The big band sound of the 1930s and 1940s was part of what type of music?

Swing is a style of music derived from "purer" jazz, emphasizing a danceable beat and solo performances withing a broader written orchestration.

A big band is a jazz orchestra composed of anywhere from 10 to 25 musicians, with 14-18 being the usual complement.

Big bands tend to play a lot of swing because the two were almost designed for each other. Swing music is arranged for an ensemble who perform the melody while individual musicians take ad-lib solos during the piece.

Of course, the best way to understand what big band swing is, is to listen to it! Search for some of these artists and recordings:

• Benny Goodman: Don't Be That Way; Sing, Sing, Sing; Down South Camp Meeting; Blue Skies, Clarinet a la King
• Count Basie: One O'Clock Jump; Satin Doll; Doggin' Around
• Tommy Dorsey: Marie; Opus One; Well, Git It!; Song of India
• Glenn Miller: In the Mood; String of Pearls; Little Brown Jug; Sun Valley Jump
• Duke Ellington: Take the "A" Train; Mood Indigo; Harlem Air Shaft, Black and Tan Fantasy
• Artie Shaw: Nightmare, Begin the Beguine; Octoroon; Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise
• Chick Webb: Stompin' at the Savoy; If Dreams Come True