Jazz Articles about Billy Eckstine

About Billy Eckstine

Radio & Podcasts

Bebop Big Bands - Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, & Woody Herman (1940 - 1947)

by Russell Perry
April 2, 2019

Although Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Woody Herman soldiered on, mostly keeping bands on the road into the 1970s (Ellington) and 1980s (Basie and Herman), the era of the big band effectively ended with the American Federation of Musicians' strike and World War Two shortages of gas, rubber and players. A leaner combo-oriented music emerged in night clubs after the war. Several band leaders sought to find common ground with the new music and the big band format, but as ...

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Album Review

Billy Eckstine: The Legendary Big Band

Read "The Legendary Big Band" reviewed by Jim Santella

by Jim Santella
December 5, 2002

Legends have brought us to where we are today in modern music. When the classic sounds from 1944-1947 echo through the room, we recall innovators such as Billy Eckstine, who helped shape the second half of a century of jazz. Through the big bands of Earl Hines, Eckstine, and Dizzy Gillespie passed a significant number of bebop pioneers with their creative ideas and powerful resources. This 2-CD set includes material from both the National and DeLuxe labels. Eckstine’s crooning was ...