MU239 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Swing Era, Big Band, Count Basie
22 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Benny goodman-king of swing (may 30, 1909-june 13, 1986) American jazz musician, big band leader and virtuoso clarinetist. Launches swing era (big band hot jazz as america"s most popular music) with a tour to the west coast in august 1935. Breaks the once taboo color barrier by hiring black musicians for his small ensembles and eventually his big band. Proves that jazz is a serious american art form by performing in carnegie. Hall in 1938, he is the first jazz musician to do this. Use of blues and rhythm changes (a simple song form) as foundation of compositions. Use of head charts-simple easy to remember riffs and short melodies as building blocks of compositions. Band arrangements utilize call and response melodies between horn sections, multiple solo sections with backgrounds. Rhythm section innovations-walking bass line and drums keeping the beat on cymbals instead of bass drum. Makes for a light and very danceable swinging pulse.
