Big Band Music should make a huge comeback. I say this because:
1) I sang some Jazzy, big band type music in voice lessons recently.
2) I have an audition for a Jazz singer position coming up.
3) I have been listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Connick Jr. for the last hour or so.
4) It's the first thing that popped into my head when I read the prompt, so I'm going to run with it.
I'm a big fan of classic styles (that's not the right word but I can't think of what would work better). Things from decades past that very few people continue to use/wear/listen to today. Big Band music is one of those things. I know that it's not completely dead, Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. are both helping to keep this music style fresh and memorable and for that I thank them both.
But more than just the music, I wish that more people appreciated the life and joy that Big Band Music brings with it. I love the idea of loads of people going to swing clubs and dancing to this wonderful music, listening to great singers perform songs like "Fly Me To The Moon" or "I Could Write A Book".
Today the prevailing music is full of performers who seem to have forgotten that great music is more than just fancy voice distortion or crazy costumes or effects. Music is about the message the song is trying to convey, the emotion behind that message and the simple need for music to say what pure speech can't.
No one truly dances anymore either, at least not dancing like they had in the 40's. I know a little bit of Swing Dancing and it is so much fun. I also just like the idea of going out to a club where everyone knows the same dances (and they're truly dances, not just rubbing up against each other on an extremely crowded floor).
Jazz and Big Band Songs are also some of the most touching songs that I've ever heard (which is why they work so well in movies). Songs like "The Way You Look Tonight" or "Someone to Watch Over Me" always make me sigh like the hopeless romantic that I am. Other songs can be more complex and quite sad (though the melody may make it seem otherwise), like "Love For Sale" or, on a more sinister note, "Mack The Knife" (thank you Dr. Pasto!)
The point is, I wish that more music had the soul and passion all of the famous Jazz Standards and Big Band music has. When I listen to the music that's popular today, being the music nerd I am, I feel sad. So much of our music now is pop, techno business, too focused on special effects and mixing instead of on the message of the song itself. Sometimes less is more.
"Won't you tell him, please,
To put on some speed?
Follow my lead,
Oh how I need
Someone to watch over me".
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