{"id":50192,"date":"2024-12-05T18:58:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2d13fc28-1312-472c-b134-6d9525709c43"},"modified":"2024-12-05T20:10:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T19:10:40","slug":"best-jazz-band-leaders-11-ensemble-leaders-who-changed-the-sound-of-big-band-jazz","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-jazz-band-leaders-11-ensemble-leaders-who-changed-the-sound-of-big-band-jazz\/","title":{"rendered":"Best jazz band leaders: 11 ensemble leaders who changed the sound of big band jazz"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 05 December 2024 at 17:58 PM<\/p>

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Jazz has been shaped and defined by some of the most innovative and influential band leaders in music history. These artists not only pioneered new sounds and approaches but also led their ensembles to create groundbreaking music. Here\u2019s an introduction to some of the best jazz band leaders who made indelible marks on the genre.<\/p>

Best jazz band leaders ever<\/h2>

1. Count Basie<\/h3>
The Basie band took much of its character from the subtle way the Count\u2019s pithy, elliptical attack framed his shouting brass and saxophones<\/a><\/strong>. More crucially, Basie\u2019s touch set the tone for the band\u2019s rhythm section; the light, insistent pulse that generated the irresistible current of swing that lifted soloists and ensemble to heights of inspired excitement.<\/p>

When was the saxophone invented?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul>

Count Basie. Pic: Getty Images – Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
That excitement hit the big time beginning in 1936, when the Basie crew came east from Kansas City (KC). Their success was based on a simple formula of creating in an ensemble the spontaneity and fire of small-group jazz. The key was the band\u2019s line-up of great soloists, including tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans and trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry Edison.<\/p>

<\/div> <\/figure> <p>Original tunes, uncomplicated but driving, provided a jumping-off point for solos backed by riffs which seemed a corporate extension of the solos themselves. And underpinning the whole was Basie and his floating, insinuating rhythm.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-count-basie-best-recordings\">Count Basie: best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>April in Paris, King of Swing, Atomic Mr Basie & Basie Plays Joe Williams<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Avid AMSC946<\/p> <p><em><strong>Ken Burns Jazz<\/strong> <strong>Collection: the Definitive Count Basie<\/strong><\/em><br\/> Verve 549 0902<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B000050I3L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong><em>Chairman of the Board<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Roulette 581 6642<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00009AHLM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cab-calloway\">2. Cab Calloway<\/h3> <p>Cab Calloway was a true jazz master of the revels. His exuberant personality overshadowed his reputation as leader of one of the best swing-era bands. Through the 1930s and \u201940s, Calloway\u2019s orchestra accompanied his outrageous vocal displays and boasted an array of talent: tenorist Chu Berry, drummer Cozy Cole, bassist Milt Hinton and trumpeters Jonah Jones and bebop enfant terrible Dizzy Gillespie.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"892\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T151352.295.jpg\" alt=\"Cab Calloway\" class=\"wp-image-217015\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Pic: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images – Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>But to the public, Calloway was the whole show. Arriving in New York in 1929 as leader of one group, he was invited to jump ship to another, a timely move that brought him, and his new ensemble, stardom. In 1931, they opened at Harlem\u2019s Cotton Club, succeeded Duke Ellington as house band and began touring, boosting their following with recordings and films.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8mq4UT4VnbE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>He was the king of showmanship, captivating audiences with his hyperactive energy and gleaming appearance. He wore immaculate, white, silk outfits and, later, outlandish zoot suits, with jackets draped down to the knees and pipe-stem trousers, crowned by a wide-brimmed hat.<\/p> <p>We also named Cab Calloway one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-jazz-singers-ever\/\"><strong>best jazz singers of all time<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cab-calloway-best-recordings\">Cab Calloway best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>This is Hep<br\/><\/em><\/strong>Properbox 141 (4 discs)<\/p> <p><strong><em>Chu and Dizzy Years<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Hep HEPCD1079<\/p> <p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/george-gershwin\">George Gershwin<\/a> and Cab Calloway: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/porgy-and-bess-gershwins-opera\">Porgy and Bess<\/a><\/em><\/strong><br\/> Metronome 232679<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07L46DX3P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-duke-ellington\">3. Duke Ellington<\/h3> <p>Since jazz is usually celebrated as an improvisor\u2019s art, it may seem paradoxical that one of its major figures was a composer. Though Duke Ellington was a notable pianist, he declared, \u2018My band is my instrument,\u2019 and for over half a century he made it the medium of a peerless body of work.<\/p> <p>Ellington\u2019s lifelong companions were the members of his band \u2013 among them the gutbucket growls of trumpeters Bubber Miley and Cootie Williams, the arching sensuousness of altoist Johnny Hodges and the rumbling majesty of Harry Carney\u2019s baritone.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"796\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T151844.231.jpg\" alt=\"Duke Ellington\" class=\"wp-image-217016\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Duke Ellington. Pic: Michael Ochs via Getty Images – Michael Ochs via Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>As individual and sometimes contrary a set of virtuosos as ever shared a bandstand, he composed with these sounds and personalities in his head, writing specifically for them. And they provided the raw material for his astonishing originality in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-harmony-in-music\">harmony<\/a><\/strong> and orchestration.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Take The A Train (1962) [Official Video]\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D6mFGy4g_n8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>To many, Ellington may have been known for such lush popular hits as \u2018Sophisticated Lady\u2019, but his colleagues recognised an attainment of another order. As Miles Davis put it, \u2018Some day all the jazz musicians should get together in one place and go down on their knees and thank Duke.\u2019<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-duke-ellington-best-recordings\">Duke Ellington best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>Never No Lament \u2013 The Blanton-Webster Band<\/em><\/strong><br\/> RCA 508572 (3 discs)<\/p> <p><em><strong>Duke Ellington Ken Burns Jazz <\/strong><br\/><\/em>Sony 501 0342<\/p> <p><strong>Ellington at Newport: 1956<\/strong><br\/> Sony C2K64932 (2 discs)<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-benny-goodman\">4. Benny Goodman<\/h3> <p>First he was nicknamed the \u2018Rajah of Rhythm\u2019, but by the summer of 1937 it would be as the \u2018King of Swing\u2019 that Benny Goodman would be forever known. Shortly after that, he was invited to perform with his band at Carnegie Hall in New York \u2013 a groundbreaking occasion, the invitation to this high altar of classical music effectively marked the acceptance of jazz right across US society.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"631\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T152126.126.jpg\" alt=\"Benny Goodman\" class=\"wp-image-217017\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images – Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/history-of-the-clarinet-its-invention-evolution-and-famous-clarinet-makers\">clarinet<\/a><\/strong> was Goodman\u2019s instrument, and as a player he was as talented as he was versatile \u2013 classical composers who wrote works for him later in his career included the likes of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/aaron-copland\">Copland<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/bela-bartok\">Bart\u00f3k<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/francis-poulenc\">Poulenc<\/a><\/strong>. However, it was as one of the great jazz band leaders that he made his biggest mark on the music world.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\""SING, SING, SING" BY BENNY GOODMAN\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r2S1I_ien6A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Every bit as important as the Carnegie Hall performance was an earlier one, at the Palomar Ballroom, Los Angeles, in August 1935, that helped to usher in the era of swing which would hold the US in sway for the next decade. Whether with his big band, his <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-trio\">trio<\/a><\/strong>, quartet or sextet, a string of seminal records for RCA Victor and Columbia followed.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-benny-goodman-best-recordings\">Benny Goodman best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>Benny Goodman live at Carnegie Hall, 1938<br\/><\/em><\/strong>Avid AMBX151 (4 discs)<\/p> <p><strong><em>The Benny Goodman Story<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Capitol CDP8335692<\/p> <p><strong><em>Benny Goodman: The Essential Collection<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Avid AVC864 (2 discs)<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lionel-hampton\">5. Lionel Hampton<\/h3> <p>For Lionel Hampton, swing was the thing. All his life, he brought an unquenchable rhythmic dynamism to every musical setting \u2013 big band or combo, as vibraphonist, drummer, two-finger pianist, singer and leader. Joining Benny Goodman in 1936, he turned the elegant Goodman trio into an exuberant quartet. Hamp\u2019s vibes were a coruscating powerhouse, a kind of riffing machine hammering out licks which drove Goodman to inspired heights. The Hampton persona was irresistible, too \u2013 mallets flailing in sweaty abandon, spurring himself on with bleats of encouragement, the jazz musician possessed.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T155401.871.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Hampton\" class=\"wp-image-217021\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Lionel Hampton. Pic: Getty Images – Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Hampton was snapped up by RCA Victor, which gave him carte blanche to organise a series of small-group recording sessions in 1937-40. The result was a set of casually perfect classics, as the greatest stars of the swing era responded to his vitality.<\/p> <p>That blend of energy, precision and engagement set the tone for the success of the big band Hampton began to lead when he left Goodman in 1940, continuing to tour and record until not long before his death in 2002. His first hit, \u2018Flying Home\u2019 from 1942, established its style \u2013 a potent extended tenor solo, screaming trumpets, Hamp\u2019s throbbing vibes and a focused, churning swing.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"1942 HITS ARCHIVE: Flying Home - Lionel Hampton (1942 Decca version)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Lbh8RUfAkA0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lionel-hampton-best-recordings\">Lionel Hampton best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>The Lionel Hampton Story<br\/><\/em><\/strong>Properbox 12 (4 discs)<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <p><strong><em>Air Mail Special<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Metronome 223999<\/p> <p><strong><em>Lionel Hampton: Live at the Blue Note<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Telarc CD83313<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More of the best jazz band leaders of all time<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-woody-herman\">6. Woody Herman<\/h3> <p>Some jazz lovers are sniffy about big bands. Aside from Ellington and Basie, they doubt that regimented sections playing prescribed parts can deliver jazz\u2019s spur-of-the-moment spirit, its famous \u2018sound of surprise\u2019. Which may account for a certain condescension towards Woody Herman. Big bands were his life: for over 50 years he propounded the excitement of orchestral jazz, touring until his death in 1987. To the legions of musicians who revered his commitment and high standards, he was known as \u2018Road Father\u2019.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"629\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T170833.362.jpg\" alt=\"Woody Herman\" class=\"wp-image-217025\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Woody Herman with pianist Fred Otis. Photo by Gene Lester\/Getty Images – Gene Lester\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Clarinettist, saxophonist and singer, Herman led from the front. But his crucial role was as enabler, inspiring players and writers to energy and daring, with the results which leap out of the four-CD Properbox set The Woody Herman Story. Though Herman\u2019s 1930s group, The Band That Plays The Blues, won admiration, it was his First Herd, roaring into life in 1944, that catapulted him to greatness.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Flying Home - Woody Herman's First Herd (1944)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ECuxFC1Vn6A?list=PLyHn3f7-9IUJ_0SH94aXMxtJOPnKfmIMa\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Bursting with talent and reflecting the youthful optimism of Amercica at the end of World War\u202fII, this extraordinary ensemble seemed to project total euphoria. Musically, it was on the cusp of bebop, but its credo was swing to the max. Its rampant trumpet section \u2013 whose average age was 22 \u2013 set the tone, tossing off blinding feats of range and facility which they had apparently thought up on the spot.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-woody-herman-best-recordings\">Woody Herman best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>The Woody Herman Story<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Properbox 15 (4 discs)<\/p> <p><strong><em>That’s Where It Is<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY 845<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B004NIZITI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-earl-hines\">7. Earl Hines<\/h3> <p>A few years ago a correspondent to Radio 3\u2019s Jazz Record Requests described Earl Hines as \u2018underplayed, largely unavailable and probably underestimated\u2019. It\u2019s a fair summary of a situation that, in the 1930s, would have been unthinkable.<br\/> Then, Hines was riding high, the king of the keyboard, a byword for invention, technique, daring and dazzlement \u2013 the man who turned piano playing into a kind of Olympic event, inspiring a whole generation.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"458\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T171340.003.jpg\" alt=\"Earl Hines\" class=\"wp-image-217026\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Earl Hines. Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns\/Getty Images – David Redfern\/Redferns\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>A groundbreaking series of recordings, both solo and with his fellow trailblazer, Louis Armstrong, catapulted him to fame in the \u201920s. Through the \u201930s and \u201940s, Hines led a big band, which, in its latter days, included such bebop pioneers as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1948, he joined forces with Armstrong again, as a member of Louis\u2019s All-Stars, and then in the \u201950s he went off on his own.<\/p> <p>Musical fashion restricted Hines to the well-trodden paths of Dixieland, and by 1960, he was thinking of retiring. But in 1964, a sensational set of solo concerts in New York put him back on top, where he stayed, playing with authority until his death in 1983, short of his 80th birthday.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-earl-hines-best-recordings\">Earl Hines best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>The Earl: Recordings 1928-41<br\/><\/em><\/strong>Naxos Jazz Legends 8.120581<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00005QIS6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Buy from Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong><em>Earl Hines plays Duke Ellington<br\/><\/em><\/strong>New World 803612 Vol. I (2 discs)<\/p> <p><strong><em>Earl Hines Classic Trio Sessions<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Lone Hill Jazz LHJ 10329<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0018BF2ZI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-louis-jordan\">8. Louis Jordan<\/h3> <p>Rhythm-and-blues (R&B) is jazz\u2019s cheeky, party-time younger brother. It evolved as a distinct genre in the late 1930s and \u201940s, created by small jump bands whose free-wheeling energy contrasted with the grandiosity of the big swing orchestras.<\/p> <p>Though the catchy R&B formula can claim varied ancestry, a major impetus came from the irrepressible Louis Jordan. Born in 1908, the saxist-singer learned his trade with his father\u2019s Arkansas minstrel show, instilling a life-long instinct for entertainment. In New York, his personality made an impact with Chick Webb\u2019s band. Too much, in fact: Webb sacked Jordan in 1938 for upstaging him and trying to poach his stars.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"554\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T171756.395.jpg\" alt=\"Louis Jordan\" class=\"wp-image-217029\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Louis Jordan (centre) with his band, the Tympany Five. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images – Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Ever the showman, Jordan decided that his group\u2019s feature would be a set of kettledrums; and thus was born his Tympany Five. Though the timps soon departed, their name and eccentric spelling remained, signifying a potent, highly polished, infectious brand of musical entertainment that took large sections of the US by storm.<\/p> <p>In the years during and after World War II, he won popularity with a stream of recordings that revelled in a lithe, pulsating groove which demanded that you dance, with slick, pithy arrangements, and a repertoire of good-time tunes tailor\u2011made for his vocals.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Aint Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Louis Jordan & his Tympany Five (Live video 1974)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KUNQl5sanHM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Louis Jordan best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five<\/em><\/strong><br\/> JSP JSPCD905 (5 discs)<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00005KFUG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy <em>Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five<\/em> on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong><em>Louis Jordan: Jack, You\u2019re Dead<\/em><\/strong><br\/> SPVBlue SPV49432<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-glenn-miller\">9. Glenn Miller<\/h3> <p>On 15 December 1944, Glenn Miller\u2019s single-engined UC-64 Norseman aircraft disappeared over the English Channel on a flight from Bedford to Paris, bringing his life to an end at the age of 40 years old. The Iowa-born Miller, a trombonist, composer, arranger and, above all, leader of arguably the best known big band in the world, was at the peak of his career at the time.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"945\" height=\"735\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T172433.829.jpg\" alt=\"Glenn Miller\" class=\"wp-image-217030\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Glenn Miller. Photo by GAB Archive\/Redferns – GAB Archive\/Redferns <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Founded in 1938, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra achieved their distinctive sound by having the clarinet and a saxophone double up on the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melody<\/a><\/strong>, supported by three further saxes playing in harmony. Over the next six years, they released 266 recordings, many reaching No. 1 in the US charts, including \u2018In the mood\u2019, \u2018Tuxedo Junction\u2019 and, perhaps most famously of all, \u2018Chattanooga Choo Choo\u2019. In 1942, Miller signed up for military service and was eventually transferred to Army Airforces, but continued to make music as the founder of the Army Air Force Band.<\/p> <p>Though some critics thought some of his performances gimmicky and his Orchestra\u2019s sound a little too polished, he enjoyed a popularity that was second to none.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Best Of Glenn Miller & His Orchestra | Moonlight Serenade\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MUKHd2OlFVI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-maria-schneider\">10. Maria Schneider<\/h3> <p>In 2005, a rare London concert by Maria Schneider attracted an audience so packed with top-flight jazz professionals that a cataclysm would have decimated the British scene. But it was no more than fitting for a musician hailed in America as \u2018the most significant big-band jazz composer of our time\u2019.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T172657.817.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Schneider\" class=\"wp-image-217031\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Maria Schneider. Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns – David Redfern\/Redferns <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>The \u2018big band\u2019 label hardly does justice to Schneider\u2019s output. Arriving in New York in 1985 from university, the 25-year-old Minnesotan worked with two great mentors \u2013 Bob Brookmeyer, from whom she absorbed a sense of shape and structure, and Gil Evans, who enhanced her sensitivity to colour and texture. But her ears and inspiration are her own, enabling her, as she says, to develop a \u2018way of making a big band sound like an orchestra\u2019.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Maria Schneider Orchestra Jazz a Vienne 2008 Hang Gliding 12\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IEJebihIJt0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Chief among the Schneider hallmarks is a gift for sonorities that are rich and transparent, with a piquancy that comes from unexpected voicings, using brass and reeds in combinations that make them sound altogether new. They\u2019re the perfect setting for her soaring melodies and harmonies, quickened by a rhythmic feeling which links momentum and metrical subtlety.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-maria-schneider-best-recordings\">Maria Schneider best recordings<\/h4> <p><strong><em>Sky Blue<\/em><\/strong><br\/> ArtistShare AS0065<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B000UD1VLO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy <em>Sky Blue<\/em> from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong><em>Evanescence<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Enja ENJ 80482<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B000005CAK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy <em>Evanescence<\/em> from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong><em>Coming About<\/em><\/strong><br\/> Enja ENJ 90692<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B000005CC5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Buy <em>Coming About<\/em> from Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sun-ra\">11. Sun Ra<\/h3> <p>Despite his cosmic claims, Sun Ra was born plain Herman Blount in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1914, to an African-American family of modest means. He quickly displayed remarkable musical and intellectual gifts, and by the age of 20 he was leading his own band. Not long after, he had a vision of his extraterrestrial origins, later compounded with a fascination for ancient Egypt as the source of Afro-European culture.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/12\/Untitled-design-2024-12-05T173032.603.jpg\" alt=\"Sun Ra\" class=\"wp-image-217032\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Sun Ra. Photo by Andrew Putler\/Redferns – Andrew Putler\/Redferns <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>In 1952, he proclaimed his true roots by changing his name to Le Sony\u2019r Ra and formed his own Space Trio, the core of his first Arkestra. Musicians were drawn to him by his charisma, at once down home and far out, stretching their minds and talents. An Arkestra gig was meant to be a brilliant extravaganza, bringing together music, poetry, theatre and dance. Garbed in gorgeous robes, spangled headdresses, masks and gaudy plumage, the band delivered Ra compositions that celebrated space and time, peace and hope, and joyous energy.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SUN RA \/ Space Is The Place\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dokLwszdUgY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Over the years, until his death in 1993, Sun Ra pioneered techniques from electronics to collective improvisation. At the same time, blues and swing are never far away, as you can hear on his most accessible album, Jazz in Silhouette. Recorded in 1958, it includes mystic visions, subtle lines and colours, non-stop grooves and exhilarating solos. And we share the whole experience, since, in Sun Ra\u2019s words, \u2018You\u2019re all just instruments, in this vast Arkestra called life\u2019.<\/p> <p\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Thursday, 05 December 2024 at 17:58 PM Jazz has been shaped and defined by some of the most innovative and influential band leaders in music history. These artists not only pioneered new sounds and approaches but also led their ensembles to create groundbreaking music. 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These artists not only pioneered new sounds and approaches but also led their ensembles to create groundbreaking music. Here\u2019s an introduction to some of the best jazz…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/50192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}