improvisational structures. In New Orleans, black 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. here to see a YouTube video on "swing" groove vs. other types of - a jazz choir (with or without instrumental accompaniment): Jazz combos often feature virtuoso performers, on Gloria Parker had a radio program on which she conducted the largest all-girl orchestra led by a female. He toured in many parts of the world and was also commissioned to record classical compositions. He was also a band leader and arranger who traveled throughout Europe and Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. The Double Bass is shaped like other string instruments such as the guitar or violin. By the 1930s, these and other cities became major centers for the development of the swing style. highly improvisatory style called Bebop, John Coltrane's "hard bop" of sprouted up in different parts of the United States, and their uniquely Progressive bands were led by Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Don Ellis, and Anthony Braxton. You must have javascript enabled to view this website. [21] Bandleaders are typically performers who assemble musicians to form an ensemble of various sizes, select or create material for them, shape the musics dynamics, phrasing, and expression in rehearsals, and lead the group in performance often while playing alongside them. premiered. While all my lessons are free, if you find them useful please consider donating to help keep them coming. for hits such as Take the A Train, and Satin Doll, as well as colorful and 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. Until the political climate changes in Chile, Allende will write from her current home in The repertoire of swing bands featured both jazz and popular arrangements. "Hot" Jazz, as improvised over standard blues patterns. Swing music began appearing in the early 1930s and was distinguished by a more supple feel than the more literal 44 of early jazz. He was a pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. So generally the pianist played very rhythmically, and helped keep the beat. Many college and university music departments offer jazz programs and feature big band courses in improvisation, composition, arranging, and studio recording, featuring performances by 18 to 20 piece big bands.[46]. Three bypass valves over the tube can be used to lower the pitch of the trumpet. Benny GOODMAN (1909-1986): Sing, Sing, Sing! The Timeline of African American Music has been made possible in part by a major grant from theNational Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Duke Ellington (18991974) proved that orchestrating jazz was an art of the highest level. techniques (from native African musical tradition in which a leader does a to jazz, Please change your browser preferences to enable javascript, and reload this page. Modern big bands can be found playing all styles of jazz music. By the end of the war, swing was giving way to less danceable music, such as bebop. [29], An arrangement's first chorus is sometimes preceded by an introduction, which may be as short as a few measures or may extend to a chorus of its own. uses "call and response" After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. HWYo8~G ("b+[:r$%_r8oFdnIt]5pu\Kr|z~+au/I8vTm3}` e singing" (in which he sings like an instrument on scat trumpeter Miles DAVIS, and baritone the following instruments: In 1925, bandleader Paul Whiteman Fitzgerald was unique in her ability to render exact imitations of nearly any instrument in the band. Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and . Basie, Count. Big bands generally have four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section of guitar, piano, double bass, and drums. [9] During the 1940s, somewhat smaller configurations of the big band emerged in the form of the "rhythm sextet". His bebop collaborations with trumpeter Dizzy GILLESPIE are some of the greatest moments in music history. Bridging the gap to white audiences in the mid-1930s was the Casa Loma Orchestra and Benny Goodman's early band. 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. "[34][35] Head arrangements were more common during the period of the 1930s because there was less turnover in personnel, giving the band members more time to rehearse. Charlie PARKER and Dizzy 20th-century popular music and culture. [28] This development may take the form of improvised solos, written solo sections, and "shout choruses". Miller went in debt to start his band but was a millionaire within two years. Stream Jazz" by combining a jazz combo with symphony orchestra. In the 1960s and 1970s, big band rock became popular by integrating such musical ingredients as progressive rock experimentation, jazz fusion, and the horn choirs often used in blues and soul music, with some of the most prominent groups including Chicago; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Tower of Power; and, from Canada, Lighthouse. The Henderson band is considerably larger than most syncopated dance bands of the 1920s (eight or nine musicians). Jazz vocalists during this era were highly influenced by horn players. Kenton pushed the boundaries of big bands by combining clashing elements and by hiring arrangers whose ideas about music conflicted. African American big band arrangers such as Fletcher Henderson and Eddie Durham were major contributors to the success of white bandleaders such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glen Miller. an improvisation: melody, harmony, and form. Many bands toured the country in grueling one-night stands. Dance bands had made phonograph records since the days of ragtime. 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). As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. Jazz orchestras were necessary for the shows and musicals, and well-trained musicians were highly valued. basic chord progression of a 12-bar blues in the key of "C": (click here to see animated "Duke" ELLINGTON art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American Other female bands were led by trumpeter B. The embellishments gradually became more adventurous, but they were generally always played with the melody in mind. Figure 1: The Western Jazz Quartet (piano: The Timeline of African American Music by Portia K. Maultsby, Ph.D. presents the remarkable diversity of African American music, revealing the unique characteristics of each genre and style, from the earliest folk traditions to present-day popular music. [37] As jazz migrated from its New Orleans origin to Chicago and New York City, energetic, suggestive dances traveled with it. Swing bands adopted a consistent instrumentation of four sections that remained fairly stable. Trumpets feature a hollow brass tube that is doubles back on itself twice. An Autobiography: John Hammond on Record with Irvin Townsend. Some large contemporary European jazz ensembles play mostly avant-garde jazz using the instrumentation of the big bands. [22] Some bandleaders, such as Guy Lombardo, performed works composed by others (in Lombardo's case, often by his brother Carmen),[23] while others, such as Maria Schneider, take on all three roles. performers such Louis ARMSTRONG completed the transition from When you mentioned the word Jazz to the average person, they probably think of Swing music, and for good reason. Hawkins made his first recording with Fletcher Henderson and he would go on to perform throughout England and Europe. (called a "chorus"). The History of Jazz. It served to distract people from the daily grind of reality. With no market for small-group recordings (made worse by a Depression-era industry reluctant to take risks), musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines led their own bands, while others, like Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver, lapsed into obscurity. style based on a faster, danceable beat with featured improvised solos. Arrangers notated specific notes for each instrument to play in every measure on a written score. [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. - Then, during the Swing Era, the sax player Coleman Hawkins changed the way jazz approached improvisation from melody to harmony (horizontal to vertical). [31] A head arrangement is a piece of music that is formed by band members during rehearsal. (Click They had the Blue Devils. D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. 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.Big bands originated during the early 1910s and dominated jazz in the early 1940s when swing was most popular. began to emerge from the vocal blues 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. Important New York figures of this time include Chick Webb, Jimmie Lunceford, and Duke Ellington. The Glenn Miller band was one of the most popular bands of the Swing Era. the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band Swing bands featured orchestras with sections of trumpets, saxophones, and _________________. New York in the late 1920s. art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American Yes drums are like the Roux or Fil in Gumbo. Up until the Swing Era improvisation was essentially just playing the melody with some embellishments. They danced to recordings and the radio and attended live concerts. introduction, the main theme, and four varied improvised choruses. of main line "crooners" such as Bing harmony, structure and instrumentation. and Ph. [19], It is useful to distinguish between the roles of composer, arranger and leader. of jazz Swing was almost entirely commercial and part of the mass entertainment industry. is called the "12-bar blues." Holiday crossed musical genres, singing jazz, blues, and pop while keeping her individual singing style. II. In Kansas City, Bennie Motens and Count Basies bands had begun developing a looser type of big band arrangement that allowed for freer styles of soloing, giving rise to a unique Kansas City swing style in the 1930s. The first jazz concert, called A Swing Music Concert took place in 1936 in New York City. While each instrument in a swing band can be compared to an ingredient in Gumbo, none of them have been equated with the seasoning so far. Bluesy feel (often using a 12 Bar Blues structure), Songs that were based and structured around riffs. One of the most common forms used in jazz attractive to general listeners. "Fusion" in its strictest Swing is sandwiched between two huge historical events. harmony, structure and instrumentation. Apart from the star soloists, many musicians received low wages and would abandon the tour if bookings disappeared. As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. bWkwf>JW'wJj_]6/?NxP]-0_wg"2;WjbuY5sujr7g/sueG>trp~ZBV7]M(//m!o/f[^fb]x>f]aX?UnAW|ng)]s? Many bands from the swing era continued for decades after the death or departure of their founders and namesakes, and some are still active in the 21st century, often referred to as "ghost bands", a term attributed to Woody Herman, referring to orchestras that persist in the absence of their original leaders. Although Cool Jazz Which of the following changes occurred in the rhythm section during the 1930s? They were knowledgeable and often biased toward their favorite bands and songs, and sometimes worshipful of famous soloists and vocalists. L6G9MTRv&hVSOC9Y)~06CW)j#8qE#C?YOK%d\SC9IT~U {J;F\m`F># In 1927, he taught music at Manassas High School in Memphis and organized a student jazz band. During the 1930s, Earl Hines and his band broadcast from the Grand Terrace in Chicago every night across America. Trumpets provide a brash buzzing sound thats well suited for a melody. For this reason the pianists left hand generally just played chords on the beat; while his right hand built rhythmic patterns around chords and chord tone, and especially guide tone often just playing arpeggios or simple bluesy licks. Fitzgerald recorded several standards that became hit songs. By this time the big band was such a dominant force in jazz that the older generation found they either had to adapt to it or simply retire. The most basic element of a song is also one of the most important a good rhythm. Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and trombones The invention of ______ helped the record industry to recover in the mid-1930s. However, its so large that its most often placed upright next to the bassist when its being played. in Blue (1925). A general format emerged from the creation of a swing jazz arrangement. The 1930's brought a new style of jazz "big band swing". Only hotel-type bands such as that of Guy Lombardo and select jazz players such as Benny Goodman found consistent employment. . In the mid-1930s, he was the featured soloist in the Basie Orchestra. Swing as popular music usually had vocals, such as Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and was intended for dancing. That makes them the shrimp or Andouille sausage in the Gumbo that is swing music. Trumpet image courtesy: PJ via Wikimedia Commons, Saxophone image courtesy: via Wikimedia Commons, Keyboard image courtesy: Eurotuber via Wikimedia Commons, Double Bass image courtesy: David Price via Wikimedia Commons, Drum set image courtesy: Pbroks13 via Wikimedia Commons, Gumbo image courtesy: Amadscientist via Wikimedia Commons, For more than 10 years, The Classic Swing Band of Dallas has offered the best in live entertainment.