The appeal of large ensembles! Recommended masterpieces and popular songs of big bands
As the name suggests, a big band is a band made up of a large ensemble.
While swing jazz from before the modern jazz era is especially well-known, big bands are also a popular format in pop music.
Many will remember that in Showa-era music programs, dedicated big bands performed as backing ensembles for singers.
This time, we’ve gathered a selection of masterpieces born from big band performances.
Many of these pieces are used in commercials and film scores, making this a collection that even beginners can enjoy!
- [Nostalgic Collection] Classic oldies masterpieces. Recommended popular songs
- [Wind Ensemble] Recommended Western pop songs for concerts: timeless classics from every era
- Recommended Latin Music | Introducing Stylish Masterpieces
- [2026] Iconic musical numbers: from the latest releases to timeless classics!
- Various ways to enjoy jazz: The appeal of the standard tune 'Autumn Leaves'
- Overseas ska: A roundup of must-know representative bands
- [Western Music] The World of Power Ballads: A Collection of Must-Listen Gems to Start With
- Benny Goodman Popular Song Rankings [2026]
- The appeal of large ensembles! Recommended masterpieces and popular songs of big bands
- Famous piano masterpieces in Western music. Recommended popular songs.
- [2026] Brazil’s National Music! A Collection of Iconic and Popular Samba Songs
- Carefully selected Japanese songs with a Latin flavor! Recommended J-POP brimming with exotic vibes
- [Classics] Famous waltzes: recommended popular pieces
The Appeal of Large Ensembles! Recommended and Popular Big Band Masterpieces (61–70)
Jump, Jive and WailLouis Prima
A song by Louis Prima, a singer and trumpeter who was popular in nightclubs during the 1930s and 1940s.
The version covered by the American band The Brian Setzer Orchestra in 1998 was used in a GAP commercial.
Scrapple From The ApplePeter Herboizheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass
“Scrapple From The Apple” is the A1 track on the jazz LP “Bigband Bebop,” released by Koala Records in 1984, and it is in a big band bop style.
Peter Herbolzheimer, born in 1935 in Bucharest, Romania, was a German jazz trombonist and conductor who formed a big band in Germany in 1969.
It has become one of Germany’s leading big bands.
Feeling Good (Joe Horrocks cover)Mighty Fraser Big Band
Feeling Good is a classic song by Nina Simone released in 1965, and it was also sung by Michael Bublé in 2005.
It is covered in a big band arrangement by Mighty Fraser, featuring Joe Horrocks as the jazz vocalist.
The Mighty Fraser Big Band is a big band based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Sugar BluesClyde McCoy
Originally produced by Clarence Williams in 1920, it was first recorded in 1922 by Leona Williams and her Dixie Band.
This version by Clyde McCoy was particularly popular and was used in Marilyn Monroe’s 1959 comedy film Some Like It Hot.
Cry Me A RiverGroover Big Band
This is a standard number written and composed in 1953 by American songwriter Arthur Hamilton, and released as a vocal performance by Julie London in 1955, becoming a major hit.
Since then, it has continued to be arranged and sung across various genres, including rock, jazz, and blues.
Addressed to a lover who once betrayed her but now seeks reconciliation, the song coolly pushes him away with the line, “Serves you right—cry me a river,” blaming him while occasionally revealing the lingering feelings she still can’t erase—an expression of a woman’s conflicted heart.
SpacetripJazz Bigband Graz
“Space Trip” is a track from the jazz album Urban Folktales, released by ACT in 2012, and it is in the big band style.
Jazz Bigband Graz (JBBG) is a big band founded in Graz, Austria, in 1998.
Chug de saudadeSap Big Band
Chega de saudade is a track included on the jazz album “No More Blues,” released in 2009 by Personality Records, featuring a Latin jazz/big band style.
Sap Big Band is a big band from Mannheim, Germany, that began its activities in 1996.