The Swing Era
Big Band Takes Over!!!
( chapters 7 & 8 )
Rock Bottom & Bouncing Back
Ü  The Great Depression killed the Roaring 20’s
Ü  15 million unemployed
Ü  Movies overtook nightclubs
Ü  Record sales dropped 96%
Ü  Getting back up
Ü  Roosevelt’s New Deal, WPA
Ü  Prohibition repealed
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What is Swing Music?
Ü  America’s popular music in the 30s
Ü  Fast, exciting dance music for teens
Ü  Big business
Ü  Raised the bar on musical skill
Ü  Ellington coined the term “Swing”
Ü  The dancing style came from The Savoy Ballroom
Ü  The Lindy Hop: high-energy Swing dance
Types of Swing Bands
Ü  Sweet Bands
Ü  Played “society” music
Ü  Dance Bands
Ü  Commercial dance groups
Ü  Big Bands
Ü  Exciting solos with danceable arrangements
Ü  The Pop stars of the 30’s & 40’s
Ü  Territory Bands
Ü  Less structured, highly artistic “Hot” bands
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Big Band Instruments
Ü  Reed Section
Ü  5 Saxes
Ü  Brass Section
Ü  4 Trumpets
Ü  4 Trombones
Ü  Rhythm Section
Ü  Piano
Ü  Bass
Ü  Drums
Ü  Guitar
The Big Band Rhythm Section
Ü  Bass: “walking” notes on all beats
Ü  Drum Set
Ü  The swing ride cymbal (or hi-hat) pattern
Ü  4-on-the-floor: bass drum on all beats
Ü  Fills: short, rhythmic solos by the drums
Ü  Piano
Ü  Comping: compliment or accompany
Ü  Usually simple and sparse
Ü  Guitar: 4-to-the-bar strums on all beats
Ü  “The All-American Four”, Basie’s rhythm section, is the
pinnacle of this style
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Arrangements
Ü  Songs adapted for specific groups
Ü  Bands hired “arrangers” to write charts
Ü  More structure, less solos
Ü  Soli: melodies in block harmonies by a section
Ü  Shout Choruses: full band harmonized melody
Ü  Call & response between sections
Kings of Swing
The Big Bands
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Benny Goodman
Ü  (1909 - 1986)
Ü  The “King of Swing”
Ü  Clarinet virtuoso & most famous Big Band leader
Ü  John Hammond, manager in 1932
Ü  Legendary jazz promoter, civil rights advocate
Ü  1935: Rise to fame launches the Big Band Era
Ü  Gig at the Palomar Club in LA is aired nationwide
Ü  An integrated band after 1939
Ü  1st integrated band to play a major stage
Dance Bands
Ü  Artie Shaw (1910 – 2005)
Ü  Brilliant clarinetist, Goodman rival
Ü  A sex symbol and pop star
Ü  Into art over commercial success
Ü  Quit in 1954 to escape the spotlight
Ü  Jimmie Lunceford (1902 – 1947)
Ü  High-class, all Black band
Ü  Strong commercial style
Ü  Signature block-chord style
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Dance Bands
Ü  Glenn Miller (1904 – 1944)
Ü  The biggest commercial band
Ü  Little improvising… “not a jazz band”
Ü  V-discs & USO shows for WWII troops
Ü  Cab Calloway (1907 – 1994)
Ü  Colorful singer, strong scat style
Ü  Music about Harlem’s dark side
Ü  Mobsters, drugs, sex
Ü  An eye for talent
Ü  Launched many careers
The Count & the Duke
Southern Swing
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Boogie Woogie
Ü  A high-energy style of Blues piano
Ü  Uses ostinato: a repeated melodic pattern
Ü  Very popular and danceable
Ü  One of the first R&B styles
Ü  The Big Names
Ü  Clarence “Pine Top” Smith: father of Boogie Woogie
Ü  “Big” Joe Turner: Rolling, baritone-voiced showman
Territory Bands
Ü  Niche bands that stayed in one region
Ü  Widely varied in style
Ü  Head chart: a simple arrangement of
a standard (a commonly known tune)
Ü  Bluesy
Ü  Based on traditional forms (Blues, AABA…)
Ü  Riff-based: short repeating melodies
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Kansas City Bands
Ü  Thriving city, corrupt mayor
Ü  Big Jam Session scene
Ü  Main hub for territory bands
Ü  The Big Names
Ü  Andy Kirk’s 12 Clouds of Joy
Ü  Mary Lou Williams: brilliant composer
Ü  Bennie Moten
Ü  Perfected the Bluesy, riff-driven tune
William “Count” Basie
Ü  (1904 – 1984)
Ü  Pianist and band leader
Ü  Sparse style, relaxed swing
Ü  Band Style:
Ü  Head arrangements
Ü  Hard, shuffling swing feel
Ü  Lots of solos
Ü  John Hammond discovered Basie in 1936
Ü  Longest running big band, over 40 years
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Ellington in the Swing Era
Ü  After the Cotton Club…
Ü  Ellington’s range truly emerged
Ü  Very prolific…more than 1000 compositions
Ü  A person, not just an instrument
Ü  A wide variety of composition types
Ü  Jungle Music
Ü  Features
Ü  Large-scale symphonic works
Ü  Dance band hits
Ü  Mood pieces (“pastels”)
Billy Strayhorn
Ü  (1915 – 1967)
Ü  Ellington’s co-composer
Ü  Joined in 1938
Ü  Respected for his openness and confidence
Ü  An openly gay, civil rights activist
Ü  Wrote / co-wrote many of Ellington’s best works
Ü  “Take the A Train”
Ü  “Satin Doll”
Ü  “Lush Life”
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