Big Band Big band refers to a jazz group of 10 or more musicians, usually featuring at least three trumpets, two or more trombones, four or more saxophones, and a rhythm section of accompanists playing some combination of piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Big-band music as a concept for music fans is identified most with the swing era, though there were large, jazz-oriented dance bands before the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s and large …showed first 75 words of 3225 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3225 total…expression of cool jazz artisits. Funky jazz borrowed elements from the African American churches of the day. The scale used in funky jazz was very similar to the scale which had been used in early blues and had been refined through it's use in church music. The predominance of blues notes during this period resulted in many players actually playing pieces in minor keys. Important artists in the genre included Sonny Rollins and Cannonball Adderly.