Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Big Band & Swing Jazz Musicians

Legendary Big Band Musicians

In the 1930's the nation was at war and there was economic depression. This is the generation when jazz (Big band) crossed the barrier and became "popular" music and was played in ballrooms. The Big band music became more structured as the emphasis was on ensemble playing. There were two types of big bands: the white bands that played refined arrangements and the black bands that emphasized improvisation.

The mid 30's was the swing era and saw Big bands as the popular music of the day. Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Bix Beiderbecke , Harry James, Les Brown, Stan Kenton and Count Basie led some of the more popular jazz bands. The styles of these musicians can be summarized by saying they concentrated primarily on playing melodically, on the swing feel, and on the development of an individual sound. The blues was an important element of this music. Most of these musicians recorded in small groups as well as with large ensembles. The small groups are included in the next section - Swing.

Legendary Swing Jazz Musicians

The mid 30's was the swing era and saw the Big Bands as the popular music of the day. There were also some important small group swing recordings during the 1930's and 1940's. These differed from earlier small groups because they featured very little collective improvisation. This music emphasized the individual soloist. Goodman, Ellington, and Basie recorded often in these small group settings. Major saxophonists of the era include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster. Trumpet players include Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Cootie Williams, and Charlie Shavers. Pianists include Ellington, Basie, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, and Oscar Peterson; guitarists include Charlie Christian, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessell, and Django Reinhardt; vibraphonists include Lionel Hampton; bassists include Jimmy Blanton, and Slam Stewart; drummers include Jo Jones. Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald were important singers in this era.

Many of the players from this generation helped pave the way for bebop. These musicians included Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Christian, Jimmy Blanton, and Jo Jones.

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