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Chapter 5 The Swing Era

Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing" was released in 1932. As the
30's progressed the American people had more and more access to Jazz. Ellington and
Henderson were important early innovators of this new style called swing. (swing era hey
day was from 1935-45)

1. Home Radios
2. Live performances (dance halls)
3. Records
4. The difference between black and white bands lessened
5. By 1935 Benny Goodman and King of Sing and over 200 name bands nationally (Harry
James, Basie) Each of these bands had vocalists (both boy and girl singers)

6. Movies also used this new music and employed many jazz artists during this period in
Hollywood history

7. Swing continues to be popular during WWII but because of rationing of gas, food, and
tires, touring became more difficult and it slowly declines in popularity in the late 40s

The Big Band in the Swing Era

Instrumentation, Technique, and Arrangements


1. Consistent Instrumentation of 4 sections
(grew to 16 pieces as well)
A Trumpets (4)
b. Bones (4)
c. Saxes (2 altos, 2 tenors, bari and some doubles)
d. Rhythm (piano, bass, drums, and guitar or vibes)
2. Jazz Arrangements
a. Completely written
b. Balance between written and improv
c. Use of call & response, written backgrounds, and intros and endings

3. Changing Role of the Rhythm Section


a. Bass walks all 4 beats
b. Introduction of electric guitar 1936
c. Piano plays less of the stride style, more comping
d. Drummers used new advances on their instrument like the hi-hat
cymbals (1927), or drove the band with the bass drum on all 4 beats (dancing)

Kansas City and the Territory Bands

1. Centering themselves on a regional capitol


2. very common in the Midwest and the Southwest
3. southwest bands offer a different approach to big band
improvisational structures
a. looser compositional forms (more blues bases)
b. riff based-repeated melodic figures/or simple head arrangements
c. less emphasis on the arranger/individuals contribute much more
d. not as good at reading music as others

4. bands participated in Battles of the Bands a key to their polished sound

5. Kansas City from 1926-1938 Tom Pendergast enabled gambling, liquor, prostitution
and created a special nightclub atmosphere

The Original Blue Devils-1925-led by Bassist Walter Page


Benny Moten -Moten Swing
Mary Lou Williams and the Clouds of Joy - Mary's Idea
William Basies-Swing Machine -Every Tub Count Basie Orchestra
with his infamous rhythm section with Freddie Green (guitar),
Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums) and of course Count" Basie (piano)

Benny Goodman

1. Grew up in Chicago/song of Jewish immigrant tailor


2. Played clarinet on stage by age of 12
3. First gig was with Ben Pollacks Band
4. Move to NY in 1928 and played weekly radio shows
5. Started his first band in 1934 and played on weekly radio series Lets Dance
6. Befriended Fletcher Henderson and used some of his arrangements
7. Famous tour of 1934-35 and the Palomar Ballroom
8. Known as tough businessman the Goodman ray
9. Also championed race relations and used African Americans as part of the band within a
band concept (his sextet)
a. Teddy Wilson (piano)
b. Lionel Hampton (vibes)
c. Charlie Christian (electric guitar)
10. the famous Carnegie hall concert of 1938 (first mixed race performance in Carnegie
Hall )with Gene Krupa on drum Sing, Sing, Sing Down South Camp Meeting

Ellington after the "Cotton Club

1. Two categories we haven't seen are:


a. Shorter big band works other than standard songs (instrumentals such as Sepia
Panorama and Harlem Airshaft)

b. Larger scale works divided into 3 categories


1. Extended big band works (Black, Brown and Beige)
2. Suites
3. Religious works
2. Toured Europe at this time
3. Developed as a composer
4. Built his band and used his members ideas for composition
5. Altoist Johnny Hodges was one of his leading soloists (beautiful ballads)
6. Broke off with his long time manager in Irving Mills
7. Moved from Columbia to RCA records
8. Ben Webster (tenor) and Jimmy Blanton (bass) in this band from 1938-41 is considered
one of the best Koko
9. Pianist Billy Strayhorn known as Sweet Pea )his alter ego), actually wrote Take the A
Train Ellington's theme song Take the A Train (1943)

The 1940's and Beyond

1. Became known nationally


2. Lost several sidemen to competing bands
3. 1943 gave a series of concerts in Carnegie Hall
4. By 1951 the heydays of swing era are gone
5. Newport Jazz Fest concert featuring Paul Consalves gave Ellingtons band new life to
continue through the 1960s

William Count Basie (1904-1984) pianist, composer, bandleader

Comping
Riff based
Very blues/improv based
Swing feel
Use of space and dynamics
The rhythm section
Old/new testament bands

Edward Kennedy Ellington (1899-1974)

Unusual voicings/ranges/use of mutes


Innovative composer and arranger
Improvised lines within the written parts
Wordless vocals
Many great sidemen
The Blanton/webster band 39-42

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