Transcript
Swing
Chapter 5
How Does Swing Differ
from Early Jazz?
Big Bands were used as opposed to a small combo
Instrumentation included:
3 - 4 saxophones (“reed section”)
2 - 3 trumpets
1 - 3 trombones
Rhythm section
Swing musicians generally showed a higher level of instrumental proficiency
Big Band Arrangements
Written arrangements replaced collective improvisation
Simpler compositions
Unison or harmony lines
Riffs
Short, simple melodic phrases
Call and response
Sections trade riffs back and forth
The Rhythm Section
Guitar
Replaces earlier banjo and string bass
Rhythm guitar style: Strums a chord on each beat
Piano
Similar to a guitar: chord on every beat
Occasionally played melody as well as chords
Bass
Two Beat Style (first and third of every 4 beats)
Walking Style (every beat)
Drums
Keep the beat for dancers and lend a swing feeling to the band
Roy Eldridge
Virtuoso trumpeter who bridged the gap between the style of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie
One of the most advanced improvisers of the swing era
Emulated saxophonists in his long, twisting melody lines
Coleman Hawkins
First prominent jazz tenor saxophonist
Deep, husky tone
Used complex chord progressions
Considered primarily a harmonic improviser
Kansas City Style
Thriving jazz scene during the 1920s and 1930s
Many significant jazz musicians worked in Kansas City
Count Basie
Lester Young
Lighter, more relaxed style that was exceptionally swinging
Riffs were a characteristic feature
Some were written down, while others were created spontaneously and kept in the heads of players: “Head arrangements”
Serve two functions:
Theme statements
Backgrounds for improvised solos
Count Basie
Skilled pianist and bandleader
Originally a stride-style pianist -- inspired by Fats Waller
Basie’s approach to the piano was very unique
Light and very precise
Known for his sense of timing and his choice of the “right” notes
Comping: Dropped in chords lightly for emphasis
Used silence to pace his musical lines
His piano playing set the mood for the piece
Count Basie’s Rhythm Section
Key Players
Freddie Green: Guitar
Walter Page: String bass
Jo Jones: Drums
Possibly the most famous rhythm section in all of jazz history
Consistently swung with a smooth and relaxed feel
Placed a fairly even amount of stress on each beat instead of pushing every other beat
Listening Guide: “Taxi War Dance,” CD 1, Track 8
View: “Basie’s Boogie,” PH Jazz History DVD
Lester Young
Tenor saxophonist
Most notable soloist of Basie’s band in the 1930s/1940s
Nicknamed “Pres”
Light tone, slow vibrato, and buoyant phrases (clear alternative to Coleman Hawkins)
Served as a model for “cool jazz” players
Benny Goodman
Clarinetist and Big Band leader
Topped the pop charts
Integrated his band
Provided exposure for outstanding improvisers
Pianist Teddy Wilson, guitarist Charlie Christian, and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton
Duke Ellington
Significant as a bandleader, pianist, and composer/arranger
Led the most stable, most-recorded, and longest-lived big band
Ellington knew his musicians’ musical personalities so thoroughly that he wrote tunes especially for them
The Pianist
Developed his own style and approach: more economical than stride style, though still percussive
Ellington was heralded for his near perfect precision to comping
Ellington’s Compositions and Repertoire
Wrote over 2,000 compositions
“Mood Indigo”
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”
Portraits of jazz personalities and places
Extended works including “Black, Brown, and Beige”
In his arrangements, voiced across sections of the band
First famous for “Jungle Music” style
View: “It Don’t Mean a Thing.../Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” PH Jazz History DVD
Listening Guide: “Harlem Airshaft” (CD 1, Track 9) and “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” (CD 1, Track 10)
Billie Holiday
One of the most influential singers in jazz history
Nicknamed “Lady Day”
Her repertory was mostly pop and show tunes, but she changed the vocal phrasing and rhythms to make them her own
Toured and recorded with many of the top jazz musicians of the time including Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Count Basie
View: “Fine and Mellow,” PH Jazz History DVD
Listening Guide: “Back in Your Own Back Yard,”
CD 1, Track 11
Ella Fitzgerald
Outstanding and influential singer
Incorporated swung eighth notes and syncopation into her singing
Light approach similar to a horn player
Best practitioner of scat singing
Performed both jazz and popular tunes
Art Tatum
Among the most influential pianists in jazz history
Employed stride style in his left hand and horn-like lines in his right hand
Used chord substitution
Spontaneously adding and changing chords
Sometimes changed keys mid-solo
Experimented with improvising cross-rhythms
Mary Lou Williams
Versatile pianist, composer, and arranger
Continuously changed her style, assimilating more and more approaches
Famous for work with Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy in the ’30s-early ’40s
Arranged for big bands led by Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, and Duke Ellington
Composer of original works (over 250 compositions)
The Popularity of Swing
Some jazz musicians were as popular during the swing era as rock stars are today
Benny Goodman
Count Basie
Duke Ellington
Jazz value was not the primary appeal of the pieces to the wider public
One of the most important functions for swing bands was to provide dance music
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Listening Guide: “Sittin’ In,” CD 1, Track 6
Listening Guide: “Body and Soul,” CD 1, Track 7
Listening Guide: “Flying Home,” CD 1, Track 12
Listening Guide: “Tiger Rag,” CD 1, Track 13
Listening Guide: “Walkin’ and Swingin’” CD 1, Track 14
