Big Bands

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Jan 29, 2002 by Charles J. Shindo

The big bands consisted of four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and rhythm section, in addition to vocalists (soloists, groups, or both). The saxophone section usually consisted of three to five players on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones and doubling on clarinet and flute. The trumpet and trombones sections each consisted of three or four members, and the rhythm section consisted of piano, string bass, drums, and sometimes guitar. In most big band arrangements, sections played rhythmically unified and harmonically diverse parts. While one section played the melody, other sections would provide accented "riffs," short musical motifs repeated by one section. Arrangements often introduced riffs, highlighting one after another, culminating in all the riffs being played simultaneously in a polyphonic climax. These arrangements mimic the form of dixieland jazz, but since sections instead of soloists were involved, the music had to be highly arranged and written and not improvised. White bands, such as Goodman, Miller, and Herman's, became known for their elaborate arrangements in songs like "Sing, Sing, Sing," "In The Mood," and "Woodchoppers Ball." Black Bands, such as Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie, became known for a more driving beat and greater use of improvisation in songs like, "Take the 'A' Train," "Minnie the Moocher," and "Taxi War Dance."

In addition to bringing more jazz influences into mainstream American music, the big bands also developed some new techniques. Duke Ellington trumpeter Bubber Miley was the first horn player to place the working end of a plumber's helper over his trumpet's bell to create a "wah-wah" effect. Swing music also favored a "four-beat" style in which emphasis was placed on all four beats per bar, while older styles of jazz favored a "two-beat" style. By combining elements of theatrical Tin Pan Alley style music, dance music, and jazz, the big bands developed a music which was acceptable to a widespread audience, while integrating elements of African American culture into the American mainstream. Many jazz purists see the big band era as a time of jazzmen "selling out" to commercialism and a period of creative stagnation, especially in light of the development of bebop, cool jazz, and fusion music in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

The swing era ended as a result of the effects of World War II on American society. The human toll of war dwindled the ranks of the big bands, with notable losses like the death of Glenn Miller during a concert tour for the troops. The end of wartime restrictions on recorded music, and new developments in recording technology, electric guitars, and radio led to the development of smaller groups and a greater emphasis on singers over musicians. The growth of the postwar baby boom generation created a market for music which, like the swing music of their parents, was reinvigorated with elements of African American music. Swing music, with the use of electric guitars and infused with a blues tonality, became rock and roll music.