Jul 132010
I’m not a big jazz fan – I can recognize Satchmo, and I like S. Bechet, some B. Goodman (sing, sing, sing!!), Fats Waller, Cab Calloway.
But, the big band music recorded since 1980 has no bite, so little spirit. It’s like a muzak version of 1920s and 1930s big band music.
Am I a fuddy-duddy, am I missing something, or is that why big-band music is not very popular anymore?
I don’t think you are listening to the right stuff. I would check out these big bands:
Dave Holland Big Band
Mingus Big Band
The Vanguard Orchestra
Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Some of these guys are more experimental and modern when compared to Benny Goodman, etc., but they all swing and play with intensity.
No, I agree. Big band is a gimmick now. real jazz has long since moved away from the big band sound, into smaller groups, with the focus more on individual creativity.