Swing, big bands

Style · c. 1930-1946 · United States · Swing and big bands

The era of dance jazz. Goodman at the Palomar (August 21, 1935), Basie, Ellington, Chick Webb. Women's orchestras ("all-girl bands") of the 1940s. The most popular music in the United States.

How to recognize it by ear

• The big band: twelve to fifteen musicians, divided into trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section.
• Written arrangements: repeated riffs, responses between the sections, with soloists standing out.
• A steady pulse: the double bass "walks" and the drums mark all four beats. This is what gives the swing.
• Dancing: the music is played in ballrooms, such as the Savoy in Harlem. Lindy hop thrived there.
• A true popular star: in the 1930s, it is the most listened-to music in the United States.

Where to start

• Take the 'A' Train — Duke Ellington (1941, Easy): The signature tune of Ellington's orchestra, composed by Billy Strayhorn.
• One O'Clock Jump — Count Basie (1937, Easy): Count Basie's riff-based blues: swing in its simplest form.
• Sing, Sing, Sing — Benny Goodman (1937, Easy): Benny Goodman's big hit, driven by Gene Krupa's drums.
• It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) — Duke Ellington (1932, Easy): The title says it all: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," in 1932, before the era had its name.
• Body and Soul — Coleman Hawkins (1939, Classic): A tenor saxophone solo that nearly sets the melody aside: often cited as a harbinger of bebop.
• A-Tisket, A-Tasket — Ella Fitzgerald (1938, Easy): Ella Fitzgerald's first big hit, with Chick Webb's orchestra.

Swing and bebop

Bebop reacts to swing. It reduces the big band to the small group and moves from dancing to listening. But the two touch: Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker both played in swing orchestras before inventing bebop.

What is still debated

Figure to be handled with caution: the four leading white orchestras total 292 tracks in the top 10 against 32 for the four Black ones (1935-45).

Where it comes from

• Chicago
• Stride (Harlem piano)
• Harlem: Henderson, Redman, Ellington
• Kansas City
• Boogie-woogie
• Symphonic jazz, dance orchestras

What it gave rise to or influenced

• Vocal jazz, scat, vocalese
• Jump blues, R&B
• Hot Club de France, Gypsy jazz
• Bebop (Minton's, Monroe's)
• Jazz in France (interwar years)
• Modern big bands
• Dutch jazz

Artists

• Louis Armstrong (1901–1971, trumpet, vocals)
• Duke Ellington (1899–1974, piano, composition)
• Fletcher Henderson (1897–1952, piano, arrangement)
• Count Basie (1904–1984, piano, organ)
• Coleman Hawkins (1904–1969, tenor saxophone)
• Benny Goodman (1909–1986, clarinet)
• Billie Holiday (1915–1959, vocals)
• Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996, vocals, piano)
• Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981, piano, arrangement)
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973, guitar, vocals)
• Freddy Johnson (1904–1961, piano)
• Peggy Lee (1920–2002, vocals)
• Frank Sinatra (1915–1998, vocals)
• Erroll Garner (1921–1977, piano)
• Buddy Rich (1917–1987, drums)
• Artie Shaw (1910–2004, clarinet)
• Jimmie Lunceford (1902–1947, alto saxophone)
• Wingy Manone (1900–1982, trumpet)
• Valaida Snow (1904–1956, trumpet)
• Diana Krall (1964, piano, vocals)
• Henri Salvador (1917–2008, guitar, vocals)
• Tommy Dorsey (1905–1956, trombone)
• Slim Gaillard (1911–1991, vocals, guitar, piano, vibraphone, tenor saxophone)
• Hazel Scott (1920–1981, piano, vocals)
• Mary Osborne (1921–1992, guitar)
• Chu Berry (1908–1941, tenor saxophone)
• Claude Thornhill (1908–1965, piano, arrangement, conductor)
• Stan Kenton (1911–1979, piano, arrangement, conductor)
• Marian McPartland (piano)
• Lionel Hampton (1908–2002, vibraphone, drums)
• Charlie Barnet (1913–1991, tenor, alto and soprano saxophones)
• Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (1922–1986, tenor saxophone)
• Hot Lips Page (1908–1954, trumpet, vocals)
• Bill Coleman (1904–1981, trumpet)
• Dick Willebrandts (1911–1970, piano, conducting, arrangements)
• Max Geldray (1916–2004, harmonica)

Sources

• EN : Swing music

Facts checked against these pages (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Method and licenses

The editorial sections of this page (how to listen, where to start, landmarks) are written by Jazzency and are being proofread.