Beginning of the Swing Era

The swing era followed boogie-woogie. In general, swing refers to the music of large dance bands that played written arrangements. Swing did not always "swing" but rather involved jazz performers doing a jazz interpretation of pretty ballads. A ballad is a simple song, usually romantic in nature, and uses the same melody for each stanza.

Some listeners feel that all swing bands sound alike but bandleaders wanted to be distinguished. For example, Tommy Dorsey played with a beautiful tone and control on the trombone. Glenn Miller used a clarinet over his saxophone for identification.

Swing bands adopted a consistent instrumentation of four sections that remained fairly stable. The saxophone section included two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, and one baritone saxophone. The trumpet section included four trumpets; the first was responsible for the highest notes. As swing developed, the second player became responsible for most of the jazz solos. Four trombones comprised the trombone section. Later, a fifth bass trombone was often added. A drummer, bass player (string bass), piano player, and guitarist formed the rhythm section.

Jazz Arrangements

A general format emerged from the creation of a swing jazz arrangement. Arrangers notated specific notes for each instrument to play in every measure on a written score. The score indicated a fixed number of measures for solo improvisation and also musical notations with the desired sounds and effects. Short, repeated refrains or phrases, or riffs, are common in jazz.

Fletcher Henderson (1897–1952) is credited with creating the pattern for swing arrangements. These consist of the independent use of trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and rhythm section with the use of soloists. Henderson was a pianist and excellent arranger who wrote most of the musical arrangements that helped launch the success of Benny Goodman's orchestra. Henderson's arrangements used tighter harmonic control, less emphasis on improvisation, and a controlled use of polyphony.

New York

New York was an important geographic area for the developments leading toward the swing style of jazz. Important New York figures of this time include Chick Webb, Jimmie Lunceford, and Duke Ellington. Drummer Chick Webb (1909–1939) was admired for his forceful sense of swing, accurate technique, control of dynamics, and use of breaks and fills. He would conduct his band from his drum set. Since he could not read music, Webb memorized the arrangements. Ella Fitzgerald contributed to the success of Webb's band in New York City.

Alto sax player, arranger, and bandleader Jimmie Lunceford (1902–1947) studied music at and graduated from Fisk University in 1926. In 1927, he taught music at Manassas High School in Memphis and organized a student jazz band. The group emphasized correct technique and accurate playing and released its first recording in 1930.

Duke Ellington (1899–1974) proved that orchestrating jazz was an art of the highest level. His music was a combination of solo and ensemble playing. The Ellington orchestra succeeded in part through the expert use and contribution of consistently talented and unique players. Ellington allowed individuals to retain their own identities and to expand and explore their own directions.

Kansas City

Kansas City was busy with musical activity from the early 1920s to about 1938. This was in part due to a political organization called the Pendergast Machine which encouraged a nightclub atmosphere. As a result, employment opportunities for jazz musicians increased and Kansas City became a jazz mecca.

Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981) was the first woman in jazz history to compose and arrange for a large jazz band. She arranged music for dozens of leading swing bands including those of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Goodman. Williams is considered one of the great jazz pianists and one of the greatest performers from Kansas City.

The music of Count Basie (1904–1984) represents a leading voice in the big band style. He was a pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. He was also a band leader and arranger who traveled throughout Europe and Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. Count Basie's music contains lively rhythms, economic piano style, and a relaxed swing sound.

Southwest Bands

Southwest bands offered a different solution to big band improvisational structures. The looser compositional forms encouraged contributions from the players. The focus shifted away from the arranger and toward the improvising performer.

Swing Becomes Accepted

The music business suffered during the Great Depression. Only hotel-type bands such as that of Guy Lombardo and select jazz players such as Benny Goodman found consistent employment. However, jazz continued its artistic evolution as swing became established around 1929. Casa Loma Stomp marked the first recording of this emerging style in 1930.

Upsurge in Dancing

Congress repealed the Volstead Act, a law that prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages, in 1933. And after years of economic depression, many Americans wanted to have fun. Social life changed and large ballrooms were needed for the thousands who wanted to dance every night and large bands seemed to be the answer to filling these dance halls with music.

Compared to Dixieland bands, swing bands used two or three times as many players and produced a fuller sound. Swing band music was organized in homophony—where two or more instruments played similar or complementary lines. Two other musical characteristics of swing bands are a return to the use of a flat-four rhythm and the use of block chords (chords with many notes moving in parallel motion).

Paul Whiteman (1890–1967), called the "King of Jazz," sought after talented top names for his band like Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Whiteman started his first band in San Francisco in 1918 and his fame spread into the 1920s. Whiteman increased the size of his band into nearly symphonic proportion.

The Swing Bands

By the late 1930s, prosperity was returning, and records and radio were extremely helpful in publicizing jazz. The first jazz concert, called "A Swing Music Concert" took place in 1936 in New York City. Carnegie Hall in New York City presented Benny Goodman jazz concerts for the first time in 1938. The Dorsey Brothers started with a large-band version of Dixieland featuring singer Bob Crosby who later developed his own band. Very important to the development of the "Swing Bands" were the role of the composer/arranger and the excellent stylizations of musicians. The better jazz musicians of swing bands would form swing combos within most large bands. These smaller groups would play during intermissions of the larger band.

The Glenn Miller band was one of the most popular bands of the Swing Era. Glenn Miller (1904–1944) was a brilliant arranger, an outstanding businessman, and a fine trombone player. Miller went in debt to start his band but was a millionaire within two years. The Glenn Miller Band worked the best jobs and recorded often. In addition, Miller had a radio program and made motion pictures.

Benny Goodman (1909–1986) was a superior clarinetist who began appearing on stage by the age of twelve. He joined Ben Pollack's band and made his first recording. Goodman's band was the first to integrate black and white musicians. His efforts helped make it possible for jazz musicians to earn a decent wage. Goodman's clarinet playing was a combination of great wit, precise musicianship, beautiful subtleties, and never-ending swing. He toured in many parts of the world and was also commissioned to record classical compositions.

Coleman Hawkins (1904–1969) was the first great saxophonist of jazz. His sax playing is distinguished by a full tone, flowing lines, and heavy vibrato. Hawkins made his first recording with Fletcher Henderson and he would go on to perform throughout England and Europe. His famous recording Body and Soul, recorded in 1939, is known for its continuous smooth sound.

Tenor saxophonist Lester Young (1909–1959) had a different approach than Hawkins and used a lighter tone. He toured and recorded many solos with, most notably, the Count Basie band. Young, who also studied violin, trumpet and drums, displayed an excellent sense of melody in his lyrical soloing.

Guitarist Charlie Christian (1919–1942) revolutionized the concept of jazz guitar playing. He shifted the role of the guitar from a rhythm instrument to a solo melody instrument equal to other frontline instruments. Christian pioneered the use of the amplifier as early as 1937 and played and recorded with major jazz artists like Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. Jimmy Blanton (1918–1942) also advanced the role of his rhythm instrument, the bass. He expanded the use of the bass beyond keeping the rhythmic pulse in support of the other instruments to include melodic solo improvisation.

Billie Holiday (1915–1959) crossed many musical lines while staying with her individual singing style influenced, in part, by Bessie Smith. A frustrating aspect of Holiday's career must have been the unwillingness of the public to accept black and white musicians performing together on the same bandstand. Holiday was admired and influenced by Louis Armstrong and Lester Young. She developed a singing style deeply imbued with her feelings and life experience.

Singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald came to the popular forefront during the swing era. Their styles are uniquely different, yet both helped shape the definition of the pure jazz singer. Pianist and vocalist Sarah Vaughan also influenced many singers.

The Demise of Swing

As a result of the military draft and transportation hardships in the U.S., the swing era ended quickly. The Big Bands of swing were only able to acquire "one-night stand" performances and consequently suffered financially. The swing era represented the pinnacle of jazz's popularity. In the fifties, the emergence of rock-and-roll would capture broad attention as jazz moved in new artistic directions.