Subgenre

Big Band

219 profiles tagged Big Band, A-Z.

Big bands developed in the United States during the 1920s and matured through the 1930s and 1940s swing era, expanding jazz ensembles to roughly ten to twenty-five musicians organized into distinct saxophone, brass, and rhythm sections playing written arrangements. The format allowed for rich orchestral voicings, call-and-response between sections, and room for individual soloists within a tightly arranged framework, and it powered the era's popular dance-hall culture. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Fletcher Henderson were among its most important bandleaders and arrangers.

Akira Sakata Alto Saxophone Akitoshi Igarashi Alto saxophone Aldo Rossi Alto Saxophone ✦ 1911–1979 Alessandro Zolo Double Bass Alfio Galigani Clarinet ✦ 1924–2010 Ali Jackson Drums Alon Yavnai Piano Anat Cohen Clarinet Andrea Tofanelli Trumpet Andy Hunter Trombone Antonino Pedone Baritone Saxophone Antonio Pitzoi Guitar Arnie Lawrence Alto ✦ 1938–2005 Arnon Palty Bass Arthur Krasnobaev Trumpet Attilio Donadio Alto Saxophone ✦ 1925–1999 Avi Lebovich Trombone B.B. King Guitar ✦ 1925–2015 Baldo Panfili Trumpet Battista Lena Guitar Bernard McKinney (Kiane Zawadi) Euphonium ✦ 1932–2024 Bill Perkins Tenor and baritone saxophone ✦ 1924–2003 Bill Saxton Tenor saxophone Billy Drewes Tenor Billy Harper Tenor saxophone Bob Brookmeyer Valve trombone ✦ 1929–2011 Bobby Shew Trumpet Bruno Tommaso Double Bass Cab Calloway Vocals (scat singing) ✦ 1907–1994 Cettina Donato Piano Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Tenor saxophone Charles Davis Baritone ✦ 1933–2016 Christian McBride Double bass Claude Bolling Piano ✦ 1930–2020 Claudio Corvini Trumpet Coleman Hawkins Tenor saxophone ✦ 1904–1969 Count Basie Orchestra Big band Craig Handy Tenor saxophone Danilo Terenzi Trombone ✦ 1956–1995 Dante Casu Alto Saxophone Deborah Weisz Trombone Dick Spencer Alto saxophone Dino Betti van der Noot Composer Dino Piana Trombone (valve) ✦ 1930–2023 Dizzy Gillespie Trumpet ✦ 1917–1993 Domenico Riina Trumpet Don Baldwin Double bass ✦ 1940–2024 Don Sebesky Trombone ✦ –2023 Duke Ellington Piano ✦ 1899–1974 Earl Gardner Trumpet Eddie Sauter Composition ✦ 1914–1981 Eden Bareket Baritone saxophone Edoardo De Risi Bandleader Emilio Soana Trumpet ✦ 1943–2025 Eraldo Volonté Tenor saxophone ✦ 1918–2003 Eric Miyashiro Trumpet Eyal Vilner Alto Saxophone Fat Cat Big Band Big Band Federico Pierantoni Trombone Filippo Sebastianelli Tenor Saxophone Fletcher Henderson Piano ✦ 1897–1952 Francesco Marchese Tenor Saxophone Franco Piana Trumpet Frank Foster Tenor saxophone ✦ 1928–2011 Frank Greene Trumpet Frank Wess Tenor saxophone ✦ 1922–2013 Fred Nardin Piano Fumio Nanri Trumpet ✦ 1910–1975 Gabriele Comeglio Alto Saxophone Gap Mangione Piano Gary Foster Alto & tenor saxophone ✦ 1936–2026 Gary Smulyan Baritone saxophone Gaspare Palazzolo Tenor Saxophone Gavino Mele French Horn George Kawaguchi Drums ✦ 1927–2003 Gerry Mulligan Baritone saxophone ✦ 1927–1996 Giacomo Uncini Trumpet ✦ 1980–2025 Giampaolo Casati Trumpet Gianni Oddi Alto Saxophone Gianpiero Carta Alto Saxophone Gil Cuppini Drums ✦ 1924–1996 Gil Evans Piano ✦ 1912–1988 Giorgio Azzolini Double bass ✦ 1928–2024 Giuliano Perin Vibraphone Glauco Benedetti Tuba Glauco Masetti Alto saxophone ✦ 1922–2001 Greg Gisbert Trumpet Harry James Trumpet ✦ 1916–1983 Henghel Gualdi Clarinet ✦ 1924–2005 Himiko Kikuchi Piano Ingrid Jensen Trumpet J.C. Heard Drums ✦ 1917–1988 James Moody Tenor saxophone ✦ 1925–2010 Jason Lindner Piano Jay Anderson Double bass Jay Lawrence Drums Jeff Hamilton Drums Jim McNeely Piano; composition ✦ 1949–2025 Jim Pugh Tenor trombone Jimmie Lunceford Alto saxophone ✦ 1902–1947 Jimmy Heath Tenor saxophone ✦ 1926–2020 Jimmy Knepper Trombone ✦ 1927–2003 Joe Gallant Bass (upright and electric) Joe McCarthy Drums John Clayton Double bass John Lee Electric bass Jonathan Voltzok Trombone Julius Hemphill Alto saxophone ✦ 1938–1995 Julius Watkins French horn; trumpet (1943-1950, before switching permanently to horn) ✦ 1921–1977 Kei Marimura Vocals Ken Peplowski Clarinet ✦ 1959–2026 Kenny Clarke Drums ✦ 1914–1985 Kenny Werner Piano Kenny Wheeler Trumpet ✦ 1930–2014 Lew Tabackin Tenor saxophone Lionel Hampton Vibraphone ✦ 1908–2002 Little Johnny Rivero Congas Livio Cerveglieri Tenor Saxophone Luca Gusella Vibraphone Luca Piana Drums Luca Pirozzi Double Bass Luca Uras Trumpet Luigi Grasso Alto Saxophone Luna Watanabe Alto Saxophone Mamelo Gaitanopoulos Tenor Saxophone Marcello Tonolo Piano Marco Castelli Saxophones (Tenor, Soprano, Sopranino) Marco Postacchini Tenor Saxophone Maria Schneider Composer Mariano Tedde Piano Mario Corvini Trombone Mario Pezzotta Trombone (also bombardino and bass tuba early in his career) ✦ 1920–2004 Martin Wind Double bass Masato Honda Alto saxophone Massimo Carboni Tenor Saxophone Massimo Morganti Trombone Massimo Nunzi Trumpet Massimo Pirone Trombone Maurizio Rolli Electric bass Mauro Negri Clarinet Mehdi Chaib Tenor saxophone Mel Lewis Drums ✦ 1929–1990 Michael Philip Mossman Trumpet Michel Legrand Piano ✦ 1932–2019 Miho Hazama Composition Miki Hirose Trumpet Nadje Noordhuis Trumpet Natsuki Tamura Trumpet Nicholas Payton Trumpet Nick Finzer Trombone Nicola Fazzini Alto Saxophone Noble Sissle Vocals (tenor) ✦ 1889–1975 Nobuo Hara Tenor Saxophone ✦ 1926–2021 Norio Maeda Piano ✦ 1934–2018 Obed Calvaire Drums Oded Lev-Ari Piano Oded Meir Trombone Oscar Pettiford Double bass ✦ 1922–1960 Paolo Damiani Cello Paolo Nonnis Drums ✦ 1950–2026 Paolo Tomelleri Saxophone Paul West Double bass Peppe Carta Double Bass ✦ 1912–1997 Peter Donald Drums Peter Erskine Drums Peter Guidi Saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor) ✦ 1949–2018 Phil Woods Alto saxophone ✦ 1931–2015 Pietro Iodice Drums Pietro Tonolo Tenor Saxophone Pino Iodice Piano Quincy Jones Trumpet ✦ 1933–2024 Ray Charles Piano ✦ 1930–2004 Riccardo Fassi Piano Robert Bonisolo Tenor Roberto Magris Piano Roberto Rossi Trombone Roberto Tola Guitar Roland Hanna Piano ✦ 1932–2002 Rufus Reid Double bass Ryan Kisor Trumpet Ryo Kusunose Alto saxophone Salvatore Moraccini Trombone Salvatore Pizzo Trombone Salvatore Pizzurro Trombone Sandro Cerino Saxophones (alto, soprano, tenor, baritone, sopranino) Scott Robinson Saxophones (soprano to contrabass, plus C-melody) Sebastiano Alioto Drums Serge Chaloff Baritone saxophone ✦ 1923–1957 Sergio Rigon Baritone Saxophone ✦ 1934–2014 Sherrie Maricle Drums Shigemichi Domoto Trombone Skippy Williams Tenor saxophone ✦ 1916–1994 Slide Hampton Trombone ✦ 1932–2021 Stan Kenton Piano ✦ 1911–1979 Stefano Travaglini Double Bass ✦ 1955–2025 Steve Wilson Alto saxophone Sun Ra Piano ✦ 1914–1993 Tadayuki Harada Baritone saxophone Takeshi Inomata Drums ✦ 1936–2024 Tal Varon Alto Tamir Hendelman Piano Tanya Darby Trumpet Tatsuya Takahashi Tenor saxophone ✦ 1931–2008 Ted Nash Alto saxophone Thad Jones Trumpet ✦ 1923–1986 The Anzic Orchestra Orchestra Tom Harrell Trumpet Tony Cattano Trombone Toshiko Akiyoshi Piano Toshiyuki Miyama Alto Saxophone ✦ 1921–2016 Tullio Mobiglia Tenor saxophone ✦ 1911–1991 Valentina Cappello Trumpet Vito Giordano Trumpet Walt Weiskopf Tenor saxophone Walter Blanding Tenor saxophone Wycliffe Gordon Trombone Wynton Marsalis Trumpet Yaron Ouzana Trombone Yu Kuga Tenor Saxophone

← See every subgenre