TY - JOUR TI - Contemporary big band music DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T32V2K1K PY - 2017 AB - This study seeks to illuminate a largely unknown yet vibrant contemporary music scene, that of the big band, and distance this current scene from the nostalgia associated with the swing music of the 1930s and 1940s while respecting the depth of the ensemble’s history. Given the scarcity of academic research available in this area, interviews have been conducted with leading composers, bandleaders, performers, and educators in order to supplement the modest available research. These interviews form the foundation of the study, and are both quoted throughout and included in full in the Appendix. Rather than seeking to be a comprehensive investigation into the current big band scene, this study instead focuses on several issues that arose during the research and interview processes. These issues include the economics of running a big band and the effects of funding sources, the use of new media technologies for the dissemination of big band music, the role of the university system in big band and jazz music, and the connection between the ensemble and musical conservatism. The study concludes with a survey and analysis of six big band charts written by living composers in order to explore the music itself, complementing the exploration of the scene. KW - Music KW - Big bands LA - eng ER -