Charlie Barnett, Count Basie, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Benny
Goodman, Glenn Miller, Mills Brothers, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra, Andrew Sisters...MORE COMING SOON!
sure to acquire some of the classic sounds from the 1930's and 1940's. Most people have heard
of the big band sound, a music style primarily from the 1930's and 1940's. Unfortunately, many
people (to include some swing dancers) associate the Big Band sound exclusively with the
commercially oriented music of Glenn Miller, the "champagne" music of Lawrence Welk and the
New Year's Eve broadcasts of Guy Lombardo. Big Band is a style of jazz music that normally
refers to a group of about 10 or more musicians. Although the number may vary, a traditional
Big Band orchestra consists of about 15 musicians: 4 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones,
and a 3 piece rhythm section (normally consisting of piano, drums, and an upright bass). This is
in addition to the band leader, who also normally plays an instrument, i.e. the clarinet (Benny
Goodman), the piano (Duke Ellington, Count Basie), the trumpet (Harry James), etc., and any
vocalists. Musically, Big Band was the fusion of American jazz, ragtime and Charleston styles of
music (similar in development to swing dancing). Big Band is usually identified in jazz history to
the 1930's and 1940's classic era of swing. During that time, most of the jazz groups were Big
Bands and they played a robust, invigorating style of swing. Swing was dance music, yet it
offered individual musicians a chance to improvise musically fresh, technically complex solos. It
may be technically incorrect to call all Big Bands "swing", just like all "swing" isn't performed by
Big Bands. But the big bands led by Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Duke
Ellington, Erskine Hawkins, Earl Hines, Harry James, Lucky Millinder, Count Basie, Glenn Miller,
Tommy Dorsey, Glen Gray, etc. were extraordinarily popular in the 1930's and 40's and the
terms have become interchangeable in the public eye. The two are forever tied together, given
that they matured simultaneously. It is important to keep in mind that there were definite
distinctions between Big Bands in the 1930's and 40's. Some bands displayed hard-driving
rhythmic qualities and solo improvisations, while other bands conveyed a less pronounced swing
feeling. The former bands were often called "swing bands" or "hot bands" (e.g. Jimmie
Lunceford, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb); while the latter were
called "sweet bands" (e.g. Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo). It should also not be overlooked the
many disadvantages that African-American big bands had as compared to white bands,
especially in the 1930's and 40's, because of racism. African-American bands were unable to
obtain lucrative bookings at big hotels for long residencies or regular appearances on radio
shows. They normally toured constantly, in a series of one night stands. African-American
bands were often not as commercially marketed nationally by record producers and radio
stations, as were lesser performing white bands. White bands would often cover songs by
African-American bands and achieve greater commercial record sales and exposure, i.e. Glenn
Miller's cover of Edgar Hayes' "In the Mood" and Erskine Hawkins' "Tuxedo Junction". (To be
fair, it should be noted that almost all bands in the big band era covered each other's songs to
some degree.) The golden age of the Big Band era, from about 1935-1949, was unique in that it
was the music listened to by all generations in the 1930's and 40's, young and old alike. Big
Band swing was the popular and dominate music of the era, not only for radio, but the movies, in
nightclubs, at high school and college dances and parties, and at the local ballroom. In the early
1940's, it is estimated that there were over 400 bands (some where known as "regional" or
"territory" bands), criss-crossing the country, playing night after night of one night stands,
looking for that elusive "break". Many of the greatest jazz vocalists and crooners also came from
the big band era, to include Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Anita O'Day,
Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, among others. Almost all of them toured with big bands and many
went on to have major success during the post-war era, when the style really bloomed. Though
it isn't easy separating jazz vocalists and crooners from traditional pop singers, those in the jazz
vocalist/crooner arena delivered sophisticated and innovative variations of the material, both in
performance and in recordings. They often declined to record the generic pop hits of the day
and preferred to work with talented arrangers, such as Nelson Riddle and Billy May.
