LESSON #19

Swing and Mainstream Styles,

Part 2

This lesson supports the following GOALS:

[Goal #1] Students will gain an appreciation of traditional jazz and the continuing value of this music.

[Goal #2] Students will become acquainted with the variety of styles within the traditional jazz genre, and with some of its major figures.

[Goal #4] Students will play traditional jazz.

This lesson supports the following OBJECTIVES:

1.1    Students will become acquainted with what well-played traditional jazz sounds like.

2.25   Students will become acquainted with what the Swing Style of traditional jazz sounds like.

2.27   Students will become acquainted with the distinguishing characteristics of the Swing Style of traditional jazz.

2.29   Students will become acquainted with some of the pioneers of the Swing Style of traditional jazz.

4.13   Students will rehearse a tune in the Swing Style of traditional jazz.

 

RATIONALE: The students have gained an appreciation of the Swing Style of traditional jazz, and will now enjoy creating this sound.

NATIONAL STANDARDS SUPPORTED: See Appendix C.

KIT COMPONENTS:

■ Audio: Track 15, “Who’s Sorry Now” by Bob Crosby’s Bob Cats

■ Music: “Thanks a Million” or “Tin Roof Blues”

 

Bob Crosby’s Bob Cats

ACTIVITY (app. 35 minutes):

1. Play online audio track 15 again, “Who’s Sorry Now” by Bob Crosby’s Bob Cats, 1937 (app. 5 minutes).

2. Discuss with the students their impressions of the audio track (app. 5 minutes).  How many of the stylistic elements of Swing Style were they able to hear?  (See table at the end of Lesson #17.)

3. Print out and rehearse the “Thanks a Million” arrangement (Level 3) or “Tin Roof Blues” arrangement (Level 2), depending on your students’ capability level (app. 20 minutes).  These arrangements mix “tutti” ensemble passages and polyphonic ensemble passages. In “Thanks a Million”, the students improvise the ensemble passages polyphonically; in “Tin Roof Blues” they are written out polyphonically.  Likewise, solos are improvised in “Thanks a Million”, while suggested solos are written out in “Tin Roof Blues” for the use of students who have not yet learned to improvise.  Whichever arrangement you choose to rehearse, your students should concentrate on phrasing with a “triplet” feel; an approximate notation is:

 

 

Instrumentation considerations:

 • For the Swing Style, use guitar rather than banjo.

 • String bass is normally used rather than tuba.

 • “Tin Roof Blues” includes a tenor saxophone part; “Thanks a Million” does not.

 

EVALUATION:  Were the students able to create a Swing Style sound with their instruments?

 

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:  Encourage the students to explore some of the additional Swing and Mainstream Style recordings cited in the Style Guide.  Challenge them to pick a solo or ensemble passage by their instrument from one of these recordings (or from Track 1, 15 or 16 from the online audio tracks), transcribe it, and learn to play it.  This is a great way to begin to internalize the “language” of these styles.