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!
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The appeal of large ensembles! Recommended and popular big band masterpieces (21–30)
Salt PeanutsDizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie, who, together with Charlie Parker, created the music known as bebop that brought the swing era—the heyday of big bands—to a close, also led a big band himself.
“Salt Peanuts” is also famous for performances from an anonymous session featuring him and Charlie Parker.
Atomic B.Tobias Becker Bigband
Atomic B is a track from the album Big Band, released by Neuklang in 2016.
Tobias Becker was born in 1978 and is from Duisburg, Germany.
He is the label owner of Platzhirsch Schallplatten and also leads a big band.
Body And SoulBob Florence
There are many big band leaders named Bob, and Bob Florence is one of the famous Bobs.
He was a highly experimental person who tried various things, such as arranging the big band in a symmetrical layout.
“Body and Soul” is a classic standard in jazz, not just for big bands.
Charles BridgeJazzrausch Bigband
Charles Bridge is a track included on Prague Calling, released in March 2017.
Jazzrausch Bigband is a big band from Munich, Germany, formed in 2014, with around 40 members.
Down By The RiversideOliver Nelson
Oliver Nelson, like Gil Evans, was a renowned modern jazz saxophonist and arranger known for his forward-thinking arrangements.
While his arrangements for small combos with three-horn lineups shine, he also left remarkable works for big band ensembles.
Days Of Wine And RosesWoody Herman
Black big bands such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie, and white big bands like Glenn Miller’s, had different musical styles, partly due to racial issues.
The first white big band to break down that barrier was Woody Herman’s band.
Nocturne in Eb major (Opus 9 #2)Peter Beets & Northern European Jazz Orchestra
Nocturne in E-flat major (Opus 9 No.
2) is a track included on the jazz album “Chopin Meets The Blues,” released by Criss Cross Jazz in 2010.
Peter Beets is a jazz pianist from The Hague, Netherlands.
The Northern European Jazz Orchestra is a Netherlands-based big band founded in 2011.
The conductor, Kurt Weiss, is an American trumpeter who has lived in the Netherlands since 2001; while touring throughout Europe, he also serves as the conductor of the West Coast Big Band.