Wong-+Big+Band+Music

= Big Band Music--It's a BIG deal. = == Take the blaring sounds of the twenties, a splash of classical and the soulful vibes of modern jazz and you have just met one of the most iconic styles of jazz--big band. Started in the 1930's big band music came by popular demand as a form of dance music up until WWII when the emergence of rock n' roll took over. Overall, each big band consisted of 15-20 musicians with on average five cornets (or trumpets), five trombones, five to seven saxophones (doubling on clarinet and flute) and a rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar drums). Occasionally, vocals were added to the mix to provide dancers with lyrics that would remind them of the dance steps for dances such as "the foxtrot", "jitterbug" and "waltz". The term "big band" referred to the enormous size of the band that required the band to perform in extravagant hotel ballrooms and cruise ships. The two most distinct stylistic features of Big Band music included swing and cross-voicing.

**Swing**
In the most basic classical arrangement there are **four** even beats in a bar (4/4 time). This is counted as "1 (and) 2 (and) 3 (and) 4 (and)." Specifically, counting 4 equal beats per bar is "straight time" because there are four notes with equal and even emphasis. In the jazz world, many musicians refer to this as making the music "square" which suggests that the music is over-accurately played so much so that the laid-back feeling is lost.

Yet, in Big Band music there is a greater emphasis on beats **two** and **four** as indicated by the diagram below. In addition the note value is changed so that a 1/4 note is equal to a triplet to emphasize beats **two** and **four** while adding the sound of a laid back beat. This is counted as "1(and a) **2** (and a) 3 (and a) **4** (and a)." Moreover, counting with the 1/4= triplet with the emphasis on beats two and four is "swing." The greatest compliment that can be given to a jazz musician is that they're really "swinging the tune" which means they they have paid great attention to creating a heavy laid-back vibe with rhythm hits (emphasis) on beats **two** and **four**. In a big band it is the responsibility of the rhythm section to make each jazz arrangements "swing" by providing a steady laid-back beat.

[|Straight- drum track]
=[|Swing- drum track]=

Cross-Voicing
Cross-voicing is often characterized by music from Duke Ellington's Orchestra because of the unique sound and voice it gives to big band music. It is a common technique for instrumental voicing in big band music. Simply put, cross-voicing is when an arrangement is written in such a way that each individual part is specially designed to fit the ability of the musician. Furthermore, the music is written according to the the difficulty level that each individual can play at. Depending on a player's tonal range and musicality the music will be written accordingly. In addition, cross-voicing is the sound that each individual instrumentalist (vocalists included) can provide to give colour and texture to the music. Colour and texture of a piece is the different harmonizations, melodies and dynamics that are put in place to make the music sound like one cohesive band despite the great size of the band. The greater fluidity and **blend** of sound that the band has, the better the music will sound. The greatest challenge of any big band is to move as one while giving different textural sounds to the music. Overall, improvisation is a key feature of cross voicing, this is when an individual voice plays overtop of the rest of the band from a basic outline of chords. In this case, a soloist would play an impromptu series of melodies based on the chords. Along with this, the soloist is also obligated to **blend** their own unique sound/voice with the band which is accompanies the solo. (watch for this in the trumpet solo of [|Count Basie's Lil Darlin'] ).

Conclusion
In closing, big band music is a genre that continues to be a part of Western culture. Although the big band jazz does not gain the same recognition and popularity as it did in the mid-30's its roots continue to flourish in pop music. Cross-voicing techniques can still be found in today's pop culture from artists such as Lady Gaga and jazz remains a popular choice of music with young artists such as Michael Bublé and Nikki Yanofsky. Swing still remains a staple of jazz music and will forever be a part of jazz whether it's modern or experimental. In the worldwide music community it is important that we pay tribute to both swing and cross-voicing and a technique that will continue to inspire future musicians.

**Works Cited**

//Benny Goodman.// Estate of Benny Goodman, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[]>.

Brown, Gene. //Duke Ellington.// New Jersey: Silver Burdett Press, 1990. Print.

//Duke Ellington.// Moda Entertainment, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[]>.

Fontenot, Robert. //Oldies Music Glossary: “Big Band.”// About.com, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <**[]**>.

Goodman, Benny." //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[]>.

McNamara, Helen. “Dance Bands.” //The Canadian Encyclopedia Online.// Historica Dominion Institute, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[]>.

//The Biography of Count Basie.// Swingmusic net, 2007. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[]>.

//The Swing Era.// Oswego Education, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <[] >.