80-564: Leslie Thompson Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American musician, composer and conductor. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands , he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica and scored over 250 radio, television and motion pictures numbers. Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory of Music before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College . From 1943 on he played tenor and baritone saxophone for
160-439: A clarinet and trombone in a call-response pattern. The rhythm section consisted of a sousaphone and drums , and sometimes a banjo . By the early 1920s guitars and pianos sometimes substituted for the banjo and a string bass sometimes substituted for the sousaphone. Use of the string bass opened possibilities for 4/4 instead of 2/4 time at faster tempos , which increased rhythmic freedom. The Chicago style released
240-510: A chorus or narrator. In late 16th century Florence , attempts to revive ancient Greek drama, with sung vocal contributions, developed into the modern genre of opera . Folk theatre has always deployed dance music and song. In the 16th and 17th centuries, theatre music was performed during the action of plays and as afterpieces. Christopher Wilson , discussing Shakespeare's use of music, lists "stage music" (fanfares to introduce important characters or accompany battle scenes), "magic music" (as in
320-515: A collection of young, forward-looking musicians who were at the core of the bebop movement and would in the following year be in the Billy Eckstine Orchestra , the first big band to showcase bebop. As the swing era went into decline, it secured legacies in vocalist-centered popular music, "progressive" big band jazz, R&B, and bebop. The trend away from big-band swing was accelerated by wartime conditions and royalty conflicts. In 1941
400-523: A dance music promoter and agent, Goldkette also helped organize and promote McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Glen Gray 's Orange Blossoms (later the Casa Loma Orchestra ), two other Detroit-area bands that were influential in the early swing era. As the 1920s turned to the 1930s, the new concepts in rhythm and ensemble playing that comprised the swing style were transforming the sounds of large and small bands. Starting in 1928, The Earl Hines Orchestra
480-586: A featured soloist or vocalist. Some bands used string or vocal sections, or both. Swing-era repertoire included the Great American Songbook of Tin Pan Alley standards, band originals, traditional jazz tunes such as the " King Porter Stomp ", with which the Goodman orchestra had a smash hit, and blues . Hot swing music is strongly associated with the jitterbug dancing that became a national craze accompanying
560-405: A list of top recording artists from the previous year was publicly released. The list revealed that big band sales had decreased since the early 1950s. However, big band music saw a revival in the 1950s and 1960s. One impetus was the demand for studio and stage orchestras as backups for popular vocalists, and in radio and television broadcasts. Ability to adapt performing styles to various situations
640-637: A minor hit in 1967 with their song " The River Is Wide " which implemented the Wall of Sound technique originally developed by Phil Spector . He worked in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows. Baxter worked in films in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked on movie scores for B-movie studio American International Pictures where he composed scores for Roger Corman 's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror and beach party films including House of Usher , The Pit and
720-437: A more conservative approach to rhythm based on 2/4 time signatures . Meanwhile, string bass players such as Walter Page were developing their technique to the point where they could hold down the bottom end of a full-sized dance orchestra. The growth of radio broadcasting and the recording industry in the 1920s allowed some of the more popular dance bands to gain national exposure. The most popular style of dance orchestra
800-459: A nod to the hot side by hiring jazz trumpeter and Goodman alumnus Bunny Berigan , then hiring Jimmie Lunceford 's arranger Sy Oliver to spice up his catalog in 1939. New York became a touchstone for national success of big bands, with nationally broadcast engagements at the Roseland and Savoy ballrooms a sign that a swing band had arrived on the national scene. With its Savoy engagement in 1937,
880-447: A revival in swing dancing. In 2001 Robbie Williams 's album Swing When You're Winning consisted mainly of popular swing covers. The album sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. In November 2013, Robbie Williams released Swings Both Ways . Another modern development consists of fusing swing (original, or remixes of classics) with hip hop and house techniques. "Swing house" is a sub genre of swing that has been influenced by
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#1733085099767960-414: A similar impact on his instrument as Armstrong had on trumpet. Hines' melodic, horn -like conception of playing deviated from the contemporary conventions in jazz piano centered on building rhythmic patterns around "pivot notes". His approaches to rhythm and phrasing were also free and daring, exploring ideas that would define swing playing. His approach to rhythm often used accents on the lead-in instead of
1040-568: A strong groove or drive. Musicians of the swing era include Duke Ellington , Benny Goodman , Count Basie , Cab Calloway , Benny Carter , Jimmy Dorsey , Tommy Dorsey , Woody Herman , Earl Hines , Bunny Berigan , Harry James , Lionel Hampton , Glenn Miller , Artie Shaw , Jimmie Lunceford , and Django Reinhardt . Swing has its roots in 1920s dance music ensembles , which began using new styles of written arrangements, incorporating rhythmic innovations pioneered by Louis Armstrong , Coleman Hawkins , Benny Carter and other jazzmen. During
1120-455: A strong, anchoring rhythm section in support of more loosely-tied woodwind and brass sections playing call-response to each other. The level of improvisation that the audience might expect varied with the arrangement, song, band, and band-leader. Typically included in big band swing arrangements were an introductory chorus that stated the theme, choruses arranged for soloists, and climactic out-choruses. Some arrangements were built entirely around
1200-651: A swing structure. Artists like Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel have continued the swing elements of country music. Asleep at the Wheel has also recorded the Count Basie tunes " One O'Clock Jump ", " Jumpin' at the Woodside ", and "Song of the Wanderer" using a steel guitar as a stand-in for a horn section. Nat King Cole followed Sinatra into pop music, bringing with him a similar combination of swing and ballads. Like Mullican, he
1280-582: Is no brass or percussion; guitars and bass form the backbone, with violin, accordion, clarinet or guitar taking the lead. Gypsy swing groups generally have no more than five players. Although they originated in different continents, similarities have often been noted between gypsy swing and Western swing]l, leading to various fusions. Rock music hitmakers like Fats Domino and Elvis Presley included swing-era standards in their repertoire, making crooning ballads " Are You Lonesome Tonight " and " My Blue Heaven " into rock and roll-era hits. The doo-wop vocal group
1360-517: Is not a musical form" (no comment on Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, or Count Basie). The Dixieland revival started in the late 1930s as a self-conscious re-creation of New Orleans jazz in reaction against the orchestrated style of big band swing. Some swing bandleaders saw opportunities in the Dixieland revival. Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven and Bob Crosby's Bobcats were examples of Dixieland ensembles within big swing bands. Between
1440-478: Is remembered for a version of " Sinner Man " (1956), definitively setting the sound with varying tempos, orchestral flourishes, and wailing background vocals. "Unchained Melody" was the first million seller for Baxter and was awarded a gold disc . "The Poor People of Paris" also sold over one million copies. He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage , Festival Of The Gnomes , Ports Of Pleasure , and Brazil Now ,
1520-468: Is used to accompany the action or to separate the scenes of a play. The physical embodiment of the music is called a score , which includes the music and, if there are lyrics, it also shows the lyrics. Since the earliest days of the theatre, music has played an important part in stage drama. In Greek drama in the fifth century BC, choric odes were written to be chanted and danced between the spoken sections of both tragedies and comedies. Only fragments of
1600-842: The Cab Calloway Orchestra and the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. Also in New York, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra featured the new style at the Roseland Ballroom and the swing powerhouse Chick Webb Orchestra started its extended stay at the Savoy Ballroom in 1931. Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra showcased the riff -propelled, solo-oriented form of swing that had been developing in
1680-576: The Count Basie Orchestra brought the riff-and-solo oriented Kansas City style of swing to national attention. The Basie orchestra collectively and individually would influence later styles that would give rise to the smaller "jump" bands and bebop . The Chick Webb Orchestra remained closely identified with the Savoy Ballroom, having originated the tune " Stompin' at the Savoy ", and became feared in
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#17330850997671760-526: The Freddie Slack big band. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé 's Mel-Tones , singing on Artie Shaw records such as " What Is This Thing Called Love? " Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and conducted the orchestra in two early Nat King Cole hits, " Mona Lisa " and " Too Young ". He also recorded Yma Sumac 's first album: "Voice of
1840-525: The Los Angeles Philharmonic and guest conduct at the Hollywood Bowl . Nelson Riddle held a grudge against Baxter for supposedly taking credit for Riddle's arrangements on two Nat King Cole hit recordings. According to André Previn , when collaborating once with Baxter, in the time Previn and Riddle had finished their parts, Baxter had written just one bar for woodwinds and included a note for
1920-410: The "easy listening" genre. Big band jazz made a comeback as well. The Stan Kenton and Woody Herman bands maintained their popularity during lean years of the late 1940s and beyond, making their mark with innovative arrangements and high-level jazz soloists ( Shorty Rogers , Art Pepper , Kai Winding , Stan Getz , Al Cohn , Zoot Sims , Serge Chaloff , Gene Ammons , Sal Nistico ). Lionel Hampton
2000-472: The "less swinging" vocal pop music of this period. The bands in these contexts performed in relative anonymity, receiving secondary credit beneath the top billing. Some, such as the Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins Orchestras, became well known in their own right, with Riddle particularly associated with the success of Sinatra and Cole. Swingin' pop remained popular into the mid-1960s, becoming one current of
2080-434: The 1920s both contributed to the development of the 1930s swing style. Starting in 1923, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra featured innovative arrangements by Don Redman that featured call-response interplay between brass and reed sections, and interludes arranged to back up soloists. The arrangements also had a smoother rhythmic sense than the ragtime -influenced arrangements that were the more typical "hot" dance music of
2160-476: The 1950s–60s revival include those led by Thad Jones , Mel Lewis , Quincy Jones , and Oliver Nelson . Big band jazz remains a major component of college jazz instruction curricula. In country music Jimmie Rodgers , Moon Mullican , and Bob Wills combined elements of swing and blues to create a Western swing . Mullican left the Cliff Bruner band to pursue solo career that included many songs that maintained
2240-427: The 1960s and beyond, with both veteran leaders receiving high acclaim for their contemporary work and performing until they were physically unable. Drummer Buddy Rich , after briefly leading one big band during the late 1940s and performing in various jazz and big band gigs, formed his definitive big band in 1966. His name became synonymous with the dynamic, exuberant style of his big band. Other big jazz bands that drove
2320-433: The 1970s into the 1980s. The tours featured bandleaders and vocalists of the swing era who were semi-retired, such as Harry James and vocalist Dick Haymes. Historically-themed radio broadcasts featuring period comedy, melodrama, and music also played a role in sustaining interest in the music of the swing era. Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks , and later David Grisman , presented adaptations of Gypsy Swing, rekindling interest in
2400-522: The 1980s, he scored music for theme parks such as SeaWorld . Baxter died in Newport Beach, California at the age of 73. He was buried at Pacific View Memorial Park, in Corona del Mar , California. According to Milt Bernhart , Nelson Riddle was a ghostwriter for Baxter when Baxter was working for Nat King Cole, although while Baxter was working and was credited as a conductor for Nat King Cole, he never
2480-477: The American Society of Composers and Producers ( ASCAP ) demanded bigger royalties from broadcasters and the broadcasters refused. Consequently, ASCAP banned the large repertoire they controlled from airplay, severely restricting what the radio audience could hear. ASCAP also demanded pre-approval of set lists and even written solos for live broadcasts, to assure that not even a quoted fragment of ASCAP repertoire
Les Baxter - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-468: The Henderson band with being an early influence when he was developing the sound for his own band. In 1925 Armstrong left the Henderson band and would add his innovations to New Orleans style jazz to develop Chicago style jazz, another step towards swing. Traditional New Orleans style jazz was based on a two- beat meter and contrapuntal improvisation led by a trumpet or cornet , typically followed by
2640-509: The Marcels had a big hit with their lively version of the swing-era ballad " Blue Moon ". Multi-genre mandolinist Jethro Burns is widely known for playing Swing, Jazz, and many other forms of the genre on the mandolin. He has produced many albums that feature Jazz rhythms and swing chord progressions. He is often considered "The Father of Jazz Mandolin". Though swing music was no longer mainstream, fans could attend "Big Band Nostalgia" tours from
2720-686: The New Deal Rhythm Band in 1978 for her long career with Manhattan Transfer. Founding leader of the New Deal Rhythm Band John Holte led swing revival bands in the Seattle area until 2003. A Swing revival occurred during the 1990s and 2000s led by Royal Crown Revue , Big Bad Voodoo Daddy , The Cherry Poppin' Daddies , Squirrel Nut Zippers , Lavay Smith , and Brian Setzer . Many of the bands played neo-swing which combined swing with rockabilly , ska , and rock. The music brought
2800-570: The Palomar engagement starting on 21 August 1935, audiences of young white dancers favored Goodman's rhythm and daring arrangements. The sudden success of the Goodman orchestra transformed the landscape of popular music in America. Goodman's success with "hot" swing brought forth imitators and enthusiasts of the new style throughout the world of dance bands, which launched the "swing era" that lasted until 1946. A typical song played in swing style would feature
2880-537: The Pendulum , The Raven , Muscle Beach Party and Beach Blanket Bingo . He also composed a new score for the theatrical release of the 1970 horror film Cry of the Banshee after AIP rejected Wilfred Josephs 's original one. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $ 5,000. When soundtrack work fell off in
2960-893: The Savoy's Battles of the Bands. It humiliated Goodman's band, and had memorable encounters with the Ellington and Basie bands. The Goodman band's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert turned into a summit of swing, with guests from the Basie and Ellington bands invited for a jam session after the Goodman band's performance. Coleman Hawkins arrived back from an extended stay in Europe to New York in 1939, recorded his famous version of " Body and Soul ", and fronted his own big band. 1940 saw top-flight musicians such as Charlie Parker , Dizzy Gillespie , Don Byas , Charlie Christian , and Gene Ramey , whose careers in swing had brought them to New York, beginning to coalesce and develop
3040-616: The University of Arizona, show a significant number of arrangements in his own hand. Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd. All released under Capitol Records: With various artists : The Forum : 101 Strings : Swing band Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from
3120-518: The World War II era, swing began to decline in popularity, and after war, bebop and jump blues gained popularity. Swing blended with other genres to create new musical styles. In country music , artists such as Jimmie Rodgers , Moon Mullican , Milton Brown and Bob Wills introduced elements of swing along with blues to create a genre called " western swing ". Famous roma guitarist Django Reinhardt created gypsy swing music and composed
3200-517: The Xtabay", which can be considered one of the first recordings of exotica . In 1951 he made the original recording of " Quiet Village " which years later became a hit for Martin Denny . In 1953 he scored his first movie, the sailing travelogue Tanga Tika . With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including " Ruby " (1953), " Unchained Melody " (1955), and " The Poor People of Paris " (1956), and
3280-460: The ban. These labels had limited distribution centered in large urban markets, which tended to limit the size of the ensembles with which recording could be a money-making proposition. Another blow fell on the market for dance-oriented swing in 1944 when the federal government levied a 30% excise tax on "dancing" nightclubs, undercutting the market for dance music in smaller venues. Swing bands and sales continued to decline from 1953 to 1954. In 1955,
Les Baxter - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-525: The criticisms were the result of "sour grapes" by people who held a grudge against Baxter for one reason or another. Skip Heller spent time working for and studying under Baxter where he witnessed various score sheets of original Baxter compositions, including Yma Sumac 's "Xtabay" and "Tumpa". According to Heller, they were all in Baxter's own handwriting. Furthermore, the Les Baxter papers, which are housed at
3440-526: The day including Bix Beiderbecke , Jimmy Dorsey , Frank Trumbauer , Pee Wee Russell , Eddie Lang , and Joe Venuti . The Victor Recording Orchestra won the respect of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in a Battle of the Bands; Henderson's cornetist Rex Stewart credited the Goldkette band with being the most influential white band in the development of swing music before Benny Goodman's. As
3520-454: The day. In 1924 Louis Armstrong joined the Henderson band, lending impetus to an even greater emphasis on soloists. The Henderson band also featured Coleman Hawkins , Benny Carter , and Buster Bailey as soloists, who all were influential in the development of swing era instrumental styles. During the Henderson band's extended residency at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, it became influential on other big bands. Duke Ellington credited
3600-477: The early 1930s came the financial difficulties of the Great Depression that curtailed recording of the new music and drove some bands out of business, including the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1934. Henderson's next business was selling arrangements to up-and-coming bandleader Benny Goodman . At this time, "Sweet" dance music remained most popular with white audiences and
3680-408: The first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman 's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer . In the 1960s, he formed Les Baxter's Balladeers , a conservative folk group in suits that at one time featured a young David Crosby . Later he used some of the same singers from that group for a studio project called The Forum . They had
3760-405: The gypsy swing standard "Minor Swing". In the late 1980s to early 1990s, new urban -styled swing-beat emerged called new jack swing (New York go-go), created by young producer Teddy Riley . In the late 1990s and into the 2000s, there was a swing revival , led by Squirrel Nut Zippers , Brian Setzer orchestra and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy . Developments in dance orchestra and jazz music during
3840-622: The hothouse of Kansas City. Emblematic of the evolving music was the change in the name of Moten's signature tune, from "Moten Stomp" to " Moten Swing ". Moten's orchestra had a highly successful tour in late 1932. Audiences raved about the new music, and at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the doors were let open to the public who crammed into the theatre to hear the new sound, demanding seven encores from Moten's orchestra. With
3920-519: The ideas that would become bebop . The early 1940s saw emerging trends in popular music and jazz that would, once they had run their course, result in the end of the swing era. Vocalists were becoming the star attractions of the big bands. Vocalist Ella Fitzgerald , after joining the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1936, propelled the band to great popularity and the band continued under her name after Webb's death in 1939. In 1940 vocalist Vaughn Monroe
4000-501: The likes of Louis Jordan and Louis Prima. Electro swing is mainly popular in Europe, and electro swing artists incorporate influences such as tango and Django Reinhardt's gypsy swing. Leading artists include Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar , who became popular in the late 2010s. Musically, Electro Swing is a misnomer as it usually samples music from the earlier Charleston Era of the 1920s and doesn't actually swing . Both genres of swing house and electro swing have been connected with
4080-564: The lullaby in A Midsummer Night's Dream ), "character music" (as in Twelfth Night , illustrating the high, low, sad or merry natures of the characters) and "atmospheric music" (such as Ariel's "Where the bee sucks", in The Tempest ). By the early 18th century, music was firmly established as part of practically all theatrical performances in Europe, whether of opera, dance, or spoken drama. Theatres were built with orchestra pits , and music
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#17330850997674160-414: The main beat, and mixed meters , to build a sense of anticipation to the rhythm and make his playing swing. He also used "stops" or musical silences to build tension in his phrasing. Hines' style was a seminal influence on the styles of swing-era pianists Teddy Wilson , Art Tatum , Jess Stacy , Nat "King" Cole , Erroll Garner , Mary Lou Williams , and Jay McShann . Black territory dance bands in
4240-453: The mid-1930s. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946, known as the swing era , when people were dancing the Lindy Hop . The verb "to swing " is also used as a term of praise for playing that has
4320-592: The military draft. In July 1942 the American Federation of Musicians called a ban on recording until record labels agreed to pay royalties to musicians. That stopped recording of instrumental music for major labels for over a year, with the last labels agreeing to new contract terms in November 1944. In the meantime, vocalists continued to record backed by vocal groups and the recording industry released earlier swing recordings from their vaults, increasingly reflecting
4400-480: The more commercial big bands catered to more "sweet" sensibilities with string sections. Some bandleaders such as John Kirby , Raymond Scott , and Claude Thornhill were fusing swing with classical repertoire. Lower manpower requirements and simplicity favored the rise of small band swing. The Savoy Sultans and other smaller bands led by Louis Jordan , Lucky Millinder , Louis Prima , and Tony Pastor were showcasing an exuberant "jump swing" style that would lead to
4480-503: The music have survived. Attempts to recreate the form for revivals from the Renaissance to modern times have branched in several directions. Composers from Andrea Gabrieli to Mendelssohn to Vaughan Williams have composed chorus music for productions of plays by Sophocles , Aristophanes and others. Playwrights including Racine , Yeats and Brecht wrote original plays in styles derived from ancient drama, with sung commentaries by
4560-504: The musical form. Other swing revivals occurred during the 1970s. The jazz, R&B, and swing revival vocal group Manhattan Transfer and Bette Midler included swing era hits on albums during the early 1970s. In Seattle the New Deal Rhythm Band and the Horns O Plenty Orchestra revived 1930s swing with a dose of comedy behind vocalists Phil "De Basket" Shallat, Cheryl "Benzene" Bentyne , and six-foot-tall "Little Janie" Lambert. Bentyne would leave
4640-416: The oboe that does not exist on the instrument. Gene Lees states that the exotica albums were written by Albert Harris and the material recorded with Yma Sumac was written by Pete Rugolo . According to Rugolo, he was paid $ 50 per arrangement to ghost for Les Baxter and that he "did a whole album with Yma Sumac". In a 1981 interview with Soundtrack magazine, Baxter said that these sorts of statements were
4720-584: The poles of hot and sweet, middlebrow interpretations of swing led to great commercial success for bands such as those led by Artie Shaw , Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey . Miller's trademark clarinet-led reed section was decidedly "sweet", but the Miller catalog had no shortage of bouncy, medium-tempo dance tunes and some up-tempo tunes such as Mission to Moscow and the Lionel Hampton composition " Flying Home ". "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" Tommy Dorsey made
4800-463: The popularity of big band vocalists. In 1943 Columbia Records re-released the 1939 recording of " All or Nothing at All " by the Harry James Orchestra with Frank Sinatra , giving Sinatra top billing ("Acc. Harry James and his Orchestra"). The recording found the commercial success that had eluded its original release. Small band swing was recorded for small specialty labels not affected by
4880-407: The postwar rise of R&B . In a 1939 Downbeat interview, Duke Ellington expressed dissatisfaction with the creative state of swing music; within a few years he and other bandleaders would be delving into more ambitious, and less danceable, forms of orchestral jazz and the creative forefront for soloists would be moving into smaller ensembles and bebop . The Earl Hines Orchestra in 1943 featured
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#17330850997674960-404: The rambunctiousness of swing music. Swing was sometimes regarded as light entertainment, more of an industry to sell records to the masses than a form of art, among fans of both jazz and "serious" music. Some jazz critics such as Hugues Panassié held the polyphonic improvisation of New Orleans jazz to be the pure form of jazz, with swing a form corrupted by regimentation and commercialism. Panassié
5040-416: The results of a smear campaign by a disgruntled orchestrator. According to Baxter, this resulted in Baxter being denied the chance to score for a major motion picture. The job went instead to Baxter's friend Bronisław Kaper . Baxter said that he would give his compositions to orchestrators to arrange in order to cope with his hectic schedule. Baxter's frequent conductor and orchestrator Hall Daniels also said
5120-478: The revival of swing dances, such as the Lindy hop . Theatre music Theatre music refers to a wide range of music composed or adapted for performance in theatres. Genres of theatre music include opera , ballet and several forms of musical theatre , from pantomime to operetta and modern stage musicals and revues . Another form of theatre music is incidental music , which, as in radio, film and television,
5200-498: The soloist from the constraints of contrapuntal improvisation with other front-line instruments, lending greater freedom in creating melodic lines . Louis Armstrong used the additional freedom of the new format with 4/4 time, accenting the second and fourth beats and anticipating the main beats with lead-in notes in his solos to create a sense of rhythmic pulse that happened between the beats as well as on them, i.e. swing . In 1927 Armstrong worked with pianist Earl Hines , who had
5280-423: The southwest were developing dynamic styles that often went in the direction of blues-based simplicity, using riffs in a call-response pattern to build a strong, danceable rhythm and provide a musical platform for extended solos. The rhythm-heavy tunes for dancing were called "stomps". The requirement for volume led to continued use of the sousaphone over the string bass with the larger ensembles, which dictated
5360-487: The swing craze. Swing dancing originated in the late 1920s as the " Lindy Hop ", and would later incorporate other styles including The Suzie Q , Truckin', Peckin' Jive , The Big Apple , and The Shag in various combinations of moves. A subculture of jitterbuggers, sometimes growing quite competitive, congregated around ballrooms that featured hot swing music. A dance floor full of jitterbuggers had cinematic appeal; they were sometimes featured in newsreels and movies. Some of
5440-651: The top jitterbuggers gathered in professional dance troupes such as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers (featured in A Day At the Races , Everybody Dance , and Hellzapoppin' ). Swing dancing would outlive the swing era, becoming associated with R&B and early Rock&Roll . As with many new popular musical styles, swing met with some resistance because of its improvisation, tempo, occasionally risqué lyrics, and frenetic dancing . Audiences used to traditional "sweet" arrangements, such as those offered by Guy Lombardo , Sammy Kaye , Kay Kyser and Shep Fields , were taken aback by
5520-533: Was a leader in the R&;B genre during the late 1940s then re-entered big band jazz in the early 1950s, remaining a popular attraction through the 1960s. Count Basie and Duke Ellington had both downsized their big bands during the first half of the 1950s, then reconstituted them by 1956. Ellington's venture back into big band jazz was encouraged by its reception at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival . The Basie and Ellington bands flourished creatively and commercially through
5600-482: Was also an advocate of the theory that jazz was a primal expression of the black American experience and that white musicians, or black musicians who became interested in more sophisticated musical ideas, were generally incapable of expressing its core values. In his 1941 autobiography, W. C. Handy wrote that "prominent white orchestra leaders, concert singers and others are making commercial use of Negro music in its various phases. That's why they introduced "swing" which
5680-503: Was an essential skill among these bands-for-hire, with a somewhat sedated version of swing in common use for backing up vocalists. The resurgent commercial success of Frank Sinatra with a mildly swinging backup during the mid-1950s solidified the trend. It became a sound associated with pop vocalists such as Bobby Darin , Dean Martin , Judy Garland , and Nat King Cole , as well as jazz-oriented vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Keely Smith . Many of these singers were also involved in
5760-586: Was broadcast throughout much of the midwest from the Grand Terrace Cafe in Chicago, where Hines had the opportunity to expound upon his new approaches to rhythm and phrasing with a big band. Hines' arranger Jimmy Mundy would later contribute to the catalog of the Benny Goodman Orchestra . The Duke Ellington Orchestra had its new sounds broadcast nationally from New York's Cotton Club , followed by
5840-447: Was broadcast. Those restrictions made broadcast swing much less appealing for the year in which the ban was in place. Big band swing remained popular during the war years, but the resources required to support it became problematic. Wartime restriction on travel, coupled with rising expenses, curtailed road touring. The manpower requirements for big swing bands placed a burden on the scarce resources available for touring and were impacted by
5920-722: Was either specially composed for the production or appropriated and arranged from existing material. The writer Roger Savage notes in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians : "The classic forms of Asian theatre from India to Japan rely heavily on music, as do the dramatic rituals of sub-Saharan Africa and of the indigenous peoples of the Americas." In Western theatre genres, Savage writes that music features importantly in medieval liturgical drama, ballet, opera, pantomime , Singspiel , melodrama , Victorian burlesque , music hall , vaudeville , variety show , operetta , Edwardian musical comedy ,
6000-601: Was even praised by Louis Armstrong as one of his favorites In 1935 the Benny Goodman Orchestra had won a spot on the radio show Let's Dance and started showcasing an updated repertoire featuring Fletcher Henderson arrangements. Goodman's slot was after midnight in the East, and few people heard it. It was on earlier on the West Coast and developed the audience that later led to Goodman's Palomar Ballroom triumph. At
6080-429: Was important in bringing piano to the fore of popular music. Gypsy swing is an outgrowth of the jazz violin swing of Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang . In Europe it was heard in the music of guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli . Their repertoire overlaps 1930s swing, including French popular music, gypsy songs, and compositions by Reinhardt, but gypsy swing bands are formulated differently. There
6160-555: Was leading his own big band and Frank Sinatra was becoming the star attraction of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, inciting mass hysteria among bobby-soxers . Vocalist Peggy Lee joined the Goodman Orchestra in 1941 for a two-year stint, quickly becoming its star attraction on its biggest hits. Some big bands were moving away from the swing styles that dominated the late 1930s, for both commercial and creative reasons. Some of
6240-440: Was officially credited as a composer or arranger. Bernhart states that Riddle told him that Baxter did not write the material on his exotica albums. Bernhart states that, while working for Baxter on recording a score for a Roger Corman film, it was apparent that Baxter could not conduct competently and "couldn't read the scores." According to Bernhart, "Someone else had written [the music]." But Baxter went on to write symphonies for
6320-442: Was successfully showcased by bandleaders such as Guy Lombardo and Shep Fields , but the Casa Loma Orchestra and the Benny Goodman Orchestra went against that grain, targeting the new swing style to younger audiences. Despite Benny Goodman 's claim that "sweet" music was a "weak sister" as compared to the "real music" of America, Lombardo's band enjoyed widespread popularity for decades while crossing over racial divides and
6400-428: Was the "sweet" style, often with strings. Paul Whiteman developed a style he called " symphonic jazz ", grafting a classical approach over his interpretation of jazz rhythms in an approach he hoped would be the future of jazz. Whiteman's Orchestra enjoyed great commercial success and was a major influence on the sweet bands. Jean Goldkette 's Victor Recording Orchestra featured many of the top white jazz musicians of
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