MUSC 2140 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Coleman Hawkins, Swing Era, Count Basie
11 Mar 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Many bands were known just for one soloist, even though they may only play an eight bar solo, but that was the sound that people recognized on the radio. Soloists were sometime traded, moved on, or fired from a band like a sports team. During the wartime many orchestra shrank, so staged jam sessions often occurred with players and soloists could gain experience playing with different people. Some soloists worked full time in one band, while others preferred to work on contract where they could play in a number of different situations like movies. Hawking exemplifies the rise of swing-era soloists, and was one of the greatest saxophonists of all time. He is known as the father of the tenor sax, because no one really played it before him.
