 "Ah, swing, well, we used to call it syncopation—then they called it ragtime, then blues—then jazz. Now, it's swing. White folks yo'all sho is a mess. -Louis Armstrong

 Started in/around New Orleans  Outgrowth of the Blues  Followed a set form (similar to the blues)  Main characteristic was improvisation

 1929: Stock Market Crash  Unemployment was common, but musicians continued to create new music – especially in the field of jazz  Fewer records were being made, but… › recording technology was improving › and the size of the bands were getting bigger  Enter “the big band era”

 What’s wrong with this picture?

 1929: Stock Market Crash  Unemployment was common, but musicians continued to create new music – especially in the field of jazz  Fewer records were being made, but… › recording technology was improving › and the size of the bands were getting bigger  Enter “the big band era”

 4-5 Saxophones › Different sizes for different sounds  4 Trombones  4 Trumpets  Rhythm Section – Piano, Bass, Drumset › Guitar adds in later on in time

 Call and response: one section calls and then imitated by another section  Dance-like feel  Non-improvisational  Music filled with hope and energy

 Swing music wasn’t seen as an “accepted style” until the mid 1930’s  Artistic issues: › Music for music’s sake › music for something else

 Swing music wasn’t seen as an “accepted style” until the mid 1930’s  Achieved its highpoint in 1935 › Benny Goodman’s performance at a ballroom in Los Angeles  One of the first musical genres to NOT have racial undercurrents!

 Introduction  A Section  B Section  Solo Section  A section with a “Shout Chorus”  Coda

 Glenn Miller  Trombone player from Iowa  Served in the Air Force in WWII  “In the Mood”  Written in 1939  One of the most popular of the time.  12 Bar Blues form

 The “King of Swing”  Clarinet player from Chicago  Started playing pro at the age of 16  “ Sing Sing Sing” Written in 1936  Features Goodman on clarinet  Gene Krupa on drums  com/watch?v=fhyhP_ 5VfKM com/watch?v=fhyhP_ 5VfKM

 April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974  Played piano  Gained fame leading his band (or orchestra as he called it) at the Cotton Club in Harlem  Take the A- Train  com/watch?v=cb2w2 m1JmCY com/watch?v=cb2w2 m1JmCY

 America enters World War II after the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941  Musicians of fighting age were drafted - could not support the large numbers required  Glenn Miller – lost in an air battle › Possibly friendly fire?

 August 1, 1942: AFM called for a strike against recording companies over disagreements on royalty payments  Musicians could still perform … › Live concerts › Live radio broadcasts › Special military recordings  From 1942 – 1944: No new instrumental music was recorded for commercial use  Vocalists, (who were not part of the union at the time), continued to record, accompanied only by other singers  American military swing bands still existed

 From 1942 – 1944:  No new instrumental music was recorded for commercial use  Vocalists, (who were not part of the union at the time), continued to record, accompanied only by other singers  American military swing bands still existed

 The strike ended up launching the career of one of the most famous singers in pop music…  Frank Sinatra

 Some of the smaller record companies settled with the union by  The bigger companies finally settled in 1944  There was a new issue to deal with though…