Looking to get into big band
 

As the title says, I really want to get into '30s-'40s big band style music. What's the best place to start?

Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman are good places to start!

Glenn Miller - String of Pearls


Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing

If you want to get into some neo-big band, you could check out Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.



My suggested album would be their Americana Deluxe from 1998.

edit :

Squirrel Nut Zippers may not fit the big band description perfectly, but they do retro swing jazz and other genres and are very good I think. :)



Suggested album would be Perennial Favorites, also from 1998!

I highly recommend any of the albums that Miles Davis put out with collaborated with composer/arranger Gil Evans, mainly Birth of the Cool and Miles Ahead. Most people really only gravitate toward Davis' be-bop and post-bop material, but there is a wealthy of large orchestra work to be found by him before that.

If your more into the 30's classic swing era sound then Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie are definitely the way to go, for starters at least.

Big band? Count Basie? Duke Ellington? Charles Mingus? They were mostly swing (Mingus was bop and hard bop I believe), but that's a good place to start if you want big bands.

Dave Holland actually has a nice big band recording. I haven't listened to it myself, but I've heard enough by reputation.

peace,
-nick

pretty much my exact answer.. i would only add Cab Calloway.

but for my money Basie and Ellington were the best. Ellington is imo maybe the most important figure in Jazz, period, behind Louis Armstrong. But I guess that's very debatable. :)

I'd say the best would be Duke Ellington, because he had the best big band ;). I'd recommend the double CD collection 'The Okeh Ellington' to start with, as it has about 50 tracks. You can probably find it cheap, too. Ellington's got a huge catalog, though, and just about anything will be great.

Don't forget the Fletcher Henderson band, which had Coleman Hawkins.

I'd recommend trying some jump blues.
Among others, try

Louis Prima
Louis Jordan
Big Joe Turner
Wynonie Harris (look for his early stuff with Lucky Millinder)
Mr 5 x 5, Jimmy Rushing
Jimmy Liggins