The Big Band Era occurred in the early-to-mid 20th century, when large ensembles known as "big bands" became extremely popular. Big bands typically had 17 musicians including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. In the 1930s-40s, Swing music emerged and was popularized by big band leaders like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. Big band music was an important part of American culture during this time and helped develop new styles of jazz, but its popularity declined after World War II as musical tastes changed. However, big bands and jazz have continued to evolve up to the present day.
2. In 20th century United States,
each succeeding generation embraced
its own immensely popular,
rhythmically strong and rebellious
musical forms that were danced to
and listened to for entertainment.
3. At the turn of the century, from approximately
1897 to 1918, the music that
was most popular in America was Ragtime.
Scott Joplin: “Maple Leaf Rag” (Next Slide)
Composer & Pianist
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe,
a.k.a. “Jelly Roll” Morton
4. Then in the post World War One period, the country entered the
Jazz Age during the 1920s. (Next Slide)
King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band: Canal Street Blues
King Oliver’s
Creole Jazz Band
circa 1923
5. During the 1920s, one of the earliest and
most influential of the big bands was
the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
(Next Slide)
The Charleston Dance (composed in 1923 by James P. Johnson)
Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra, circa 1925
6. Then, following the
Stock Market Crash of 1929,
the period known as the Jazz Age
came to an abrupt end with the onset of
the Great Depression,
the worldwide economic downturn
that lasted from
1929 to approximately 1941.
During this time, a new beat and
a new style of music known as “Swing”
emerged with the music of The Big Bands.
7. What Is A Big Band?
The standard instrumentation for a big band
is 17 instruments, as follows:
5 Saxophones,* (2 Alto Saxes, 2 Tenor Saxes, 1 Baritone Sax)
4 Trumpets / 4 Trombones
Rhythm Section:
Piano / Bass / Drums / Guitar
*In some big bands, a clarinet was occasionally
used instead of or in addition to alto saxophone.
Also, some big bands occasionally used a small section of string
instruments, such as violins and cellos.
Many of the big bands used the term “orchestra” to describe themselves,
such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra or the Count Basie Orchestra.
8. The style of jazz called Swing began to be embraced by the
American public around 1935.
Radio broadcasts of live performances increased interest in
the music, and it grew in popularity throughout the States.
As with many new popular musical styles, Swing music was
initially met with some resistance from the public because of
its use of improvisation, fast tempos, the lack of string
instruments, and the sometimes frenetic swing dancing that
accompanied performances. Audiences that had become
used to earlier, more “romantic” sounding musical
arrangements were initially taken aback by the new and
sometimes “erratic”
or “edgy” sound of Swing music.
9. The marquee of the legendary
Savoy Ballroom (1926-1958)
Lennox Avenue between 140th
& 141st
Streets
in New York City’s Harlem
10. Plaque on the original site of the
Savoy Ballroom
Here once stood the legendary
Savoy Ballroom, a hothouse for the
development of jazz in the Swing era. Visually
dazzling and spacious, the Savoy nightly
featured the finest jazz bands in the nation,
and its house bands included such famous
orchestras as those of
Fess Williams, Chick Webb, and Teddy Hill.
The great jazz dancers who appeared on its
block-long floor ranged from professionals like
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers to everyday
Harlemites. During a time of racial segregation
and strife, the Savoy was one of the most
culturally and racially integrated of institutions,
and its fame was international. It was the
heartbeat of Harlem's community and a
testament to the indomitable spirit and creative
impulse of African-Americans. It was a catalyst
for innovation where dancers and musicians
blended influences to forge new,
wide-spread, and long-lasting traditions in
music and dance. Whether they attended or
not, all Americans knew the meaning of
"Stompin' at the Savoy."
11. Drummer & Big Band Leader
Chick Webb (1905-1939)
Stompin' At The Savoy (1934)
(Next Slide)
12. Drummer & Big Band Leader
Chick Webb (1905-1939)
St. Louis Blues (1939)
(Next Slide)
13. The marquee of the legendary
Cotton Club in New York City
1923-1940
14. Pianist, Big Band Leader & Composer
Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
“Take The A Train” (1943) (Next Slide)
15. Trombonist & Big Band Leader
Glenn Miller (1904-1944)
In The Mood (1939) (Next Slide)
16. Trombonist & Big Band Leader
Glenn Miller (1904-1944)
Moonlight Serenade (1939) (Next Slide)
17. Pianist & Big Band Leader
Count Basie (1904-1984)
Swingin’ The Blues (1941) (Next Slide)
(begin at 1’42”)
The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ
a 1400-seat concert hall……...…
19. Trombonist & Big
Band Leader
Tommy Dorsey
(1905-1956)
I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (1935)
(Next Slide)
20. Trombonist & Big
Band Leader
Tommy Dorsey
(1905-1956)
Star Dust (1940)
featuring Frank Sinatra & The Pied Pipers
(begin at 0’30”)
(Next Slide)
21. Clarinetist & Big Band Leader
Benny Goodman (1909-1986)
Known As
“The King Of Swing”
Sing, Sing, Sing (Next Slide)
22. Clarinetist & Big Band Leader
Benny Goodman (1909-1986)
“Why Don’t You Do Right”
featuring Peggy Lee
from the 1943 movie “Stage Door Canteen.”
(Next Slide)
23. After World War Two, musical tastes began to change
and the audiences for big band music, which had
been popular for more than a decade, began to
shrink. In response, some of the big bands
disbanded, while others continued to perform and
tour, but with fewer musicians.
A handful of big bands, such as those of Count Basie
and Duke Ellington, survived and continued to
perform well into the 1960s and 1970s. Several of the
“big-name bands” such as those of Tommy Dorsey
and Glenn Miller, were “reincarnated” with new
leaders and new musicians, but still using the old
familiar arrangements for which they became so
popular and famous back in the 1930s.
24. As of 2011, more than 60 years
after the end of the Big Band Era, both the
Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington orchestras
were continuing to tour and perform.
As of 2015, only the Glenn Miller Orchestra
is still performing.
25. Following the Swing Era, Rhythm and Blues
developed in the late 1940's, which was
eventually brought to commercial fruition in
1955 by Elvis Presley in the form of
Rock and Roll.
Then in the 1960s the Beatles, followed by
thousands of other bands, presented Rock
with its seemingly endless variations
including such variations as Acid Rock,
Heavy Metal, New Wave, Punk Rock, Pop
Rock, Indie Rock and so on.
26. Although the Jazz Age and the Swing Era
ended, Jazz as an important musical style
has continued to evolve and grow
up to the present time.
Following the end of the Swing Era, many
other styles of Jazz developed. The 1940s
and 1950s saw the development of such
new and distinct forms of Jazz as
Bebop, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cool Jazz,
Hard Bop, Modal Jazz and Free Jazz.
27. The 1960s and 1970s saw the development
of Latin jazz, Post-Bop,
Soul Jazz, Jazz Fusion and Jazz Funk.
The 1980s to the present have seen the
development of Smooth Jazz
Acid Jazz, Nu Jazz, Jazz Rap, Punk Jazz,
Jazzcore and a style called M-Base.
With music from its many periods and
forms including the Big Band Era,
Jazz continues to be a major cultural
influence today throughout
the United States and the world.
