THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BAND

The Big Band tradition

Synopsis

When jazz bands of the past organized themselves as orchestras, with brass ensembles playing around the rhythm section, this led to the birth of the Big Bands.

Fletcher Henderson, pianist, conductor, arranger, and composer, is credited with creating the first Big Band. Among the most famous were those of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Many such bands continued into the 1960s, including those of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway, and Artie Shaw.

Today they are rather rare, but the tradition continues thanks to The Amazing Keystone Big Band.