Swing Era 1936-1937 - Cd002

Well-versed in classical piano, the gifted Fletcher Henderson established the beginnings of swing music and the BIG BAND SOUNDS with the 1936 creation of "Fletcher Henderson's Black Swan Jazz Masters." He was soon to incorporate the sounds of Harlem, New Orleans and an unknown trumpeter, Louis Armstrong, by using whole sections of his band to swing like soloists. Duke Ellington and other bands soon caught on to the style. By 1934, the Dorsey Brothers introduced a bouncier sound in their swinging big band. Simultaneously, Benny Goodman, in conjunction with Fletcher Henderson arrangements, perfected even greater sounds and style. Thus, at a period when Americans needed distraction and comfort from the plague of the Great Depression, relief was found with the evolution of BIG BAND SOUNDS.