Swing/Big Band was an energetic form of jazz that began in the 1920s and was popular from about 1935 to 1950. Swing has a shuffle feel of four beats per bar, which was a change from the two beat feel of the 1920s. Fletcher Henderson’s big dance band was one of the first to play music in this style. Later, Duke Ellington’s big band became the foundation for swing bands. When the stock market crashed in 1929, many people became unemployed, but the jazz musicians continued to play, creating even better forms of swing. New forms of technology for recording music were also developed in the next few years. Swing also helped to desegregate people, because everyone enjoyed this type of music, and people of every race came together to listen and dance to the music. During World War II, American Swing Bands traveled the world and introduced swing to people from many countries. Swing took Europe by storm.
Notable Musicians:
Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter who was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans in 1901. In 1924, he joined Fletcher Henderson’s band and introduced the music scene to new rhythms that led to the formation of swing and big band. He later became the leader of the Hot Five and the Hot Seven. His trumpet solos became very popular, and his use of vocals in jazz became a trend in America.
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William “Count” Basie was a great pianist and band leader who led the “Old Testament” band during the swing era, and the “New Testament” band in the 1950s. Although both bands played bluesy music, they were exciting to listen to. “I’ve always played happy music,” the Count once said.
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a pianist and band leader who wrote music that featured each one of his band members. He wrote almost 2,000 compositions.
Benny Goodman was a swing clarinetist who played with greats Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa. He grew up in a Jewish ghetto in Chicago but was able to make it big, popularizing the use of solo clarinet in swing.
