Count Basie
His mother taught him playing the piano and he started performing when he was a teen. After he dropped out of school, he learned how to operate lights for vaudeville and to invent complement for silent films at his local home theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. By the time he was 16 he had increasingly played Jazz Piano at resorts, parties and their prestigious occasions. He went to Harlem where he expanded his career before forming his own Jazz orchestra ad taking them to Chicago. He led the group for over half a century and created innovations like the use of the two “split” tenor saxophones, riffing with a big band, emphasizing a rhythm section, broadening their sounds using arrangers. He led many musicians to prominence. One of the most common features of the classic jazz of April in Paris is the sterling solos with trumpet solo at 00:50.
Duke Ellington
He embraced the phrase “beyond category” for those who embraced him and called his music “America Music”. He was one of the most influential Africa American personalities in the twentieth century. He melded his members of orchestra musicians into one of the best unit the Jazz history. He was prudent in writing miniatures for three minutes 78 rmp records format. He composed specifically for the skills and styles of his personal musicians. He extensive oeuvre was the largest recorded legacy o personal Jazz and he innovated over a thousand compositions while most of his existent work became standard. He had eloquence and extraordinary charisma that help in elevation of the jazz perception to an art form on par with other genres of music of traditions. His song “Take the A Train” gives fascinatingly all different sound. The most outstanding feature is the trumpet solo at 04:25.
Glenn Miller
He was a big band musician in America, a band leader and composer in the era of swing. He was the bestselling recording artist from 1939-1943. He also played football and won the Colorado Football Conference in 1920 with his school team. He was very interested in a new music style called “dance band music”. This carried him away and formed his own band together with his classmates. After attending college he stayed away from school most of the time attending auditions and playing any gigs he could get more so Boyd Senter’s Band. He failed three out of five classes in one of the semester and dropped out of school. He latter recorded his signature tunes called “Moonlight Serenade”. He was as well notably known for playing for the Victor Young thus getting mentored by other professional musicians. He worked as trombonist and composer. He did not do well so he moved to New York and made the unique clarinet play melodic line with tenor saxophone holding identical note while the three other saxophones harmonized with a single octave. His song “In the Mood” has used very many riffs. There is a trumpet solo at 01:17.
Joe ‘King’ Olive
He was famous for his playing style and pioneering the use of mutes in Jazz. He had such an influence that Armstrong claimed “if it had not been for Joe Oliver, jazz would not be what it is today.” Hot jazz is his doing due to his collective improvisation style. He mentored and taught Louis Armstrong who idolized and called him Papa Joe. He was blinded in one eye and often played when sitting o a chair or leaning against the wall with a derby eye that would hide is eye. He was famous for using derbies, bottles, cups and mutes to modify the sound of his cornet. In his song he has used collective improvisation. For instance he used bottles at 01:27 to alter the tune.
