This week is where some things start to sound very familiar in a few different ways. The first is hearing that 12-bar blues that many of us are so familiar with. The second is hearing some players that we know and also some tunes that are ones that we know with the blink of an eye.
"St. Louis Blues" was recorded with a great performer, Bessie Smith. In this recording her voice is a perfect choice for singing this piece. There are some great aspects of her voice such as in the words of the song there is a sense of misery with the way she drags out the vowels to in a sense play on the words. In this style of music, there are many similarities to Tin Pan Alley especially with form. In this, there is the typical following of the outline, but at the end, there is a C section, which is not uncommon for this type of music, but is where the differentiation starts with Tin Pan Alley. After hearing the A section, it is not heard again throughout. The great thing about hearing "St. Louis Blues" and the performers in it is how they connect with one another. Bessie Smith's vocals are great and Louis Armstrong on cornet is just perfect. Armstrong and Smith are doing much of what we call a call and response. Smith sings her lyrical lines and then Armstrong just follows it up with a response to the sung phrase. The reed organ is a different sense of hearing rather than a piano but gives it character. The use of the 'blue notes' is a great compositional addition. The singer also does a great job of altering these notes on her own as well.
In "Wrappin' It Up" you can feel the swing and the 2 and 4 emphasis. In this time, the brass and reed instruments were treated as two separate entities. As in "St. Louis Blues" Smith and Armstrong used a lot of call and response technique. In "Wrappin' It Up" there is also a lot of call and response between these two sections. The rhythm section lays a solid foundation of time and rhythm for the rest of the big band ensemble to kick. During this time, it was very common to walk the bass and for the drummer to keep the foot on all four beats. In addition, the guitarist would play chords on every downbeat also. This would keep that driving feel for the ensemble and the audience. Using a big band bigger than normal gave a smoother feel in hearing the music and playing. In contrast to the downbeat patterns in the rhythm section, there was much offbeat material in the winds. There were times where the rhythm section would give an offbeat hit as well. The main outlined form structure for this piece is ABAC.
"Taking a Chance on Love" has a nice laid back big band feel with once again the call and response between the reeds and brass. In addition, the call and response was also between the soli sections that are prominent within. The song starts off with instrumental before the voice comes in and has an instrumental break in the middle. Just as the ending, the instrumental section ends the song. This is a familiar 32-bar AABA form structure.
"Caravan" is a great piece that is still well known today. I actually heard a marching band play this on the field this year and totally owned the performance. "Caravan" is also a 32-bar AABA form structure. This piece starts with percussion and sets a more of a Spanish feel with additional use of wire brushes and mallets. When the trombone enters, this is when you hear the main tune of the piece.
"In the Mood" is one of the all-time top charts for swing. If you have ever heard any swing I am sure this is one of them. This is one of, if not the biggest tunes in popular music. This piece has a main 'riff' that is played by the saxophone section. Many know this piece for its enjoyment and happy mood, hence "In the Mood" and also know it for one other thing...its trick ending. If renamed, this should be renamed to "Are We Tricking You?" I find this as a joke and not in anyway being serious. If someone has not heard this piece before, then they may have the surprise, but if you know it, it is deceiving. The way that I can connect this musically is by thinking of a deceptive cadence, and again, and again, and then the resolution. Tricks you a bunch of times and finally goes home. That is what Joe Garland the composer did. That is one of the staples of this piece!
"Paper Doll" was an example of a vocal group song that still made it along with the big bands. These groups were all vocalists and sometimes accompanied by guitar. The guitar was plain and not overwhelming. The harmonies are what made these groups what they were. Many of the times, the harmonies were close together, which could be compared to a soli section in an instrumental arrangement.
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