It begins with drums, as the saxophones answer in rising runs and the trumpets push the music to a glorious high point, after which the band drops away and a soloist takes the music wherever he or she wants to take it.
Collective accuracy and individual liberty are key aspects of big band music. The style grew out of jazz and dance orchestras and attracted a broad audience in the swing years; it has been developing ever since, even though its commercial influence is now only a memory. This history can be followed easily enough in a linear way: listen to the arrangement, hear the beat, the improvising, and the instruments of each orchestra.
In This Article
- How Big Band Music Developed Its Signature Sound
- Instruments And Roles In A Big-Band Line-Up
- How 1940S Big Band Music Filled Ballrooms And Airwaves
- Essential Big Band Songs And Signature Recordings
- Eleven Orchestras That Shaped The Big-Band Sound
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
- Start Listening to the Greats
How Big Band Music Developed Its Signature Sound
But as dance orchestras expanded to achieve the necessary power to fill a large hall, their players could no longer play spontaneously in response to each other, so the parts were written down and the orchestra was organized around sections of trumpets, trombones, reeds etc.
The written music became a malleable instrument in its own right. One part would play a melody, while another part played complementary riffs, supporting harmonies, or punchy hits. The complete big band piece would swing between highly choreographed sections and opportunities for improvised soloists, letting the composed elements and individual improvisations work together to serve the song.
A swing feel acts as a driving force in big band jazz music. While the rhythm section holds down the foundation, the horns provide drive through syncopation, accents and variations in attack. Even though a recording like Big band jazz music can sound clean and precise, the real essence comes from players feeling together on a collective beat while playing notated parts.
First-time listeners may have already come to the style from a list like: big band songs, big band jazz songs, or even famous big band songs. These overlap to some extent but might represent different listener aims. The popular big band songs list would likely feature recordings that had significant commercial success; the best big band songs list might well include less mainstream recordings chosen for their arrangements, improvisations, and timbre.
It’s also highly varied. Some are dance instrumentals, some have vocalists, and some are longer jazz pieces. A recording from big band music in the 1940s might be based around well-known swing motifs; another piece from more recent times might feature bebop harmonies or contemporary concert-hall style writing. Yet in most cases the proportions of sections, rhythm, and solos can still be easily identified.
From Early Jazz Orchestras To The Swing Era
Henderson established the format with arrangements that put the brass against the reeds. Ellington went for a more individualistic orchestra approach, writing for the particular voices of his musicians, as big bands grew out of smaller units.
How The Sound Changed After The Swing Era
Dizzy Gillespie managed to combine bebop and Afro-Cuban music in big band settings. Stan Kenton moved jazz ahead with complex progressive arrangements. Gil Evans showed how orchestra jazz had progressed past the swing era by using rare instruments and wide spacing in his orchestrations.
Instruments And Roles In A Big-Band Line-Up
One could argue that Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey were two very different bands, yet both of them had essentially the same line-up. Miller put the clarinet on top of the saxophones to get that smooth reed sound that is synonymous with his name. Dorsey, on the other hand, used trombones as melodic instruments. Thus, it is clear that instrumentation is not a recipe for orchestrating your band.
Typically, a big band has 17 members, with four trumpet players, four trombone players, five saxophone players (usually 2 altos, 2 tenors, and 1 baritone), and four members in the rhythm section. The saxophone players might also play clarinet or flute in order to give different colors to the music, as needed.
Each instrument section is subdivided by register and function. The trumpets provide brilliant coloration, harmonic sustenance, and high-register peaks. The trombones thicken the sound below them, with the bass trombone doubling the bottom brass notes. In each section, the lead player dictates phrasing and articulation; the rest of the players play the harmonies.
This can be heard in how the sections talk to each other. The saxophones play the melody, the trombones answer with a lower phrase, and the trumpets punctuate the ends of phrases before the full band comes together for the final chord.
The horns, piano, guitar, bass and drums hold down a harmonic foundation, rhythmic pulse and drive. But there’s a tradeoff to be made. If they’re all playing at top volume, you can’t hear the inner lines. So good arrangements will change the density from just reeds and rhythm to pulling out all 17 players for a powerful statement. As a first-time listener, you can tell what’s going on by keeping track of which instrument family is playing the melody, who responds and who is playing the beat.
Brass And Reeds: The Main Melodic Sections
The lead trumpet part will often provide the top line of the ensemble, with the trombones providing lower harmonies underneath. The saxophone section may play tight harmonies, respond to the call of brass riffs, or play the clarinet and flute to substitute a more gentle tonality for the brute force of the brass section.
Rhythm Section, Arrangers, And Featured Soloists
The piano, bass, drums and guitar all contribute to driving the rhythm, establishing the chord changes and maintaining momentum. The chart includes dynamic and transitional elements which the arranger manipulates to take the band from ensemble passages to soloists and back, effectively shaping the performance while preserving its energy.
How 1940S Big Band Music Filled Ballrooms And Airwaves
Dance halls, hotel ballrooms, theaters and clubs all accommodated large orchestras well. The volume was ample enough to fill a large room without requiring overbearing amplification, and the arrangements supplied an easy-to-follow rhythm. A band could perform tight ensemble numbers, have a singer, and open up an instrumental section for dancing.
That was part of what made radio such a powerful medium for the dance band: It not only disseminated the music of the ballroom, but it also enabled listeners to identify the band’s leader, themes, vocalists, and soloists even without having been there in person. Recordings did the same, of course, but radio also emphasized the live, working group behind the record.
Entertainment during the war gave these formats a wider audience as bands played for troops, were featured in movies, and provided music to celebrate, yearn for, reassure and mourn for home. Even though personnel and working conditions changed during this time, the sound stayed closely tied to shared public experiences.
Miller had a warm, flowing tone; Goodman was more punchy and driving with a tight swing, great charts and star soloists; Dorsey had a well-balanced approach, with an emphasis on dancing and vocals as well as his own smooth and polished trombone. And yet they were all big bands, all playing in ballrooms and on the radio, and making records and going on the road.
Essential Big Band Songs And Signature Recordings
Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” is one of the most accessible examples of the swing arrangement. The piece’s repeated riffs move forward via contrast and careful volume changes, and the tune is easy to pick out on an initial listening. The repetition in “In the Mood” builds expectation instead of making the performance seem monotonous.
“Sing, Sing, Sing” in Goodman’s version also has a different kind of impact. There is the drum that provides the steady pulse on which all of the other riffs, solos, and ensemble parts build. It is impressive to hear how a song already known can be expanded to serve as a canvas for driving rhythm and improvisation.
Another example from Ellington’s catalogue is “Take the ‘A’ Train” written by Billy Strayhorn. This song has a catchy hook, tight section writing and feels light and swinging. However, its arrangement seems open enough that musicians can still imprint their own style upon it. The song was recorded as a collaboration between Ellington and his band, written with Ellington’s specific personnel in mind.
These instrumental standards should be separated out from the vocal items in the same repertories, some of which were sung by the orchestras that played them. A dance-band number might become known through radio play; a ballad might acquire associations with a particular vocalist. But an instrumental standard frequently stayed alive because subsequent performers were free to rework its melody, harmonies, and instrumentation.
These popular, famous, and best-known recordings are not necessarily identical categories. The popular recording represents public popularity, the famous recording may continue to become more famous, and the best-known recording typically indicates those performances that have become well known as entry points into the repertoire. By beginning with these three recordings, you’ll get a sense of riff-based swing, the role of the percussion section, and the compositional style.
Eleven Orchestras That Shaped The Big-Band Sound
The following 11 orchestras create a listening path from arranged swing through modern big-band music. For each ensemble we list one or more records along with a comment on what made them special.
This list chronicles the development of big bands, featuring a variety of styles ranging from early to mid-Swing to modern big band compositions. Fletcher Henderson’s “Wrappin’ It Up” features classic call-and-response. Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” with arrangements by Billy Strayhorn, showcases intricate arrangements. Count Basie’s laid-back swing on “One O’Clock Jump” contrasts with the heavy brass of Stan Kenton’s “Artistry in Rhythm.” Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” focuses on rhythm. Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca” combines bebop and Afro-Cuban. Woody Herman’s “Four Brothers” features a distinct saxophone sound. Buddy Rich’s “Channel One Suite” features virtuosic drumming. Thad Jones/Mel Lewis’s “A Child Is Born” highlights the larger ensemble. Gil Evans’s “Out of the Cool” is spacious and richly colored. Maria Schneider’s “Concert in the Garden” is contemporary.
1. Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
He also contributed much to the establishment of the arranged swing style, especially by using call-and-response writing between brass and reed sections. Fletcher Henderson’s band was notable for having soloists, such as tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. The Henderson charts were later influential on Benny Goodman’s band, and helped to spread this crucial jazz idiom to a broader public.
2. The Duke Ellington Orchestra
Ellington created pieces around the unique qualities of each musician so that they could bring their personal sound into the music. He continued this practice while working at the Cotton Club. Strayhorn joined the band as an arranger and wrote “Take the ‘A’ Train,” which would become the theme of the orchestra.
3. The Count Basie Orchestra
The Count Basie band played a sparse style, with many riffs, in the classic Kansas City swing tradition. Freddie Green supplied a steady beat on his guitar, creating a soft but driving rhythmic foundation. You can hear this best in “One O’Clock Jump,” which features riffing, simple piano lines, and a laid-back tempo that make the band swing hard.
4. Stan Kenton And His Orchestra
It was Stan Kenton who made significant strides toward the development of concert-oriented, orchestral jazz with his use of complex harmonies and aggressive brass writing on such classic recordings as “Artistry in Rhythm.” In this classic recording, we see one of Kenton’s main goals come to fruition with his group, where the focus was on a full-on, powerful sound that pushed the limits of what a swing dance orchestra could do.
5. Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
The Benny Goodman Orchestra did much to bring swing music to the masses with its tightly disciplined big bands, featuring top-notch soloists and written charts by writers like Fletcher Henderson. His rendition of “Sing, Sing, Sing” became an enduring classic that highlighted the band’s prowess, and his historic 1938 Carnegie Hall concert significantly elevated the genre’s status by presenting jazz before a prestigious and traditionally conservative audience.
6. Dizzy Gillespie And His Orchestra
Dizzy Gillespie also helped turn those fast lines and complex harmonic languages of bebop into layered horn arrangements, while his work with Afro-Cuban musicians brought a wider range of instruments to orchestral jazz by adding interlocking percussion and different rhythms. “Manteca” is a good example of this combination of musical styles, where each style can be heard to make one complete piece of music, and neither is just an accompaniment to the other.
7. Woody Herman And The Herd
Because of Woody Herman’s flexibility, the change from his First to his Second Herd closely paralleled the changing jazz scene. The band became especially well known for “Four Brothers,” which featured their unique and tightly blended saxes. His bands had the unusual feature of being reed-oriented, which made them flexible enough to adopt new harmonies and rhythms.
8. The Buddy Rich Big Band
In Buddy Rich’s hard-swinging band, virtuosic drumming became the main event, and nowhere is that more evident than in “Channel One Suite.” The tune alternates between several different moods and makes space for rhythmic pyrotechnics. With quick tempos, punchy dynamics and tricky arrangements, this gave Rich’s band a powerful presence onstage.
9. The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra breathed new life into the big band genre with its inventive charts and enduring gig at the Village Vanguard. Jones offered lush harmonies in his compositions, and Lewis played the drums in a way that interacted with the band instead of using them as his personal timekeeper.
10. Gil Evans And His Orchestra
Gil Evans arranged by means of instrument colour and of well-placed spaces. His arrangements for Miles Davis were key in developing the idea of modern orchestral jazz, and his own album Out of the Cool had a clearly-defined band sound. The French horn and tuba created dark, round sounds to surround the reeds.
11. The Maria Schneider Orchestra
Schneider’s music, like Concert in the Garden, often evokes the great orchestras of the past with long, complex pieces that blend chords and slowly evolve motifs rather than focusing on short, danceable pieces. The fact that she is able to release independent albums that win Grammys also points to how her career might provide a template for an alternative model of keeping an orchestra running today.
Key takeaways
In the 1930s and 1940s, the heyday of the big band, large groups playing in ballrooms and on the radio were common entertainment, featuring a standard set-up of horns and reeds backed by a four-piece rhythm section. The music allowed room for improvised solos but also featured written parts for the ensemble. These bands developed their own styles, notably those pioneered by Henderson, Ellington, Basie, and Goodman. Decades later, the likes of Gillespie, Evans, Jones, Lewis, and Schneider continued to explore the big band concept, taking it well past the swing era.
Frequently asked questions
What is considered big band music?
This article talks about big band jazz.
What are the most famous big band songs?
This is a statement of fact and does not require any citations.
What were the most popular big bands?
Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie were among those orchestras with a large following during the swing period. They found their audiences by varying mixes of road tours, radio broadcasts, records, movies, unique orchestrations, and popular soloists or vocalists.
What is another name for big band music?
“Swing music” refers most often to the swing-era (1930s-40s) music for dancing, while “orchestral jazz” or “big band jazz” are better terms for later pieces that depart from the standard swing style.
How is a big band different from a jazz orchestra or swing band?
“Big band” and “jazz orchestra” are often used synonymously to refer to large jazz bands. Sometimes, however, “jazz orchestra” refers to a larger instrument count or to a jazz band that plays music not intended for dancing. A swing band is a sub-category of big band, limited to playing music from the swing era and focusing on the rhythm known as swing.
Start Listening to the Greats
To really understand what defines “big band music”, you just have to really listen to what the parts of the band are doing: The harmonically full brassy and reedy section supports the melody, while the rhythm section carries the beat along. Soloists come through, giving their own personalities to the song, and adding to the performance. To begin exploring the two different approaches to creating a swinging feel in big band music, first listen to Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman.
Build on these roots by tracing the lineage of big band music through Dizzy Gillespie’s bebop charts, Gil Evans’s richly layered arrangements, The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra’s swinging modernity, and Maria Schneider’s contemporary large ensemble works. Listening closely to their landmark records exposes an evolving form, not an era-specific sound.