C-Jam Blues - Duke Ellington
Basic Facts
● Composer - Duke Ellington
● Year - 1942
● Style - Swing
● Inspiration - melody by clarinettist Barney Biggard
Characteristics of Swing
● Also known as the “big band era”
● 1935-1946
● Strong, anchoring rhythm section
● Loosely connected wind and brass sections
● Strings and vocals also common
● Soloists take turns improvising over supporting band
● Swing songs usually selected from Great American Songbook
● Swing heavily influenced traditional pop music
● Improvisation - dependent on arrangement and band
Swing Terminology
● Big band - an ensemble with rhythm, brass and woodwinds (12-25 players)
● Riff - a phrase repeated over changing melodies, often by rhythm section
● Hits - short harmonised single notes by brass/sax during during solos
● Swing (rhythm) - unequal quaver notes (e.g long short) that are accented (triplets)
● Walking bass - bassline, straight quarter, usually arpeggio or scale patterns to outline
the chord progression
Examples of Swing Band Leaders
● Duke Ellington
● Count Bassie
● Benny Goodman
● Glenn Miller
Musical Analysis
● Form - 12-bar blues
● Key - C major
● Tonality - major throughout; no modulation
● Chord Progression - I; IV; I; I; IV; IV; I; V; II; V; I; V; all chords are tetrachord
● Features a quaver riff (tonic to dominant riff)
● Several improvised solos (different instruments)
● Final solo in upper register, whole band joins at the end
Basic Facts
● Composer - Duke Ellington
● Year - 1942
● Style - Swing
● Inspiration - melody by clarinettist Barney Biggard
Characteristics of Swing
● Also known as the “big band era”
● 1935-1946
● Strong, anchoring rhythm section
● Loosely connected wind and brass sections
● Strings and vocals also common
● Soloists take turns improvising over supporting band
● Swing songs usually selected from Great American Songbook
● Swing heavily influenced traditional pop music
● Improvisation - dependent on arrangement and band
Swing Terminology
● Big band - an ensemble with rhythm, brass and woodwinds (12-25 players)
● Riff - a phrase repeated over changing melodies, often by rhythm section
● Hits - short harmonised single notes by brass/sax during during solos
● Swing (rhythm) - unequal quaver notes (e.g long short) that are accented (triplets)
● Walking bass - bassline, straight quarter, usually arpeggio or scale patterns to outline
the chord progression
Examples of Swing Band Leaders
● Duke Ellington
● Count Bassie
● Benny Goodman
● Glenn Miller
Musical Analysis
● Form - 12-bar blues
● Key - C major
● Tonality - major throughout; no modulation
● Chord Progression - I; IV; I; I; IV; IV; I; V; II; V; I; V; all chords are tetrachord
● Features a quaver riff (tonic to dominant riff)
● Several improvised solos (different instruments)
● Final solo in upper register, whole band joins at the end
