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Big band jazz... recommendations please

Andrew C!

Andrew C!

Been around a while....
My grandad used to listen to what I think was big band jazz all the time.

The only name I remember tho is Kay Starr, so I’m after some recommendations for big band swing and jazz. Nothing too obscure or difficult to keep track of, tho?

I spotted this on Amazon: The Best Big Band Jazz - Classics from the 1950s https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NBB9W4U/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Thanks in advance...

Nb I do have some of this kind of stuff... Jimmy Smith, Frank Sinatra etc.
 
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Kay Starr was a vocalist for Glenn Miller IIRC, so you could start with him.

Some other suggestions:

Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert is one of *the* big band swing albums of all time.

Anything by Count Basie Orchestra but you can;t go wrong with this one from the 50s

And of course, if you have the Count, you also have to mention the Duke...

More modern (well 70s) Maynard Ferguson's "Chameleon" swings a bit.

And I'd also recommend Buddy Rich's big band which is as 'in your face' as a big band can be.
 
Many of the big bands were instrumental only.

If you specifically want big band with vocals, you may want to try Glenn Miller, as recommended above, but also Artie Shaw, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Les Brown.
 
Andrew C! said:
Nb I do have some of this kind of stuff... Jimmy Smith...
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If you are thinking of Jimmy Smith’s Verve period, most of the big band stuff was arranged by Oliver Nelson, who’s Blues And The Abstract Truth is almost certainly the best way of spending £4.19 on planet earth at present. A fabulous album that absolutely everyone should own.

Not as easy a listen, but a total one-off and one of the most amazing albums in jazz or any music genre has to be Mingus Black Saint And The Sinner Lady. It just redefines pretty much everything really, including orchestrating for a large ensemble. It was one of the first jazz albums I ever bought, it instantly became a favourite and I spent ages thinking it was ‘a thing’ and there would be other stuff like it. Sadly there isn’t! I now have a 1963 US first press that you would have to prize from my cold dead hands...
 
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I am not sure exactly what you mean, Tony, because Mingus did a lot of great stuff with a medium-sized band similar to that on Black Saint:-

Mingus Revisited
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus
Mingus Ah Um (and the complete 1959 Columbia sessions)
The Complete Town Hall Concert

Tony L said:
Not as easy a listen, but a total one-off and one of the most amazing albums in jazz or any music genre has to be Mingus Black Saint And The Sinner Lady. It just redefines pretty much everything really, including orchestrating for a large ensemble. It was one of the first jazz albums I ever bought, it instantly became a favourite and I spent ages thinking it was ‘a thing’ and there would be other stuff like it. Sadly there isn’t! I now have a 1963 US first press that you would have to prize from my cold dead hands...
Click to expand...
 
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The recommendation for Black Saint is a no brainer for me, a defining moment in jazz that reminds me of the dirty New York streets in Taxi Driver.
Of course, Mingus was influenced by Ellington and I always really liked his New Orleans Suite set. They are two that I would have at the front of my list, personally.
 
A more modern take on the big band is Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. A group of Los Angeles based session musicians, try their 2001 "Swingin for the Fences" as a start.

 
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hockman said:
I am not sure exactly what you mean, Tony, because Mingus did a lot of great stuff with a medium-sized band similar to that on Black Saint:-

Mingus Revisited
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus
Mingus Ah Um (and the complete 1959 Columbia sessions)
The Complete Town Hall Concert
Click to expand...

Except its not really! All the others are great, but Black Saint is something else entirely. Something that pushes into new territory. I think I’m more on about the compositional approach more than the size of ensemble, but it really is unique IMO. The closest formal composition techniques and arrangement gets to free jazz.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll start to wade through them. It’s quite nice that most are available for not a lot of cash on cd, so the risk of play/forget is low.
 
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Vanguard band is amazing and have been going for years (still are). You really can't go wrong with any of their output. Also, though Mingus is no longer with them, the continuing Mingus Big Band still puts out some great music. Mingus '93 is an absolute stomper. Moanin with Ronnie Cuber alone is worth buying it.
 
boneman said:
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Vanguard band is amazing and have been going for years (still are). You really can't go wrong with any of their output.
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Great suggestion. This is probably my favourite big band too.

Fantastic writing/arranging, but the music had a really great vibe to it. I think probably because everyone in the band was a jazzer/improviser. Full of top players.

Check this out.

May not suit the needs of the opening poster though!!!!!
 
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