Music of the 30's

Perhaps in part to honor the Great Recession I’ve been listening to some excellent music from the 1930’s era. The combo of swing, jazz, and big band sounds yield some truly amazing work. Many songs from this period of music, songs like Stardust, As Time Goes By, and The Man I Love, are timeless.

Great clarinet solos, trumpets, saxophones, and pianos take the lead in danceable, often carefree tunes. Some virtuosos, like Earl Hines or Teddy Wilson, approach compositions of classical complexity.

Earl Hines was a brilliant performer.

As was Count Basie.

Indiana was an awesome tune. (Note: Unfortunately, all I can share with you are mostly videos from the early 60's when the compositions featured are performed with more of a 40's and 50's influence than the more "straight-laced" approach of the pristine 30's.)

It’s difficult to put into words why I like this music. I’ve always enjoyed the music of the 30’s. It is easy, clean, innocent, yet sophisticated in a refined way that might be cliché in the postmodern reality.

But, in most ways I’m hardly postmodern. The music of the 30’s reminds me that things were once slower, hopeful, there was no global warming, there was no harm in smoking, the second world war and the cold war were as yet unknown, there are nice wool suits and gorgeous colored dresses, and there is the promise that you can do what you want - best if you do it with someone else, times being hard and all.