Popular Music: Those Swingin' Cats

The Benny Goodman Orchestra

The early days of the Depression sent authentic jazz underground. But in 1934, a kid named Benny Goodman formed a band to bring “real jazz” back to the public. On the last set of a disappointing cross-country tour, a frustrated Goodman told his sidemen to let it “swing.” His audience at the Palomar Ballroom in Hollywood went wild, ushering in the swing era and big bands.

Swing was a variation on the traditional Dixieland two-beat, staccato jazz style. It had four, smoothed-out, even beats to a measure. Swing was pioneered by Fletcher Henderson, who also created the five-piece saxophone section, the heart of the big band sound.

Big bands became big business. The radio popularized them by broadcasting weekly performances from hotel ballrooms. Millions tuned in to chase away Depression-era blues. Names like Duke Ellington, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa became household words. Their fame encouraged thousands of young people to play an instrument.

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King Porter Stomp
performed by Benny Goodman Orchestra

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One O’Clock Jump
performed by Count Basie Orchestra

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A-Tisket, A-Tasket
performed by Ella Fitzgerald and the Chick Webb Orchestra

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I’ll Never Smile Again
performed by Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

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White Christmas
by Irving Berlin, performed by Bing Crosby

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John Henry
performed by Woodie Guthrie

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Bloomdido
performed by Bebop pioneers Charlie Parker,  Dizzy Gillespie and Buddy Rich

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Body and Soul
performed by Coleman Hawkins

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I’ve Got Rhythm
performed by the Quintet of Hot Club of France featuring Larry Adler, Django Reinhardt, and Stephane Grappelli

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Caldonia
performed by Louis Jordan

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Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds
performed by Gene Autry

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San Antonio Rose
performed by Bob Willis and his Texas Playboys