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. Swing band music was organized in homophonywhere two or more instruments played similar or complementary lines. Among all the jazz vocalists that followed, most cite her as having the most influence on their scatting style. Goodmans clarinet playing was a combination of great wit, precise musicianship, beautiful subtleties, and never-ending swing. Compared to Dixieland bands, swing bands used two or three times as many players and produced a fuller sound. Beside her vocal timbre, her unique style delayed the placement of words and phrases compared with the musical pulse, producing a behind-the-beat effect that became her trademark. '20s," "HOT" JAZZ rock . 1570 0 obj <>stream In the early years of Jazz, and up until the Swing Era, the piano was still very much rooted in the rhythm section of the band. [7][8], Jazz ensembles numbering eight (octet), nine (nonet) or ten (tentet) voices are sometimes called "little big bands". can keep track of this form by counting to 4 twelve times ("1 2 3 4", "2 2 3 4", "3 2 3 4", "4 2 3 4", "5 2 3 4", etc. Louis Armstrong was the first to establish vocals as a part of an instrumental tradition. The music business suffered during the Great Depression. Blues tradition, then became popular with white listeners during the World War The Dorsey Brothers started with a large-band version of Dixieland featuring singer Bob Crosby who later developed his own band. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Swing bands featured sections of trumpets, saxophones, and . Four trombones comprised the trombone section. He was also a band leader and arranger who traveled throughout Europe and Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. Vocalists began to strike out on their own. ,r,el1)PrPer{mN,cq+W!yJn?@}gU-+GACIuyrPgnpQCZ76il9%0A9b vr, Q&L Sc3oX *{{toV Loops are played at 120 and 125 bpm. During the 1930s, Earl Hines and his band broadcast from the Grand Terrace in Chicago every night across America. 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. So lets quickly take a look at all three genres: Lets dive into these characteristics of Swing Music a little deeper:
Important New York figures of this time include Chick Webb, Jimmie Lunceford, and Duke Ellington. (Click on the titles of the pieces II. The genre was gradually absorbed into mainstream pop rock and the jazz rock sector.[45]. performing at the same time." Guiding Principals. Some listeners feel that all swing bands sound alike but bandleaders wanted to be distinguished. Billie Holiday is considered to be the most influential of the jazz singers of the century after Louis Armstrong, who influenced her style. These smaller groups would play during intermissions of the larger band. Big bands started as accompaniment for dancing. [33] During the 1930s, Count Basie's band often used head arrangements, as Basie said, "we just sort of start it off and the others fall in. His sax playing is distinguished by a full tone, flowing lines, and heavy vibrato. And there were also 2 different styles of Swing music. But on performance day, this band of Lab rats replaces the high-tech gizmos with trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums and a piano. Benny GOODMAN (1909-1986): Sing, Sing, Sing! here to see a YouTube clip on jazz improvisation). (optional) Select some text on the page (or do this before you open the "Notes" drawer). George GERSHWIN (1898-1937): Rhapsody Typically the most prominent shows with the earliest time slots and largest audiences have bigger bands with horn sections while those in later time slots go with smaller, leaner ensembles. Yes drums are like the Roux or Fil in Gumbo. 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.
Big bands maintained a presence on American television, particularly through the late-night talk show, which has historically used big bands as house accompaniment. Other swing bands in New York City and beyond incorporated the defining elements associated with the Kansas City tradition to which they added their own stamp, as did Chick Webb and His Orchestra (Stomping at the Savoy, 1934), and Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra (Flying Home, 1942). Pianist and vocalist Sarah Vaughan also influenced many singers. These consist of the independent use of trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and rhythm section with the use of soloists. Two other musical characteristics of swing bands are a return to the use of a flat-four rhythm and the use of block chords (chords with many notes moving in parallel motion). [20] Arrangers frequently notate all or most of the score of a given number, usually referred to as a "chart". 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. Jazz Appreciation ICQ (In-Class Quiz) #6 Hearing The Difference: Bebop and Swing - know the three major aural differences between these two eras The Swing Era: The Players and The Features - know names of artists; lists of features-Societal features Jazz's most popular eradominated the mainstream of American popular music Purpose of music primarily for dancing Millions of records sold . The band features selections mostly from the swing era, with a dose of 50's Sinatra and 60's hipsters. After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. violin--Ray Nance), (3) trumpet--Rex Stewart, (4) tenor saxBen Webster, is called the ", The 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. 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. From - a vocalist with piano or a small backup group. saxophonist Gerry MULLIGAN (of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet Swing as Popular Music 1. Coast" Cool Jazz emerged, using style known as SWING. instruments (one or more: 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. In the 3 4 5 6 7 8, - Daniels, Douglas. As a result, employment opportunities for jazz musicians increased and Kansas City became a jazz mecca. [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. Swing bands featured orchestras with sections of trumpets, saxophones, and _________________. [1], Duke Ellington led his band at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Examples include the Vienna Art Orchestra, founded in 1977, and the Italian Instabile Orchestra, active in the 1990s. Dance bands had made phonograph records since the days of ragtime. orchestral jazz crossover movement that had an enormous impact on getting white DoZjyk]Z^0])*6`pje?NG.s#n1[Mgv,3/W5k'(?_pq,JZ7jaF:m(YTm7RhoQ>luNRjY%- I) 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. 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. Hickman's arranger, Ferde Grof, wrote arrangements in which he divided the jazz orchestra into sections that combined in various ways. - The ANDREWS SISTERS: The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy (say, the brass section, i.e., trumpets and trombones) would play a musical phrase and then be "answered" by another section (say, the . interacts with the bass and drums, and how the beat is divided up in complex Louis ARMSTRONG (1900-1971): Hotter Than That (1927). . This expansive eclecticism characterized much of jazz after World War II. The "Modern Popular Music" chart below, piece several times, but the most famous is from 1942, with the following [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 George GERSHWIN's Rhapsody in Blue and kicked off an Count Basies music contains lively rhythms, economic piano style, and a relaxed swing sound. Hickman relied on Ferde Grof, Whiteman on Bill Challis. emerged as piano was added to the rhythm section, and a stronger driving rhythm American society, while standing as a brilliant reflection of American freedom "12 2 3 4", then start the The saxophone section included two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, and one baritone saxophone. 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. American sound has fascinated listeners, performers and composers around the The Glenn Miller Band worked the best jobs and recorded often. From hbbd``b`:$g@Hp,@,Fb 0 O3 Q G("CH^T)daA]yg~zN^y>.g~01D%>7dj.|K+8'9 q*U!i|O1#"v\YOGtc_GD1JL. Many musicians served in the military and toured with USO troupes at the front, with Glenn Miller losing his life while traveling between shows. During the swing era, popular, blues, and jazz vocalists were essential to big band performances. collectively . hmk6^/,$mA% During the 1920s, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and Dallas were vital crossroads resulting in a mix of musical styles and cultures. attractive to general listeners. the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band - Figure 3: WMU's "Gold Kansas City was busy with musical activity from the early 1920s to about 1938. ways. Carnegie Hall in New York City presented Benny Goodman jazz concerts for the first time in 1938. To learn more about the book this website supports, please visit its, You must be a registered user to view the. Three bypass valves over the tube can be used to lower the pitch of the trumpet. I am Joaqun/Yo Soy Joaqun was first published in 1967. These musical ensembles associated with the swing era. The Henderson band is considerably larger than most syncopated dance bands of the 1920s (eight or nine musicians). Congress repealed the Volstead Act, a law that prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages, in 1933. and His Mother Called Him Bill, featured "Blood Count" and "Lotus Blossom," was a tribute album to . This intermingling of sections became a defining characteristic of big bands. 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. "Hot" Jazz, as improvised over standard blues patterns. Other research interests include African popular music and the use of oral history and photography in the study of culture. 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. Swing Shift: All Girl Bands of the 1940s. have emerged: "Free jazz" (a "random" loosely-structured The moral? So generally the pianist played very rhythmically, and helped keep the beat. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
. As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. Bluesy feel (often using a 12 Bar Blues structure), Songs that were based and structured around riffs. on the chart below to go to that interactive webpage). 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. a vocalist with piano or a small backup group. The methods of dance bands marked a step away from New Orleans jazz. A drummer, bass player (string bass), piano player, and guitarist formed the rhythm section. serene style of "cool jazz" became the rage on the west coast. listeners to love jazz.. From the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band leaders in America. Jazz played an important role in changing the socio-political landscape And after years of economic depression, many Americans wanted to have fun. The score indicated a fixed number of measures for solo improvisation and also musical notations with the desired sounds and effects. 1920s as a blending of blues, ragtime, and civic brass band traditions, then this Improvisation: This can be best described as "composing and In general, swing refers to the music of large dance bands that played written arrangements. leaders in America. The repertoire of swing bands featured both jazz and popular arrangements. 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. 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. As a result of the military draft and transportation hardships in the U.S., the swing era ended quickly. A. Rolfe, Anna Mae Winburn, and Ina Ray Hutton.[35]. trombonist Glenn MILLER incorporated baritone saxophone. 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. As jazz was expanded during the 1950s through the 1970s, the Basie and Ellington bands were still around, as were bands led by Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines, Les Brown, Clark Terry, and Doc Severinsen. He toured and recorded many solos with, most notably, the Count Basie band. Since 1960, several newer types the 1930s, famed jazz pianists Edward "Duke" black jazz musicians developed an intense - They established independent patterns for the trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and the rhythm section within segments of the arrangement that featured improvised solos. basic chord progression of a 12-bar blues in the key of "C": (click here to see animated One of the most common forms used in jazz early style of "Hot Jazz" made its way north to Chicago and east to The wind component of a big band consists of three sections: the saxophones (usually three to five players with various combinations of alto, tenor and baritone saxes and with some of the players doubling on flutes and clarinets); the trombones (typically three or four players, one of whom specializes on the bass trombone); and the trumpets . - Orleans musicians begin to consolidate the drum section (bass, snare, cymbals) commonly found in early New Orleans brass bands. 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. The Ellington orchestra succeeded in part through the expert use and contribution of consistently talented and unique players. world. Led by an African American woman, this 16-member band gained notoriety across the United States and in Europe, despite the challenge of imposed racial and gender restrictions. 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. Hammond, John. 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. Packed with Ph.D.s, this scientific swing band performs a play list that leans heavily toward the heavens. to jazz, Rewrite each sentence following the instructions in parentheses. completely abandoned the song's melody, which has made this style less Count Basie became an Oklahoma City Blue Devil around 1929 and also played with Bennie Moten. He would conduct his band from his drum set. basic chord progression of a 12-bar blues in the key of "C". [19], It is useful to distinguish between the roles of composer, arranger and leader. One Oclock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. This 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. Since he could not read music, Webb memorized the arrangements. The project is also supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band Although many of these bands maintain a close tie to the swinging style of the Basie and Herman bands, others exhibit a new and very individualized style. sprouted up in different parts of the United States, and their uniquely In 1927, he taught music at Manassas High School in Memphis and organized a student jazz band.