[78-L] Big Band Era

[Donna Halper]

On 6/23/2020 10:22 PM, Rodger J Holtin wrote:
> Would anybody happen to know who coined the term "Big Band Era" or any
> variations thereof?


As you know, the term "Big Band" is actually quite old-- I find it in 
the 1890s, in advertisements for concert halls and county fairs, often 
referred to as a "big brass band" but sometimes just as a "big band." In 
the early 1940s, reviewers are talking about the "big name band era"-- 
in other words, the bandleaders are the stars, and the audience knows 
the bands by the name of the person who was the leader.  But I don't see 
any references to the "big band era" until the 1950s, as the music 
changed and music critics and reviewers were looking back on past trends.

-- 
Donna L. Halper, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
Lesley University, Cambridge MA