The Big Bands

They have faded into the sunset.
Big Bands were existing in New Orleans since the early 1920s. Swing music became hugely popular and gained worldwide interest. The instantly recognizable and infectious sound of the swing rhythms sparked a craze for big band music that lives on to this very day.

"God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the Courage to change the things I can change,

and the Wisdom to know that it's me." 

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges

Also known as swing jazz, there are many legendary band leaders who pioneered the astronomical rise of this distinctive jazz music. Benny "King of Swing" Goodman was one of the first of a new generation to bring this popular music of the 1930s to the fore. Famous for his spectacular introduction of it for dancing at the famous Palomar Ballroom in the 1930s.

"Maui Waltz" by Loyal Garner

With the outbreak of the Second World War, the demand for American Big Bands and Jazz Music reached new heights with halls and ballrooms attracting huge crowds. As such, there are many jazz music CDs available today from the likes of Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Bob Crosby. This music has been duplicated, rearranged, improved, degraded and just changed throughout the world and the years by many other bands.

"Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" by the Bee Gees

As the hugely influential Duke Ellington’s lyrics say:

 “It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing!”