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The term generally refers to the swing era starting around but there was no one event that kicked off a new form of music in In the s the music of jazz began to evolve to bigger band formats combining elements of ragtime, black spirituals, blues, and European music. Duke Ellington Benny Goodman. During the s, while traveling musicians were playing and spreading big band jazz, hotel dance bands and resident dance hall bands were also playing a role in the evolution of the Big Band era. They made their Swing & Big Band Guitar playing for ballroom dance crowds and radio remote broadcasts into the early s. As the jazz orchestras grew in size, the arrangements had to be formalized to avoid mass confusion. The Swing & Big Band Guitar became the focal point of the band. Improvisation during solos was written into the arrangements but their location and duration were controlled. Cab Calloway. As the new swing style emerged in the mid s it took the country by storm. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem opened its doors in and for the next 20 years became a hotbed for swing bands. Through the press, recordings, and live radio remote broadcasts the American public was introduced to the new music. The dance craze took off. The Big Band era is generally regarded as having occurred between and It was the only time in American musical history that the popularity of jazz eclipsed all other forms of music. America was still in the grips of a depression. Money was in short supply. There was very little work, especially for non-essential musicians. Record sales dropped to an all time low. Some of the most talented or well-connected players got jobs at radio studios or with some of the few dance orchestras able to stay together. In a strange convergence of politics and technology, radio became a household appliance in the s. Bythe number of homes with radios was Swing & Big Band Guitar at 23 million. That created an audience Swing & Big Band Guitar approximately 91 million. Studio musicians made their money as background instrumentalists for both shows and commercials. Music shows were also successful. Given the economic conditions of the time it may be surprising that during this period advances in recording technology, and in particular the microphone, were changing the way Americans could hear recorded music and radio broadcasts. The advent of radio required advances in many related devices. The quality of broadcast sound depended upon the quality Swing & Big Band Guitar the available microphones. It was remarkably efficient with a natural compression and became one of the most widely used microphones in recording and broadcast. Swing & Big Band Guitar RCA raised the bar again and introduced the model 77A cardioid pattern dual ribbon microphone. Each advancement improved the sound quality and brought increasing subtlety and nuance to the broadcasts. As the microphones improved, the experience of radio Swing & Big Band Guitar ever more intimate. Simultaneously, there were advances in the recording discs as well. By the late s, adding a bit of vinyl resin to shellac made quieter records. Lacquer-coated aluminum discs also came into use in Swing & Big Band Guitar recording process. These had a quieter surface and for the first time allowed immediate playback in the studio for auditioning purposes. This made it possible for engineers and musicians to make immediate microphone and personnel placement adjustments further improving recordings. Live radio broadcasts of music with the new microphones were nearly as good as disc recordings. The price was right — free for the price of a radio set. Wurlitzer used the invention to produce the jukebox. The jukebox changed the face of popular music by making new tunes available to all. Swing was the music of choice. The jukebox simply made it readily available in speakeasies, dance spots, ice cream parlors and even drugstores. The record companies of the time worried that the new device would cut into record sales but the opposite was true. Exposure to the music made it more desirable and record sales increased. Swing was everywhere. By the number of radio stations had grown faster than the availability of live variety acts. The result was a greater need for recorded content. Radio stations responded with music programs based entirely on playing prerecorded discs with introductions and follow-up trivia to support the music and artists of the day. The role of the Disc Jockey was born, though the term Swing & Big Band Guitar not be coined until around During the early Swing & Big Band Guitar radio stations had sternly held to a policy discouraging the use of recordings in network broadcasts. Priorities evolve with the reality of need and the marketplace. The trial was broadcast on network radio and the new format found an eager and appreciative audience. These record jockeys, as they were called, were soon entertaining listeners with discs all over the country. The stations had engineered a way to profit from advertising, but not much, if any, or the revenue was getting back to the musicians. These questions and disagreements would fester and grow over the next 10 years. Swing jazz in the big band format was growing in popularity with college kids. The Casa Loma Orchestra was a favorite at Yale. Kids were searching for an identity and excitement. Swing jazz felt like it belonged to them. His was the final of several music features of each night making it a late broadcast on the East Coast. They were too late for most high school and college students who needed to be up early for school. The U. It was not terribly successful until he hit the West Swing & Big Band Guitar. The 3-hour time difference of his live broadcasts, between New York and Los Angeles, had enabled school-aged kids out West to hear the nightly broadcasts. They were familiar with the music and eager to meet the band bringing them this new music. Although Oakland turnouts were good and the crowds enthusiastic, the band was not expecting what they found at the Palomar. What appeared to Swing & Big Band Guitar the end of the tour for the Benny Goodman Big Band suddenly changed with the kids that night. When the kids heard the band launch into a hot swing number, they surged forward, crowding the bandstand and cheering. Magazines like Down Beat and Metronome printed more articles about their swing music. Jazz in the form of big band swing was now beginning to sweep the Swing & Big Band Guitar. Jukeboxes were Swing & Big Band Guitar, kids were dancing, record jockeys were spinning discs and talking them up and the public appetite seemed inexhaustible. Bythe tension between the radio industry and the musicians union had increased to the breaking point. Swing & Big Band Guitar recording and radio industry were showing signs of extravagant wealth but the Swing & Big Band Guitar were not. The musicians, authors and composers felt that they had created the wealth for the radio and recording industries and deserved a piece of the action. By Mike Levin. Prexy Petrillo has not backed down by his claim that recording was ruining the jobs of 60 percent of the AFM membership and that he meant to do something about it. Petrillo has shifted his position as to the sale of records. He had previously told the companies that they could record for home and Army use, but when it was pointed out to him that the companies would be violating the law if they tried to regulate who bought their records, Petrillo made the edict a complete stoppage. The country was at war and needed the upbeat sounds of the big bands. Times were hard: there was a scarcity of shellac making it difficult to manufacture the discs. Rubber and gasoline rationing made it difficult for bands to travel. Records were more important to a music-loving public than ever. Petrillo and the AFM were unprepared to articulate their rationale for why, especially at this particular point in time, they wanted more money. It was poor political timing. Between rationing and wartime hardships, the average American had tightened their belt and given up a bit of their quality of life to benefit the war effort. Who were the popular musicians, dressed in tuxedos, to reach for more money now? All they seemed to say was it Swing & Big Band Guitar go to the union. The AFM was made up of instrumentalists. Singers were exempt from union membership. In an attempt to bring new product to market during the strike, the record companies began recording a cappella singing groups and individuals. This effort laid the groundwork for some of the harmony groups of the s. Even Frank Sinatra sang a couple of tunes without his usual big-band backup. These records sold reasonably well. Capitol and Decca settled with the union by They held out for nearly two years more. Without the cooperation of the radio stations, however, the musicians stayed out of the recording studios for nearly two years. When the strike was finally settled, the musical landscape had changed. The ballrooms and big dance halls that had closed stayed closed. Basics of Freddie Green Comping

So while the horns basked in the limelight, guitarists had to make do strumming chords and comping in the background. But electric amplification changed everything for the role Swing & Big Band Guitar the guitar in jazz. Introduced inthe hollow-bodied electric guitar was immediately sought- after by guitarists struggling to be heard in the swing era of brass-heavy Swing & Big Band Guitar bands. Now, though, not only could their percussive rhythm work be clearly audible in relation to the rest of the ensemble, Swing & Big Band Guitar the possibility of playing Swing & Big Band Guitar passages had also become a tangible reality. But there were exceptions. Enter Django Reinhardt, the revolutionary Belgian gypsy guitarist who made his name playing in smaller ensembles and redefined the role of the Swing & Big Band Guitar in jazz. His phenomenal fingerboard work was Swing & Big Band Guitar inspiration to guitarists everywhere and gave rise to a new generation of jazz guitar star: virtuosic soloists as well as solid rhythm section men. Charlie Christian was the next significant guitarist in jazz. Their ilk proliferated in the 50s, though the guitarist who stood head and shoulders above everyone else was a modest genius from Indianapolis called Wes Montgomerywho rose to fame as the 50s met the 60s. Montgomery, like his idol, Charlie Christian, could play single-note lines like a horn player, but also incorporated chords and octaves in his solos. Swing & Big Band Guitar jaw-dropping abilities made him seem super-human and he was soon hailed as one of the best jazz guitarists to have walked the planet. Since then, jazz guitarists Pat Metheny, for example have generally been a more eclectic breed, absorbing an array of influences, sounds and stylistic elements from all kinds of different musical sources. But one thing that unites them all is their debt to the early pioneers, who took jazz guitar out of the shadows and into the light. In the 90s, Brown began his solo career serving up a tasteful amalgam of George Benson -esque melodic lines over chugging, sensual smooth jazz grooves. Female guitarists are rare in jazz, but this North Dakotan string-picker, whose musical roots intertwined ragtime and country music, could certainly more than hold her own against the male Swing & Big Band Guitar. Osborne took New York by storm in the 40s but only made a few records under her own name. Malone takes a more traditional, straight-ahead, bop-tinged approach to jazz guitar, favouring a rich, mellow tone and combining Grant Green-esque horn-like melodies with subtle chord sequences. Though indebted to her inspirations, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass, Remler has earned her place among the best jazz guitarists in history thanks to the development of her own style, which combined a languid grace and emotional intelligence with virtuosic fretboard work. Not averse to using an array of effect pedals and guitar synthesisers — anathema to most straight-ahead jazz guitarists — this Philadelphia son also likes to take creative risks and experiment in diverse musical settings. An unpredictable player who always surprises. In the vanguard of the newest generation of jazz guitar stars, Lage hails from Santa Rosa, California, and was a child prodigy who went to Swing & Big Band Guitar with vibraphone maestro Gary Burton while a teenager. A disciple of the nylon-stringed Spanish guitar, Detroit-born Klugh was inspired to take up the instrument after seeing country star Chet Atkins on TV. Precociously talented, he was mentored by jazz great Yusef Lateef and then played with George Benson before establishing himself as a solo artist in the late 70s. As a result, Ulmer created a discursive idiom defined by scratchy chords and jagged melodic shards. More recently, Ulmer has explored his blues roots, though his sui generis approach to jazz guitar remains unparalleled among the best jazz guitarists in history. At the root of his sound was a deep blues core, which manifested itself in a plaintive, BB King -esque crying tone. At home with both acoustic and electric guitars, Almeida was a pioneer who blended jazz with the sounds and styles of Brazil. With his mellow, well-rounded tone, this New Jersey-born guitarist was first drawn to the banjo as a youngster, but after hearing Eddie Lang playing with big bands, switched to the guitar. Van Eps designed his own seven-string guitar, which added lower bass notes and allowed him to develop his own finger-picking style. Instead, he turned to the guitar, and his signature style — which was loud and funky — used horn-like lead lines as well Swing & Big Band Guitar rock-style amp feedback. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Roberts picked up his first guitar at the age of eight and was working professionally at He moved to Los Angeles and was soon in demand as a session ace, eventually working with the elite group of sessioneers known as The Wrecking Crew. As well as recording many solo albums for a plethora of labels, he also worked as a record producer. The nephew of jazz pianist Ray Bryant, Philly-born Eubanks arrived at the guitar after trying his hand at the violin and trumpet. His big break came was when he moved to New York in and played with Art Blakey. The Los Angeles guitarist created a signature, readily identifiable style fusing jazz chromatics and advanced chord changes with elements of blues and rock. The son of renowned songwriter Sammy Cahn, Steve Khan excelled as a versatile studio sideman his credits range from Steely Dan and Bob James to Billy Joel and Aretha Franklin while pursuing a solo career that has garnered two Grammy nominations. In the 70s, Khan successfully fused jazz with rock and later added piquant Latin flavours to expand his stylistic palette. Still recording regularly, Khan is one of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists working today. He is also a former member of the influential smooth jazz group Fourplay. This Philly axe-meister born Pat Azzara is a musical shape-shifter who can switch from straight-ahead jazz to fusion and post-bop at the drop of a plectrum. Keen to share his knowledge, Martino has also written textbooks on approaches to guitar playing. He began on trumpet, then moved to piano, before finally arriving at the classical guitar, which he studied in Austria for two years. After cutting his teeth with the Paul Winter Consort, in Towner co-founded Oregon, an Swing & Big Band Guitar band that blended chamber jazz with Eastern sounds and which was a forerunner of New Age music. Though the band is still going strong today, Towner has also enjoyed a fertile solo career, and his striking guitar work — limpid and crystalline Swing & Big Band Guitar remains a thing of beauty. A member of pioneering jazz-rock band Dreams, in the 70s Ambercrombie played with the likes of Gil Evans and in supergroup Gateway, while developing a warm, pastel-hued sound Swing & Big Band Guitar was infused with a melodic lyricism. A student of jazz guitar greats Johnny Smith and Jim Hall, Maryland-born Frisell has found his own stylistic niche by blending jazz with elements from country, folk and rock music. His ability to conjure a particular mood or atmosphere with effects is also part of his signature style. An eclectic, versatile guitarist who has helped expand the boundaries of the instrument. Hailing from South Carolina, Green was a long-serving stalwart of the Count Basie band and spent almost half a century with the jazz aristocrat. Swing & Big Band Guitar began on the banjo before graduating to the six-string guitar, and rose to fame in the big band swing era. Rarely taking solos, Greene preferred to help drive the rhythm section by providing a flowing and hard-swinging chordal accompaniment. He wrote the book on big band guitar paying. After that, the technically brilliant Breau gravitated towards jazz and also assimilated Flamenco music, which resulted in a distinctive personal style that never forgot its country roots. With his acerbic tone and blues-infused string pulls, Scofield developed an immediately recognisable style and has recorded in a breathtaking variety of styles embracing jam band funk, orchestral jazz and even country music. A jazz proponent of the acoustic, nylon-stringed, classical guitar, Virginia-born Byrd studied with Spanish master Andre Segovia and then began to make his mark as a recording Swing & Big Band Guitar in the late 50s. Something of a musical polymath, this supernal British jazz guitarist advanced the vocabulary of his instrument by using unusual scales and absorbing elements from progressive rock including effects pedals. Though he often used ornate finger-picking, he liked to articulate melodies in a smooth, legato style, Swing & Big Band Guitar his interest in the sound of the saxophone. A hugely influential axe god who bridged the divide between jazz and rock, Coryell will forever be remembered as one of the best jazz guitarists to ever pick up the Swing & Big Band Guitar. His eloquent style, with its lucid melodic lines and cool harmonies, won him many fans and his numerous credits include recording stints with Stan Getz, Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin and Eddie Harris. Combining technical brilliance with emotional depth and a genuine appreciation of Indian music, McLaughlin remains one of the best jazz guitarists in Swing & Big Band Guitar world, and has led the way in jazz-rock for five decades. With his meld of Hungarian Gypsy folk music, extended modal vamps, Indian ragas and psychedelic colouration, this versatile Budapest-born guitarist exerted a huge influence on Mexican axe god Carlos Santana. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Smith was a precociously talented musician who learned to play guitar as a pre-teen while hanging around in local pawnshops. His all-round versatility he toured with a hillbilly band before gravitating towards jazz and could play anything from swing and bebop to avant-garde classical music meant that he was Swing & Big Band Guitar in demand. North Carolinian Talmadge Farlow was a self-taught guitarist who, in his early days, worked as a sign-painter by day and a musician at night. He was inspired to build his first electric guitar himself after hearing Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman band. His solo career gained pace in the mids and he quickly acquired the nickname The Octopus, which referred to the combination of his large hands and jaw-dropping technical prowess. This chameleonic fretboard sorcerer from Missouri — whose album credits range from David Bowie and Joni Mitchell to Ornette Coleman — cites the influence of Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall as key components in the foundation of his own unique style. Not only one of the best jazz guitarists in history, Metheny is, without doubt, the most progressive guitarist in jazz right now. A supremely versatile guitarist, he patented a singular and innovative style with which he could articulate melodic lines using deft sequences of chord progressions. Pass spent many years accompanying Swing & Big Band Guitar Ella Fitzgerald and also played extensively with pianist Oscar Peterson. A go-to sideman as well as being a recording artist in his own right, Detroit-born Burrell drew inspiration from blues music as well as Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. He Swing & Big Band Guitar playing guitar at the age of 12 and made his recording debut eight years later with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Burrell became a key figure in the hard bop movement and can play soulfully as well as swing hard. Fittingly, for one of the best jazz guitarists in history, Kessell played with the great and good of the jazz world everyone from Billie Holiday to Sonny Rollins and was noted for his mellow sound and judicious choice of chords. A prolific recording artist at Blue Note during the 60s and early 70s, St Louis-born Green, who was influenced by bebop horn players, adopted a linear approach to the guitar, favouring single melodic Swing & Big Band Guitar over chordal accompaniment. His minimalist, less-is-more aesthetic, with its blues-infused phrasing, was often highlighted within an organ trio setting. Probably the greatest jazz guitarist alive right now. Born in Buffalo, New York, Ohio-raised Hall started playing guitar aged 10 and had Swing & Big Band Guitar life-changing epiphany went he first heard Charlie Christian, who had a profound influence on his own style. Noted for his warm, mellow sound, Hall is a master of utilising space and creating tonal contrasts. He pioneered the electric guitar in jazz, which, combined with his penchant for using single-note lines like a horn playertook the instrument out of the rhythm section and into the foreground, making it a valid solo instrument. An early proponent of what evolved into bebop, Christian was only 25 when he died, succumbing Swing & Big Band Guitar tuberculosis. He was able to combine speed, precision and a dazzling manual dexterity with imagination and deep feeling. A true jazz giant whose playing never ceases to astonish. Just using a calloused thumb to pick out notes, Montgomery was inspired by the bebop horn-like phrasing of his idol, Charlie Christian, but offered a more advanced harmonic style that incorporated block chords and the use of parallel octaves. He died too young but his music and its influence lives on. Looking for more? I love and respect the great George Benson. But there is another from Pittsburgh that was at the top of the very greatest. That would be Jimmy Ponder. I heard him for the first time last night because of a suggestion from a musical acquaintance and was very impressed. A Joe Pass single line technique combined with usually fast but smooth block chord melodies that included some intricate contrapuntal ideas. I plan on listening to this musical monster more today. He was not the real composer. Chuck was a grand master! George Shearing only had the best players in his bands and Chuck was with him for years. Many others missing and several too high up the list, but all of these lists are opinion only anyway. Johnny Smith is way better than 13! Swing & Big Band Guitar, I lot of great players but the list is incomplete without Ted Greene. Swing! - ProjectSAM

Much has been written about Freddie Green comping. I have the opportunity to play quite a bit of this style on my gigs as the guitarist for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. I've played Freddie Green style guitar with a variety of well-known performers, and also played on a recording of old swing arrangements Swing & Big Band Guitar Nelson Riddle. I Swing & Big Band Guitar considered this subject quite a bit during rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions. Here are my thoughts. Freddie Green was one of thousands of guitarists that comped in Swing & Big Band Guitar style. Freddie Green was certainly a master of this style, if not "the" master. But he was not the first or the only player to comp in this style. The phrase "Freddie Green" style comping refers to a style of swing comping that is most often used in big band guitar playing. The phrase "Freddie Green Comping" is seen quite a bit in charts if you play gigs that require reading, such as show work. The label "Freddie Green Comping" does not refer specifically to Swing & Big Band Guitar person Freddie Green, but rather to the rhythm guitar style of four strums to the bar. Likewise, when I use the phrase Freddie Green style guitar, I am not referring exclusively to the way Freddie Green played. The beauty of Freddie Green comping is that the basics can be explained so simply: hold down a chord with the left hand and strike the strings with the right hand on every beat of the tune. The ugly side of Freddie Green comping is that when done badly, the guitar player can single-handedly mess up the rhythm section. TIME Rhythm guitar is about time, not about voicings. Voicings are a detail, but they seem to take up a great deal of space in discussions about Freddie Green comping. If you are just learning the basics of swing rhythm guitar, pay little attention to the discussions of voicings. I suggest that Swing & Big Band Guitar learn this style you should first concentrate on time. I don't think these words are all that helpful. If you really do play something that resembles "chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk", you will likely muddy the rhythm section and thus Swing & Big Band Guitar up the tune. I think the words "choo-chit-choo-chit" more accurately describe the rhythm guitar sound. There are variations depending on how fast or slow the tune is played, or how busy the drummer is, but these are the basics. Beat 1 and 3 have a longer sound, while beat 2 and 4 have a much shorter sound. The rhythm guitarist is playing pitched percussion. Think of the guitar as adding pitches to the ride cymbal on beats 1 and 3, and to the high hat on beats 2 and 4. The guitarist must lock on to the drummer's high hat. Beats 2 and 4 are what swing is about. The drummer's high hat or snare in the loud parts defines beats 2 and 4 more than anything else. If you can lock on to the drummer's high hat, meaning that you strike your "chit" beats at exactly the same moment as the drummer's high hat sounds, you will be swinging with the drummer. Create the "chit" sound by releasing the left hand pressure almost immediately after the strings are struck. The "choo" beats of 1 and 3 should be in lock Swing & Big Band Guitar with the drummer's ride cymbal. This is much easier if you play with the same drummer all the time. Drummers all define time in slightly different ways, and it often takes a couple of sessions with a new drummer to really lock on to Swing & Big Band Guitar time. Locking on to the drummer is more difficult than it sounds. The better the drummer, the easier he is to lock on to. Never forget that Swing & Big Band Guitar are there to support the drummer. The beat 2 and 4 "chits" should be slightly accented over the beat 1 and 3 "choos". Even if you played the "chit" with the same exact right hand stroke, the "chits" will have a natural accent because they are cut short. The interruption of the sound creates the effect of an accent. This is nearly enough. I create the accent by gripping the pick just slightly firmer on beats 2 and 4. Then I use the exact same arm and wrist motion on all four beats. A firmer grip causes the pick to displace the strings more, thus creating more volume, and an accent. The answer is just loud enough. Not particularly helpful, but completely accurate. Here are things to consider when deciding how loud to play:. If anyone in the audience except other rhythm guitarists actually noticse the guitar, it is too loud. The guitar part is often times more for the benefit of the other musicians to help drive the rhythm home for them than for the listeners. The sound quality of the guitar and amp, if used also plays a part in Swing & Big Band Guitar loud the guitar should be. If playing this style of guitar professionally and amplified, buy a good volume pedal and keep your foot on it at all times. Let the volume pedal become part of the guitar. But the typical amplified jazz guitar sound is too "thick" to properly play Freddie Green comping. The big fat jazz box sound will simply muddy up the rhythm section because it will interfere with the bass player's lines. You can get a passable Freddie Green feel from many types of guitars, but in my opinion, the best sound will come from an archtop. I use a Gibson L5. My amp of choice for this type of style is a Trace Elliott Acoustic. It has a very clean sound. I notch out the middle and upper midrange Hz to 1, Hz with the built-in equalizer. This gives a sound that does not interfere with the bass player, is reasonably warm, and is still clear enough to cut. Keep in mind the phrase "pitched percussion" when deciding on a sound. Create a sound that blends well with the drums, but does not muddy up the bass player's sound. Remember that you do not have to play voicings exactly like Freddie Green to play good Freddie Green comping. Here are several guidelines for voicings:. Primarily use three note voicings on strings 6, 4, and 3; and four note voicings on strings 6, 4, 3, and 2. Avoid perfect fifths between strings 6 and 5. This sounds muddy and will interfere with the bass player's sound. Don't add your Swing & Big Band Guitar extensions, as they will likely conflict with the piano player's part as well as the horn parts. Here are things to consider when deciding how loud to play: The guitar part must be just barely quieter than the drums. The guitar part should be felt not heard. As the band gets louder, so should the guitar, but not too much. Here are several guidelines for voicings: Primarily use three note voicings on strings 6, 4, and 3; and four note voicings on strings 6, 4, 3, and 2. Avoid barre chords. They take up too much space in the sound spectrum. Don't add extensions past the 7th, unless specifically called for in the chart.