Your Favorite Big Band

[Aristaeus]

Hello All.
While compileing a list of Big Bands of the 1930's and 40's I thought it would be neat to see who is the most popular. I have only included the more well known bands and there is more then I can post in a poll. If I have left yours out just post it below.

 

[Shangas]

I selected Glenn Miller, mainly because he introduced me to the Big Band genre of jazz, but honestly, I couldn't pick just one. Bandleaders of the 30s and 40s are like Lays potato-chips. I would also have selected Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey...and a lot more which aren't listed, such as Guy Lombardo, Ray Noble, Jack Hylton...the list goes on...and on...and on...

 

[ScionPI2005]

I'm really in the same boat as Shangas. I can't really choose just one. However, I more often listen to Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, or Count BAsie. Still, they're all different, and I couldn't imagine listening to just one of them.

 

[Chas]

Not all Big Bands were Jazz bands, and I pick mine based upon their being Jazz-affected big bands, rather than Pop. big bands. Not all swing was jazz, but all jazz should swing.

1. Duke Ellington, 1941-1952. Best jazz orchestra. Ever. The collaboration between Strays and The Duke was never really equalled in terms of songwriting or arranging. Incredible stuff.
2. Count Basie's band of 38-41. The 1950's Band was also excellent. The 38-41 band was the greatest swing band, ever.
3. Jimmie Lunceford (1930's)
4. McKinney's Cotton Pickers
5. Artie Shaw, 1944. The 1938 Orchestra close behind.
6. Jean Goldkettes Book-Cadillac Orchestra
7. Fletcher Henderson
8. Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy (prior to the departure of Mary Lou Williams)
9. Johnny Hodges' Orchestras - 1948-1952
10. Erskine Hawkins' Orchestra
11. Lionel Hampton Big Band 1944-1952.
12. Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (even better than Henderson, IMO)

 

[Forgotten Man]

What, no love for Goodman or even Armstrong???

Glenn Miller was my second love and is still holding a very special place in my musical heart. His music I can listen to any time of the day and at any moment... no matter what my mood is, I will always embrace Glenn Miller's special sound.

As for my favorite, right now I'm totally digging early Armstrong... 1930-1935. That man played some fine horn and it's just the sound of his horn that can send chills down my back!

Yep, I'm votin' for Louis Armstrong as my favorite... for this month anyway. lol

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I say 'Glenn Miller' but I really love Benny Goodman with Gene Krupa on drums! "Sing, Sing, Sing", man that is 'Swing, Swing, Swing'!!! ...and I dig it Pops!

-dixon cannon

 

[Chas]

What, no love for Goodman or even Armstrong???

Pops was the greatest jazz musician of all time. The poll is for Big bands. Pops had a very good big band, but his greatest work was with small groups. Goodman, likewise. If the poll was for the best small groups, my list would be entirely different.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Duke Ellington. I tend to prefer his 1924-74 work.

 

[Mr. 'H']

What, no Artie Shaw option??!!

I voted Glenn Miller so.

A real pity you didn't make it a public poll so we could see who likes which Big Band:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=15196

 

[Dixon Cannon]

You gotta love these hep cats too! The USAF 'Airmen of Note' Glenn Miller Tribute Band.

-dixon cannon

 

[Forgotten Man]

Well, I think Goodman had amazing hits with his big band and memorable/amazing hits with the quartet or sextet. But, Goodman is mostly remembered by those I associate with his Big Band hits of 1936-1940. Some of his earlier numbers from 1934 weren't cold either.

Armstrong (Pops) did have some amazing numbers with his big band... "Shine" comes to mind as quite a bright and solid number. Not to mention "Hobo You can't Ride this Train"... that's good stuff, solid and drives like mad!

Hard to really choose one... like others have said, they all have great numbers we love for different reasons... it's like only choosing one item from a five star buffet!

 

[Forgotten Man]

Duke Ellington. I tend to prefer his 1924-74 work.

Oh, what a narrow scope! lol I think that covers all of his work does it not?

What, no Artie Shaw option??!!

Yeah, what about ol' Grumpy? lol Aside from his negative personality, he was sure a great band leader from 1938-1940.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I voted for Cab Calloway because he doesn't usually get the respect he deserves. A lot of people think of his band as a novelty act, like Spike Jones (and why ISN"T Spike Jones and his City Slickers on the poll?), but he could truly get down and swing.

If I had two votes, the second would be for Benny Goodman who was a great innovator and had the guts to tour with one of the first integrated orchestras.

 

[Chas]

I'm not so hot on Goodman's big band stuff mainly because it sounds like fairly tight, commercial renderings of a Fletcher Henderson book, which is what the 1935-1937 Goodman band was. Goodman didn't field many big bands after 1940, and artistically it wasn't even close to the small group stuff.

>>I voted for Cab Calloway

Well, if the poll was for greatest entertainers of the era, Cab would probably peg #2 for me, after Armstrong. He had the good sense as well to hire some of the best musicians around; Milt Hinton, Chu Berry and Dizzy Gillespie spent time in his band.

Yeah, what about ol' Grumpy? lol Aside from his negative personality, he was sure a great band leader from 1938-1940.

The same could and was, said about Goodman. Helen Forrest said that playing with Goodman was like a prison sentence. Artie Shaw got on very well with musicians, not so with A&R men, uninformed critics, song pluggers and insane fans. His rep is undeserved.

 

[dhermann1]

Way too few

It's polls like this that wind up pushing the slightly less well known bands off the charts entirely. You have to have Artie Shaw in there. Personally, my favoriite band is Jimmie Lunceford. I put Ellington because I think over all his musical output was the most "worthwhile" whatever that might mean. But as a pure Swing group, Basie is the best.
And having both Tommy, and Jimmy and Dorsey Brothers up there also skews our results.
I'd suggest just asking people what their favorite bands are, then taking the top several among them and haviing a run off.
Oh, and how about Chick Webb? And Erskine Hawkins? And Coleman Hawkins? And Les Brown! And Charley Barnett? And Jay McShann? (I could go on, but you get the idea.)

 

[Chas]

Which is why I drew up a list. Thanks for reminding me of Charlie Barnet; that should go on my list as well. Chick Webb had a very good band, but he didn't crack my top 12 probably because I find that a lot of his stuff is a little too sweet for my tastes. Too many trilling sax's and such. His uptempo stuff is excellent, though. Very booming rhythm section, which is unusual and exciting.

Other unmentioned bands - The Chocolate Dandies, Willie Bryant & His Orchestra, Don Redman & His Orchestra.

The most popular band at the Savoy Ballroom was, interestingly enough, Guy Lombardo. His band broke all attendance records and was very popular with Armstrong, Ellington and others. Probably because Guy Lombardo never tried to be what he wasn't, and always stuck to what he did best. Sweet, schmaltzy dance music.

 

[LizzieMaine]

For swing, Ellington and Goodman

For sweet, Hal Kemp.

For pure *entertainment* value, Kay Kyser.

 

[Forgotten Man]

It really was a tossup between Cab and Armstrong for me... I feel he could swing hard and he had some just amazing arrangements... there's an early 30s number he did I believe the name of the song is "Father's got his Glasses on"... The song builds and then toward the middle of the song Cab comes in and just scats... amazing, really quite a talent to scat and drive a hot dance number like that without saying a real word!

 

[Aristaeus]

I totally forgot about Artie Shaw and only threw the Dorsey Brothers in there to fill up the ten spots. As explained in my first post I didn't post the lesser known bands because I didn't have enough poll spots and well frankly regardless of how good they are the bands I listed are there for a reason, they were good and populer. I was just curious who came in first among the Big Bands that seem to dominate the genere.

 

[R. L.]

Cool thread if just for those of us who are new listeners to the genre but are looking for more bands to listen to. You all have dropped a lot of names...