The Sounds of Jazz Part 2: The Modern Big Band

Ahoy!

Last week we discussed a few of the most important early big bands in jazz history. While Duke Ellington and Count Basie certainly weren’t the only big band leaders, their bands were pivotal in defining the genre. Over the decades there have been many other important big bands; too many, in fact, to try and mention them all. But that’s time gone by anyway. Do big bands still exist?

Big bands may not be as prominent as they once were but they still exist and they still play a very important role in jazz and jazz education. Most high schools have some form of a big band. There are some high schools around the United States that only have jazz bands, and there are some schools, typically called “Art Schools” that have several jazz bands among other types of ensembles. Every college that has some form of a jazz program is also likely to have a big band. Again, some have more than one and they will vary in skill level, but they exist. Outside of academia however is where things get tricky.

Because of the number of musicians required for a big band, it is rarer that these types of ensembles tour. There are a few groups that make it work but largely big band performances are one time gigs typically for festivals, bigger concerts and recording sessions. Larger cities sometimes have publicly funded ensembles that play summer concert series as well.

Again, today I’ll forgo talking about one particular album to dive into and instead give you several modern big bands to dig into. These bands have fluid line ups depending on who’s available and are usually assembled to play the works of the composer. To help clarify what I mean, the composer will have written all the music and then called musicians to fill the spots. Sometimes this happens just to record the pieces in studio, and sometimes it’s for a few festivals. Occasionally there won’t be any recording or performing. This setting is called a “reading session” and just gives the composer a chance to hear what he/she has written by real musicians, and not a computer play back.

I hope you enjoy these modern composer and their big bands. They certainly aren't the only three great modern composers but are among the first I typically think of and I think you should know them as well.

Until next time,

Heard

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society

The Secret Society is what Darcy James Argue calls his big band project. They’ve released a couple albums, Infernal Machines and Brooklyn Babylon and each are stellar works of what the modern jazz ensemble can sound like. The soundscapes created are akin to movie soundtracks. This work, “Transit” comes from the album Infernal Machines and is definitely worth your time.

Maria Schneider Orchestra

I realize this is just the first half of "Hang Gliding" but it is a concise example of the soundscapes Ms. Schneider is capable of. To me, her music has a classical orchestra feel but with jazz instrumentation. She incorporates odd time signatures (this piece starts in 11/8) and modern harmonies. At times, it’s hard to tell that this band has anything to do with Duke Ellington and swing era music but trust me, it draws heavily on that tradition.You should make a point to seek out the second half of this piece. Donny McCaslin's tenor sax solo will melt your brain.

Hank Levy Legacy Band

Some of you may have seen the Oscar nominated film Whiplash. Hank Levy is the composer who wrote the main theme to the movie, the piece called “Whiplash” that the band is working on during the movie. As with everyone else in the modern big band scene, a lot of the music comes across very much like a movie score but that doesn’t take away from the depth of the music. Hank Levy is known for incorporating rock sounds into his charts and using modern instruments, like electric bass instead of upright bass for example. I realize two oddities about this clip I chose to share: 1) It’s not “Whiplash” and 2) it’s not the Hank Levy Legacy band performing. I chose this piece because it brings back memories of when I had the chance to perform it as a undergraduate. I couldn’t find a higher quality performance of the Legacy Band playing it. I promise, you’ll still enjoy it.

Make sure to look up other works by these composers as I’m sure they’re your new favorites.   

All videos courtesy of YouTube.