The Era of the Big Band Swing Artists
Dedicated jazz fans look back on the days of Big Band Swing and consider them to be the golden era of jazz. The era of swing music, spanning the years from the early 1930s through the decade of the 1940s, was highlighted by ensembles of anywhere from 12 to 25 members. These groups were made up of a rhythm section, trumpet, saxophone, and trombone players. There were different genres of swing music, including Dixieland Jazz, Ragtime, Blues, and Big Band Swing. Although they all had their own fan base, Big Band Swing has been one of the most enduring, second only to the Blues.
Female Jazz Singers and Big Band Swing
While the big bands were predominantly all-male ensembles, it didn’t take long for artists to discover that including women in the band added a whole new — and wildly popular — facet to their sound and image. A few of these ladies even became big band leaders.
During World War II, the big band sound was reported to boost the morale of the public and the troops alike. This was especially true of the big band ensembles that included a female vocalist. Female Jazz Singers became more predominant, expanding the popularity of jazz.
The New Old Jazz Sound
The Big Band Swing Artists may not be as prevalent as they were in past decades, but female jazz singers have become more popular than ever before. One of the most successful modern throwbacks to the days of the “jazz-noir” sound is Sylvia Brooks Music, Inc.
