big band
A large jazz ensemble typically featuring 12-25 musicians organised into brass, reed, and rhythm sections.
In Depth
Big bands dominated American popular music during the Swing Era (1930s-1940s). The standard big band includes five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, and a rhythm section of piano, bass, drums, and guitar. Arrangements balance written ensemble passages with improvised solos. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman led the most influential big bands. While no longer commercially dominant, big bands remain vital in jazz education and continue to evolve.
The Swing Era was so massive that big band leaders like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller were the equivalent of today's biggest pop stars, filling stadiums and dominating radio.