Big band
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This USPS stamp recognizes big band's popularity in the 1940s |
A
big band is a type of
musical ensemble associated with playing
jazz music and which became popular during the
Swing Era from 1935 until the late
1940s. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 19 musicians and contains
saxophones,
trumpets,
trombones, and a
rhythm section. The terms
jazz band,
jazz orchestra, and
dance band are also used to refer to this type of ensemble.
In contrast to smaller
jazz combos, in which most of the music is
improvised, or created spontaneously, music played by big bands is highly '
arranged', or prepared in advance and notated on
sheet music. Improvised solos may be played only when called for by the arranger.
There are two distinct periods in the history of popular bands. Big bands came to dominate popular music in the late
1920s. At that time they usually played a sweet form of jazz, typified by such popular artists as
Paul Whiteman and
Ted Lewis. Other popular sweet bands included those of
Harry Reser,
Leo Reisman,
Abe Lyman,
Nat Shilkret,
George Olsen,
Ben Bernie,
Bob Haring,
Ben Selvin,
Earl Burtnett,
Gus Arnheim,
Rudy Vallee,
Jean Goldkette,
Isham Jones,
Roger Wolfe Kahn,
Sam Lanin,
Vincent Lopez,
Ben Pollack,
Anson Weeks,
Fred Rich,
Ted Black,
Sam Lanin,
Will Osborne and
Fred Waring. Many of these artists retired after the introduction of swing music.
Swing music was introuduced in 1935 and this type of music flourished through the early
1950s, although there was some resistance to swing music until around 1939. After 1935, Big Bands rose to prominence playing
swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. Later bandleaders pioneered the performance of various
Brazilian and
Afro-Cuban styles with the traditional big band instrumentation, and big bands led by arranger
Gil Evans and virtuoso bassist
Jaco Pastorius introduced
cool jazz and
jazz fusion, respectively, to the big band domain. Modern big bands can be found playing all styles of jazz music.
While composers and arrangers have written for many combinations of instruments, conventional big bands since the 1930s have had a
rhythm section (composed of
drums,
bass,
piano, and possibly
guitar), a trumpet section, a trombone section, and a saxophone section, the latter three collectively referred to as "horns." In the second half of the twentieth century, a standard 17-piece instrumentation evolved, for which many commercial arrangements are available. This instrumentation consists of five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a four-piece rhythm section.
Saxophone section
The
saxophone section (known as
the reeds,
the sax section, or just
the saxes in jazz parlance) usually comprises five players: two
altos, two
tenors and one
baritone. The 'leader' of the section, who sets overall style, volume, tuning and phrasing, is always the first alto player.
If the arrangement requires it, the players
double on other
wind instruments, such as
flute,
clarinet, and
soprano saxophone.
The saxophone section represents the 'backbone' of the wind instruments in that it frequently carries the tune or provides backing harmonies underneath a soloist or section solis. Saxes, when playing along with brass in an
ensemble are said to 'soften' the sound of the brass but give it support.
Because of the shape and the fact that the sound emanates from the open keys as well as the bell, a saxophone cannot be muted for effects or volume reduction. It can only be played louder or more softly. Effects in the sax section are provided by using the alternative instruments such as flutes, clarinets, sopranos etc.
Brass section
The
brass section is a collective term for the trombone and trumpet sections. Quite often these sections play the same phrases and rhythms, for a powerful, brassy sound. These instruments can also make use of sound-changing
mutes, which are widely used in jazz.
Trumpet section
The
trumpet section usually comprises four (sometimes five) players, each playing a separate part. The section leader is usually the first (or
lead) trumpet, who plays the highest and most strenuous part. When the whole band is playing
tutti (in unison, or all the same), the lead trumpet player is still considered the lead player of the band and is followed in phrasing, articulation, etc., by the rest of the band. The second trumpet player is usually the
jazz soloist. The other players are generally assigned progressively lower pitch parts.
Trombone section
This is similar in formation to the trumpet section, except that there are three
tenor trombones and one
bass trombone. The trombone section provides a deeper sound than that of the trumpets.
Unusually, a
French horn can be grouped into the trombone section in place of a tenor or bass trombone.
Rhythm section
The rhythm section comprises
drums,
double bass (or
bass guitar) and
guitar. Although not intended to be heard
above the wind instruments, the rhythm section is essential both to the band and to the audience in providing the important pulse in the music that is so important for dancing and listening to. The rhythm section is sometimes referred to as the 'powerhouse' or engine room of the band as one of its main purposes is to drive the band forward at a steady rate. The rhythm section is sometimes said to provide a large part of the 'swing' to a band.
A rhythm section not playing together will not
swing and will sound stiff and awkward. When playing together properly, the rhythm section achieves what is known in
electronics terms as '
phase-lock' and are totally together in
tempo and
phase. Under these conditions, the rhythm section is said to be 'swinging'.
Piano
The role of the
pianist in a big band depends on his/her style and the needs of the band. In some groups, such as that of
Count Basie, the part played by the piano is minimal, in that the comping only contributes a light specification of the voicings of the chords. More contemporary big bands give a greater role to the piano in accompanying the band, by punctuating various accents, providing responses to other parts, playing countermelodies etc., as well as providing fills in the music. One example of a modern big band pianist is
Roland Hanna with the
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band.
Guitar
The guitar in a big band is mostly used as a pure rhythm instrument in that it plays straight time. That is, in a swing tune, the guitarist will often play four beats in every bar, sometimes called
four on the floor.[
1] Other styles (ballad, Latin) may be approached differently. The guitarist sometimes takes solos, but usually not as many as the piano. The guitarist most responsible for creating the role of the traditional big band guitarist was
Freddie Green of the
Count Basie orchestra, who played an unamplified acoustic guitar. Electric guitarists with contemporary big bands, such as
Ben Monder with the
Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, are exploring new roles and sounds for the big band guitar.
Bass
The double bass player, or bass guitarist, is sometimes said to be the most important member of the rhythm section because this instrument not only provides the beat, but gives an indication to the harmony. It can be heard and sometimes felt by all the band below all the other instrumentalists. The bass player usually plays four beats in every bar of a 4/4 tune and is usually playing continuously without rests throughout the tune. To achieve a good swing feeling the bass player will try to play extreme
legato making all the notes run into one another giving a continuous but pulsating sound.
Staccato bass playing is usually avoided except in non swing tunes or unless specifically written on the part.
Drums
The drummer is also a most important member of the rhythm section who together with the bass and guitar (if present) form the core of a solid 'timekeeping' machine. The drum kit usually comprises, bass drum, tom-tom(s), snare drum, ride cymbal, hi-hat or 'sock' cymbal, crash cymbal and sometimes other cymbals. Swing drummers such as
Philly Jo Jones,
Gene Krupa, or
Buddy Rich provided a solid timekeeping foundation to the band while also adding energy behind soloists. Modern big band drummers such as
Mel Lewis, John Riley, or Clarence Penn, have expanded the role of the big band drummer in various ways.
Form
Typical big band
arrangements are written in
strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. Each iteration, or
chorus, most commonly follows
Twelve bar blues form or
Thirty-two-bar (AABA) song form. The first chorus of an arrangement typically introduces the melody, and is followed by subsequent choruses of development. This development may take the form of improvised solos, written
soli sections, and
shout choruses.
An arrangement's first chorus is sometimes preceded by an introduction, which may be as short as a few measures or may extend to chorus of its own. Many arrangements contain an interlude, often similar in content to the introduction, inserted between some or all choruses. Other methods of embellishing the form include modulations and cadential extensions.
Orchestration
Musical
arrangements for big bands often make use of several common compositional techniques.
Trumpet parts can be arranged in close harmony (called a thickened line) to give a broader impression of the melody. On other occasions, trumpets play in
unison, giving a powerful, penetrating sound that cannot be achieved by a single trumpet. Groups of two or three trumpets are sometimes used in simple harmony.
The baritone saxophone may be written to play the lead alto part an octave lower to reinforce the melody and provide an effective '5 part' harmony in close harmony saxophone
soli. The baritone saxophone is sometimes written with the trombones, (especially in bands without a bass trombone) to give extra richness at the bottom of the trombone section. On occasions, the baritone sax can double with the bass player and bass trombone to create very heavy bass lines or
riffs.
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