Why Do I Do This? Show Notes 6/10-14

We're on a Mission from God

Elwood & Jake Blues - 1980

It's one of the most famous movie lines ever: "We're on a mission from God." Elwood and Jake were out to save an orphanage in Calumet City, Illinois. They succeeded, and brought a lot of exciting music to the public in the process. 

Here at In the Mood, we're on a mission of our own: to bring the swinging music of the Big Bands to an audience thirsty for Jazz they can relate to. And perhaps the most important segment of that audience is music students in middle school, high school and college band programs around the world. 

If you've ever learned, or tried to learn, to play a musical instrument, you understand how important it is to play music you love. And Big Band Swing can provide that inspiration while demonstrating the principles of melody, harmony, chord progression, tempo and time. 

The Big Band Swing of the 1930s, 40s and 50s is, above all, fun music. It's fun to dance to, fun to listen to, and fun to play. Much of it is actually quite simple, even elemental. And the arrangements that are so familiar to many of us are still widely available in original and simplified form. 

All across the country, Big Band music is enjoying something of a renaissance as tribute bands such as the World-Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra maintain a busy touring, performing and recording schedule. Music educators are starting to catch on, too. More and more school band programs are adding a Jazz Band to their list of options for student participation. More and more Swing tunes are being made available in simplified arrangements for student musicians. And the kids are loving it. The supply of potential songs is enormous, and the music's appeal is timeless. 

Let a room full of band students hear a recording like the 1956 No Name Jive by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, or the Glenn Miller arrangement of In the Mood, and watch what happens when they realize, "Hey, we...I...could be playing this stuff!" 

The music of the Big Band Era clearly demonstrates the musical principles on which modern Jazz is founded. The music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie in particular obviates the connection between Jazz and the Blues. And the young players of today could have no more inspirational examples to follow than Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Lester Young, Gene Krupa, Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman. These players and their contemporaries demonstrate the value of technical proficiency while providing truly accessible examples of improvisations that open new doors while respecting the melodic intent of a song. 

When people ask me why I do this show, this is the long-form answer I want to give them...but time and the situation rarely permit me to do so. Modern Jazz is an acquired taste, and, especially for young musicians, it can be intimidating and confusing. The Big Band Swing of the mid-Twentieth Century was originally intended to appeal to average people with an appreciation for melody and rhythm. It was really Jazz thinly disguised as Dance Music for the masses. The melodies were straightforward, usually built on the Major, Melodic Minor and Pentatonic scales, supported by chord progressions derived from those harmonized scales. 

Whether you're learning to play a brass, reed or wind instrument, a guitar, bass, piano or drum, once you have covered the basics and studied some of the appropriate classics, Big Band Swing is a natural first step into Jazz. And that's why I'm such a staunch advocate for this music. A program of Big Band standards is a sure-fire crowd pleaser at performance time. And this body of material contains a seemingly endless supply of inventive, engaging songs for the student musician. 

I've said all that to say this, and I say it at the beginning of every show: If you know a young musician in one of our high school or college bands, call them now and invite them to tune in. This show is as much for them as it is for those of us who were there and remember the music from our own personal experience.

This week's show is a perfect example of what I've been talking about. Hour 1 opens with about 20 minutes of sheer excellence from the bands led by drumming legend Gene Krupa. Any young student of the drums will be thrilled to hear what Gene and his band could do. We provide some excellent examples, such as Opus No. 1, Swing Is Here, and (a special treat for trumpet students) the Krupa band's treatment of After You've Gone, a showpiece for trumpet star Roy Eldridge. Hour 2 kicks off with a downshift into two-time Chicago Jazz classics by Eddie Condon and his All Stars, who faithfully deliver the early classics of jazz from the era of Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden in modern recordings from the 1940s and 50s. Their treatments of gems like Fidgety Feet and Jazz Me Blues (both included in this show) bridge the gap between improvisation and Arranged White Dixieland. I think it's also important to make the point that these guys started playing jazz together while still in high school in the 1920s.

This week's show also offers dancers' delights from Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Harry James, Charlie Barnet and many more. Bing will sing, Frankie Carle will tickle the ivories, and we'll hear what happens when Benny forgets to tell the guys when to call it quits. 

Lots of fun and excitement await our listeners young and old this week, so set a reminder to catch the show on your favorite station, and don't forget to call that young player you know and get them on board! Thanks for sticking it out to the bitter end with me here! Remember to be kind to one another this week, and above all, Keep Swinging!

Scott