Big Band Era
From Territory bands
to the big stage
Big Band
Big Band
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Territory bands
Bands that toured in
specific regions of the
United States
“top 40” bands of the
era
Traveling got too
expensive
Musicians found a
“home”
Big bands started to
become established in
certain areas
 Big cities following
the Mississippi
 Started different
styles of jazz music
pertaining to the
regions they were in
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Big Band
Dance craze of the
1930’s and 1940’s
 Extremely popular
during the war eras
( WWII)
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Started after the
Dixieland era, bigger
band, bigger sound
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Musicians started to
become more popular,
wanted the spotlight
Count BasieKansas City
 Duke EllingtonNew York/DC
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Big Band
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Big bands were divided
into 2 groups those that
inspired improvisation
and those that did not
Solos became important
to music
Improvisation- playing a
made up solo over chord
changes
Chord Changes- the
outline of a song
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Dixieland bands wanted a
bigger sound so they
added more musicians.
More musicians meant
bigger sound and the
ability to play new and
different music.
Big bands were able to
play more music, faster
music, used for dances
and celebrations
Big Bands
New York (52nd
 With the ease of
street) became
restrictions in racial
popular hang out for
segregation black and
jazz musicians and
white musicians were
big bands
able to perform
together thus bands
 Cotton Club was the
were able to be larger
most famous jazz club
 In later years Birdland
and Village Vanguard
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Make up of Big Bands
4 trumpets
 4 trombones
 5 saxophones ( 2
alto, 2 tenor, 1 bari)
 Saxes doubled on
flute and clarinet as
well
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rhythm section:
drum kit,
bass, used double
bass
guitar, accoustic
piano
Big Band
Big bands created
“swing” a different
way to play music
that varied greatly to
other styles of music.
 This created a “hot”
feel
 Influential big bands:
Glenn Miller, Benny
Goodman, Count
Basie, Duke Ellington
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Big bands also
created the start of
the jazz vocalist
 Influential jazz
vocalists: Billie
Holliday, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah
Vaughan, Joe
Williams, Frank
Sinatra.
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Big Bands
Scat Singing- singing
syllables instead of
words
 Louis Armstrong
 Ella Fitzgerald
 Most jazz musicians
of later years got
their start during the
big band era (made
name for themselves)
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Became famous and
branched out on their
own
 Louis Armstrong,
Charlie Parker, Dizzy
Gillespie, Miles Davis,
 Jazz Vocalists
 Frank Sinatra
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Big Band Royalty
King of SwingBenny Goodman
 Duke Ellington
 Count Basie
 The Prez Lester
Young
 Lady Day Billie
Holiday
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The First Lady of
Jazz- Ella Fitzgerald
 The Divine OneSarah Vaughn
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Big Bands
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Decline of the Big Band era
started with the Great
Depression of the 1930’s
Was too expensive to keep a
large band together.
Big bands began to fade due
to economic reasons,
ballrooms started to close,
small clubs began to open,
different types of media
developed.
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As big bands started to fold
due to economic challenges
the jazz combo evolved
Big band musicians went on to
start their own groups and solo
careers.
WWII created a renewed
interest in the big band sound
as well as the end of the
depression
In the late 40’s the creation of
Be-Bop created a new style of
jazz thus the influence of the
big band was lessened
Big Bands
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Glenn Miller Big Band was
used for entertainment
and morale for troops
during WWII
Benny Goodman first jazz
group to racially integrate
their group
Lionel Hampton-vibes
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Benny Goodman-created
swing
Most musicians got their
start with a big band
Once they got “famous”
or wanted to branch out
they left
Jazz singers went solo
after making a name for
themselves
Louis Armstrong
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Most famous/popular jazz
musician
Nicknamed Satchmo
Jazz musician, singer, trumpet
player, entertainer
Most famous jazz musician of
the 20th century
Fame as a trumpet player,
band leader, scat singer, civil
right supporter
Helped to create scat singing
Featured in several Hollywood
movies (Hello Dolly)
Louis Armstrong
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Born in New Orleans, first
gained fame in the Dixieland
era
Played with Joe King Oliver, Kid
Ory
Started his “hot” and all-star
bands in 1920’s
1922 left for Chicago with
Oliver
1924 wanted to branch out on
his own so moved to New York
Joined Fletcher Henderson
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1925- Chicago- started
recording under his own name
using his “hot” bands
Started touring all over the
State and Europe
1943 Settled in Queens
continued touring
Played an average of 300 gigs
a year
1950 cut his big band down to
6 members and went back to
Dixieland style
1964 biggest selling album and
highest commercial success
with Hello Dolly
Louis Armstrong
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Toured Europe, Asia, and
Africa as a US state
Department Ambassador of
Music
1971 died of heart attack age
69
Major supporter of MLK and
was supporter of the Civil
Right movement
He was one of the first
entertainers to speak up about
political causes. He wanted to
work behind the scenes not be
in front of the cause
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Was extremely generous with
his money supporting different
causes
First to popularize scat singing
Always played with most
influential musicians
Recorded with Ella Fitzgerald
for Verve records. Some of the
most influential jazz recordings
Most famous songs are What a
Wonderful World, Ain’t
Misbehavin, and Stompin at
the Savoy
Louis Armstrong
1964 He knocked the
Beatles off the billboard
carts with Hello Dolly
 1968 reached number 1
with What a Wonderful
World
 Inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame,
star on the Hollywood
walk of fame, Grammy
awards, jazz hall of fame,
 Airport in New Orleans is
named after him
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Influenced every
musician to come after
him.
Major influence on
trumpet players
Major influence on
African American
musicians and politicians
Fletcher Henderson
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Jazz pianist,
arranger/composer
Led one of the first
successful big bands
1922 formed his own
band in Georgia “Best
colored band in the
South”
Worked for Black Swan
records
1924 Louis Armstrong
joined his band
Fletcher Henderson
1930’s- started arranging
music for his band
 1934 started arranging
music for Benny
Goodman
 1939 joined Benny
Goodman as player and
arranger then just
arranger
 Famous for his big band
arrangements still being
performed today
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Hired by Duke Ellington
as an arranger when his
band played at the cotton
club
Charts are still being
played today
Benny Goodman
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1909-1986
King of Swing
Band leader, clarinet
player
Born in Chicago
Started playing
professional at 16
1926- His first
recordings
Benny Goodman
Parents were blue
collar working class
citizens
 Father urged him to
quit playing and get
an “honest Job”
 Father never saw him
play professionally
 1932 formed his own
band in New York City
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Benny Goodman
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1934- Lets Dance radio show
1935- Palomar Ball room
Gene Krupa
1937- movie Hollywood Hotel
1938- January 16th Carnegie
Hall (Sing, Sing, Sing)
1950- LP recording of this
concert became the first
million selling lp
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1952 broke up big band due to
economic reasons
Benny Goodman achieved the
same success with jazz that
Elvis did with rock and roll
1936 Goodman added Lionel
Hampton on vibes to form the
Benny Goodman Quartet
first musicians to racially
integrate their band. 10 years
before Jackie Robinson entered
the Major Leagues.
Benny Goodman
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On January 16, 1938, the
Benny Goodman band played
at Carnegie Hall.
First jazz band to play at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall had been the
nation's greatest temple of
musical art, home of the New
York Philharmonic and scene of
every important artist's debut
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Many of those who played with
him as sidemen later achieved
fame as leaders of their own
bands, soloists, actors,
actresses, musicians for
movies and television
Huge impact on popular music
and the importance of the
clarinet in both jazz and
classical music.
Thousands of youngsters
throughout the world were
influenced to play the clarinet
through listening to Benny
Goodman
Gene Krupa
considered to be the
first drum "soloist."
 father of the modern
drumset
 help with developing
the modern hi-hat
cymbals.
 the first drummer to
record with a bass
drum
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Gene Krupa
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First real gig was with Benny
Goodman and Glenn Miller,
performed in the pit band of
the new George Gershwin play
"Strike Up the Band.
Benny Goodman urged
Gene to join his band with the
promise that it would be a real
jazz band.
Gene's classic performance on
"Sing Sing Sing" has been
heralded as the first extended
drum solo in jazz
Gene Krupa
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Left Goodman on March 3,
1938
Started his own band
authored his own book titled
"The Gene Krupa Drum
Method"(1938)
began an annual Drum
Contest(1941).
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Louie Bellson was first winner
Bellson went on to become a
famous jazz drummer
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briefly joined up with Benny
Goodman and Tommy Dorsey
before re-forming his own
band
big band was one of the first in
the mid-forties to introduce
Bop arrangements with the
help of Gerry Mulligan and the
playing of trumpeter Red
Rodney.
Gene Krupa
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The Gene Krupa Trio was one
of the first acts recruited by
Norman Granz for his "Jazz At
The Philharmonic"
The JATP dates introduced the
famous "Drum Battles" with
Buddy Rich in October of
1952
In 1959, "The Gene Krupa
Story." The film was very loose
in the facts of Gene's career
but did feature an excellent
soundtrack recorded by Krupa
himself.
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Gene's last commercial
recording was in
November of 1972
Gene's final public
performance was with a
reunion of the old
Goodman Quartet on
August 18, 1973.
Gene died October 16,
1973 of a heart attack
Glenn Miller
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First gig was with Ben Pollack’s
band that included Benny
Goodman
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1928 freelance musician in
New York played with Tommy
and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny
Goodman, Gene Krupa, and
young singer named Bing
Crosby
April 1935, Glenn Miller
recorded, for the first time,
under his own name.
Glenn Miller
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His band emphasized the
clarinet playing the melodic
line while the tenor sax plays
the same note, and supported
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by three other saxophone
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Tuxedo Junction, Moonlight
Serenade, and Pennsylvania 65000 were some of his songs
In the Mood was his most
famous song
1941 left for Hollywood to
record for and make movies
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Chattanooga Choo Choo
becomes first million selling
album for Miller
Sun Valley Serenade and
Orchestra Wives were movies
the Glenn Miller Orchestra
were in
On October 7, 1942, Alton
Glenn Miller reported for
induction into the Army
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assigned to the Army Specialist
Corps
Glenn Miller
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appointment as a Captain to
modernize the army band and
ultimately improve the morale
of the men
transferred into the Army Air
Corps, where he ultimately
organized the Glenn Miller
Army Air Force Band
Glenn Miller Army Air Force
Band engaged in over 800
performances
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500 were broadcasts heard by
millions
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First professional musician
inducted into the military to
serve as military band leader
and musicians for troop morale
1944 Stationed in London
Six week tour of Europe, was
to be stationed in Paris
Glenn Miller
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Miller decided to go ahead, in
order to make the proper
arrangements for the group’s
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arrival
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December 15th, Glenn Miller
boarded a transport plane to
Paris
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Bad weather made
communication difficult
Plane crashes early morning of
December 15th
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Plane and body was never
recovered
1945 Last recording of The
Glenn Miller orchestra was
released
1954- The Glenn Miller story
starring Jimmy Stewart
2003- Glenn Miller received
Grammy Lifetime Achievement
award posthumously
Duke Ellington
Band Leader, piano
player, arranger
 One of the most
popular most
successful big band
leaders of all time
 Famous for is
arrangements and is
personality
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Duke Ellington
Born in Washington
D.C.
 Began performing
when he was 17
 1923 moved to New
York City
 1927- House band for
the Cotton Club
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Duke Ellington
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One of two of the most famous
big bands (Count Basie)
used the best musicians from
around the country
One of the most famous
African American musicians
and celebrities
Arranged for the musician not
the band which gave his band
a distinct sound
1940s was peak success
Arranged music for bands and
movies
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Was key figure in symphonic
big band jazz
Composed jazz suites and not
just simple “charts”
1943-Black, Brown, and Beige
Most famous songs were Satin
Doll and Take the A train,
Mood Indigo
1956- Newport Jazz Festival
revived popularity
1957- Such Sweet thunderbased on Shakespeare and
dedicated to Queen Elizabeth
II
1965- Pulitzer prize winner
Duke Ellington
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1966- Sacred concert
combination of jazz music
with Christian readings
1969-presidential Medal
of Freedom
Multi Grammy award
winner
1973 Legion of Honor by
the French government
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Band still touring today
Major influence on jazz
music and musicians
Created new forms of
jazz music and jazz
arrangements
One of the most
influential musicians of
the 20th century
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club
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One of the greatest jazz clubs
in New York
Operated during and after
prohibition
Jack Johnson (heavy Weight
champ) owned the club
Run by Mob in 1923
Helped to launch the careers
of many of the big band era
musicians
Ellington was the house band
from 1927-1931
Recorded over 100 songs there
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House band was required to
perform every night, especially
weekends
New songs performed every
concert.
Cab Calloway took over as
house band after Ellington
Minnie the Moocher
Closed in 1936- after race riots
in Harlem
Re-opened on Broadway
Closed for good in 1940
Count Basie
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Band leader, piano player
One of the best and most
influential band leaders
and musicians of all time
1924 toured with the
TOBA
1928 moved to Kansas
City joined the Blue
Devils
Count Basie
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Became piano player for
Benny Moten jazz band
1935- Became leader
changed to Count Basie
Big Band
Created the Kansas City
style of jazz ( laid back
jazz)
Always hired the best
musicians available
Count Basie
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Once you were a member of
the Basie band you remained a
member
Players went on to start own
careers but always returned to
Basie band to play with them
Launched careers of many
famous musicians
Influential to the start of the
jazz singers
Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra,
Ella Fitzgerald all got their start
with the Basie Band
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Quincy Jones was trumpet
player and arranger for the
Basie band
1974 had cameo in Mel Brooks
film Blazing Saddles
Sammy Nestico, famous jazz
arranger for Count Basie
Freddie Green famous jazz
guitarist
One O’clock Jump, All of Me,
April in Paris, Lil Darlin- most
famous songs
Count Basie
Created a new style
of jazz called Kansas
City Style.
 Off shoot of swing
music where players
“laid back”
 Famous for its rhythm
section
 “Space” was
important
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Horn players used
riffs and motifs
 New style of piano
playing called the
Basie Style
 Stressed
improvisation
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Lester Young
The Prez
 Famous Tenor Sax
player
 One of the most
influential saxophone
players
 Started playing in
vaudeville and
territory bands
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Lester Young
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Got his start in his father’s
territory bands
1932 joined the Blue Devils
Landed in Kansas City
Played with King Oliver,
Fletcher Henderson, and Count
Basie
1934 joined the Count Basie
Band
This group would lead him to
national attention and make
him famous
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Nick name was given to him by
friend Billie Holliday
Was eccentric creating his own
playing style and language for
his friends
Used to hold the horn out to
his right when he played (like
a flute)
1942 recorded with Nat King
Cole
1943 inducted into the Army
Black musicians were put into
the regular army White
musicians were put into
military bands like Glenn Miller.
Lester Young
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Court- martial for various
offenses
1945 dishonorably discharged
1946 JATP- jazz at the
Philharmonic with Norman
Granz
Toured with them for 12 years
1950- Lester leaps in solo at
Carnegie Hall
1952- Start of his drinking
problem, started to affect his
playing
1955- Hospital stays due to
drinking and nervous
breakdown
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By the late 50s drinking had
taken a toll on him was
unhealthy never ate, drank
constantly could barely
perform
December 8 1957- The Sound
of Jazz-Billie Holliday, Ben
Webster, Coleman Hawkins,
Gerry Mulligan, Roy Eldrige
March 1959- final studio
recording, European tour
March 15th New York died age
49
Billie Holliday
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1915-1959
Lady Day
One of the most influential jazz
singers of all times
Major influence on modern day
singers
Born in Philadelphia (mother
was 13 at time of her birth)
father was jazz guitarist
(Divorced early)
Began performing at an early
age to provide money for the
family
Billie Holliday
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Early 1930 moved to New York
Father was absentee only
showing up on rare occasions
(shake down)
1932 Discovered by John
Hammond
1933 first recording with
Benny Goodman ( My Mother’s
Son-In-Law)
November 23, 1934 Apollo
Theater
Regular performer on 52nd
street clubs
Billie Holliday
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Her music had impeccable
timing, nuanced phrasing, and
emotional immediacy
Worked with al the great artist
became one of the greatest
black singers of all time
Became addicted to drugs
starting at 13years old and bad
addiction to heroin
Cursed with bad abusive
relationships most of her life
Sang about her relationships in
her songs
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Famous songs were God Bless
the Child and Fine and Mellow
Major influence on female
singers from Janis Joplin to
Madonna to present day
singers
May 1947 arrested for drug
possession had cabaret card
taken away for 12 years
1954 European tour was a
huge success revamped her
career
Billie Holliday
March 1959- Final studio recording
 May 31 1959 taken to hospital in New
York for liver and heart problems
 July 17 1959 died age 44 died from
cirrhosis of the liver
 When she died she had 70 cents in her
bank account
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Ella Fitzgerald
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1917-1996
Lady Ella- First Lady of Jazz
Won 13 Grammy awards
National Medal of Art,
Presidential medal of freedom
Influential jazz singer and
innovator of scat singing
Orphaned at age 14
Started singing career at age
16
November 21, 1934- Apollo
Theater
Ella Fitzgerald
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Started singing with Chick
Webb big band in 1935
1939- Took over after Webb’s
death became Ella Fitzgerald
and her famous orchestra
Solo career 1941
Norman Granz created record
company Verve records for her
Ella created Songbooks she
recorded for the Verve Label
Toured all over the world
promoting the songbook series
Ella Fitzgerald
Most famous collaborations are with Frank Sinatra, Louis
Armstrong, and Count Basie.
 June 1974 combined concert at Caesars Palace was the
top grossing concerts in Vegas of all time
 Went to Broadway and grossed 2 million in 2 weeks
 Was cursed with bad romances
 Suffered from Diabetes and died from complications due
to diabetes in 1996
 Major influence on female singers from all genres
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Sarah Vaughn
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1924- 1990
one of the greatest
female singers of all
time
Began performing in
1940’s
Went solo in 1945Tenderly, It’s Magic
Famous 1950- Misty
Sarah Vaughn
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Huge vocal range, being able
to sing baritone to soprano,
think Mariah Carrey
Musically trained in theory and
skills
Inspiration for Bosa Nova in
the 1960’s
Was huge influence on modern
singers
Started singing pop style songs
in 1950s as well as jazz, cross
over artists
Continued to record and win
awards well into the 1980s
JATP
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Jazz at the Philharmonic
Started by Norman Granz
He created Verve records
First all star setting
Toured around the country
Give exposure of jazz music to
people who would not usually
see a concert
World famous musicians in a
jam session type concert so
the audience could get closer
to the musicians