Making the Scene: Contemporary New York City Big Band Jazz - Softcover

Stewart, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520249542 ISBN 13: 9780520249547

Publisher: University of California Press, 2007

Synopsis

The received wisdom of popular jazz history is that the era of the big band was the 1930s and '40s, when swing was at its height. But as practicing jazz musicians know, even though big bands lost the spotlight once the bebop era began, they never really disappeared. "Making the Scene" challenges conventional jazz historiography by demonstrating the vital role of big bands in the ongoing development of jazz. Alex Stewart describes how jazz musicians have found big bands valuable. He explores the rich 'rehearsal band' scene in New York and the rise of repertory orchestras. "Making the Scene" combines historical research, ethnography, and participant observation with musical analysis, ethnic studies, and gender theory, dismantling stereotypical views of the big band.

About this title

Review:

"A gold mine of information. . . . Stewart takes his knowledge of, and observations on, the subject and weaves them into a compelling narrative."--"Music Educators Journal"

About the Author:

Alex Stewart, a former freelance jazz musician, is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Vermont.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0520249542
• ISBN 13: 9780520249547
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 420