week two-sctructure

The structure of Big Bands

For this week I have decided to take a look at the typical structure of the average Big Band group. There was a surprisingly little amount of readily available information on this important part of the big band style. As we have learned this semester the layout of the instruments plays a big role in the identity of a piece of music. From what I was able to glen from Wikipedia as well as tid bits from http://airjudden.tripod.com/jazz/styles.html  sections are king when it comes to structuring a big band.  Standard layout for bands is 17 players of five saxophones (two alto, two tenor, one bari), four trumpets, four trombones, and a four rhythm instruments including drums, bass, piano, and guitar. However, the structure of the band is changed depending on many factors; director preference, lack of or presence of excess talent, location restrictions to name a few. Instruments could also be subbed in and out of the band to make up for loss of structure, tuba for upright bass for example. Singers would quite often come out to join in with a band and be out front and center of the group.

Image of the typical structure of a big band

Critical Listening

Tank! By the Seatbelts

http://youtu.be/v-TAxm00jOg

structure: Intro aabaacaad outro

This is a more modern Big Band (swing band) The Seatbelts. Here they are performing live at an anime convention in Japan. The reason they are there is that this song is used in a cult favorite anime show called Cowboy Bebop as the theme song. In it we can hear the screaming trumpets and saxophones taking the power through most of the song. A vocalist comes in at the beginning with the line “I think it’s time to blow this scene. Get everyone and the stuff together. Ok 3, 2, 1 lets jam.” The bass walks the same line throughout the piece and the drums stay rocking throughout the piece in the background. For the C and D portions of the piece we see a saxophone soloist come out and play a very complicated and amazing solo.