Big Band music became popular in the 1920s and 1930s and helped people cope with the difficulties of the Great Depression and World War II. It featured large orchestras playing jazz and dance music. While Big Band's popularity declined after World War II, it saw revivals in popularity and today younger generations are rediscovering artists like Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Glenn Miller. Big Band music originated in the 1920s and 1930s with bandleaders like Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway laying the groundwork before the genre's height during the Swing Era of the late 1930s led by popular bandleaders like Benny Goodman, Harry James, and Tommy Dorsey.

1. Sway to the Captivating & Dazzling Rhythm of Big
Band Music
Music tastes and trends continue to change today as they have over the
decades. While the 1920s proved to be the glorious era of Jazz music, the years
during the Great Depression and Second World War saw the world turn to
Swing and Big Band music to cope with the terrible fear and melancholy that
global conditions brought all around.
While each of these musical trends has left their own mark on the American
popular music scene, Big Band music holds a special place in the hearts of
millions of Americans. The reason is that the tunes of the Big Bands helped the
nation to survive during one of the nation’s most difficult and terrible periods of

2. history. The music became a means of escape for the populace from the
terrible situation they found themselves in. It promised the fulfillment of a
sentimental, romantic yearning. The music was so inextricably entrenched in
American culture that there was no individual living during that time who
wasn’t touched by the music- leading the era to go down in history as “the
golden age of popular music.”
What is Big Band Music?
The Big Band refers to a type of musical orchestra associated with playing jazz
or popular music influenced by jazz. It was widely popular during the years of
Swing, in the period spanning from the mid-1930s until the late 1940s.
Revival of Big Band Music
This century has been witness to the revival of Big Band music in the USA and
Europe. Big Band music emerged from one of the finest periods of the
American popular music scene. Today’s generation is discovering the hidden
gems of vocalists like Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Helen Forest and
orchestra leaders like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller.
This renewed interest in Big Band music, especially amongst 20-somethings-
that love the beat, drive and energy of Swing and Jitterbugging- is helping to
preserve the musical brilliance of exceptional artists and bring forward their
contribution to impart both enjoyment and education to younger generations.
Due to the music style’s inception, rooted in some of the most crucial moments

3. in history, it possess great historical relevance and serves as a source of
education, entertainment and inspiration for generations to come.
Origin of Big Band Music
There were dozens of popular dance-oriented big bands in the mid to late ‘20s
and early ‘30s, long before the presence of Swing. Many artists and band
leaders, most notably Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford,
and Cab Calloway who were busy laying the groundwork for Big Band music
during the early years of the Depression. The huge popularity of Big Band
music followed in the years of Prohibition, the Depression, and finally into the
Second World War.
With the entry of Benny Goodman, a successful studio and pit band musician,
the stage was set for the music of the Swing era to emerge. By 1935, Goodman
was fortunate enough to develop a professional, permanent band. He first
achieved major recognition while performing at Los Angeles’ Palomar Ballroom,
and subsequently landed an offer for his band to appear regularly on a network
radio show known as ‘Let’s Dance’.
With the approach of World War II, there were at the very least fifty nationally
famous big bands in the United States and some one hundred others surviving
on local and regional reputations. The war years, with restrictions on travel
(and so many musicians drafted into military duty), lead to the beginning of the
end of the Big Band era. However, it did not completely fade out and has
enjoyed at least two major resurgences in popularity since that time.

4. Notable artists of the Big Band era
The period was populated by some of the glorious names of the music industry,
such as-
 Glenn Miller
 Harry James
 Duke Ellington
 Artie Shaw
 Tommy Dorsey
 Benny Goodman
 Stan Kenton
 Count Basie
The Big Band era prospered for a period of a little more than a decade, its
place in musical culture diminishing greatly post World War II. However, Big
Band music has made a huge comeback in recent times. Swing contests,
jitterbug conventions, ballroom dancing and live concert performances have all
become popular. Today, the stars of the ‘new era’ include Germany’s Max
Rabbe, Brittan’s Alex Mendham, America’s Don Neely and many others. The
legendary orchestras of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and more
continue to perform under new leadership. Their feet tapping rhythm and
heartfelt melodies help explain the resurgence of Big Band music popularity in
contemporary times.
Read the full article: https://swingstreetradio.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/captivating-
dazzling-rhythm-of-big-band-music
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