We are now in our third year, can now usually perform with a full complement of eighteen         musicians, and have expanded our musical horizons. Although we have not abandoned our         WWII dance tunes, because the majority of engagements we play are for dancing,  we have       acquired a number of arrangements encompassing big band  styles from  the fifties up to the      early  eighties.   Some of these, some would consider as purely jazz tunes, and would be            played only for an audience that preferred listening to dancing.  Some are tunes once                  considered jazz tunes, but which modern jazz purists would label as "old time swing".

Acknowledging that there is sometimes a fine dividing line between danceable swing and jazz,     we are careful to tailor our performances to the type of audience expected.


Operating a big band  is, without a doubt, one of the biggest challenges I have ever undertaken.
Unlike small groups, whose membership in generally constant, the personnel of a big band, any   big band, tends to be quite fluid in comparison.  Many of the band's members are active with     other organizations as well, we all have day jobs and must attend to other committments that      life imposes upon  us. 

 
We maintain a list of available substitutes, to fill in a position whenever a regular member            cannot be present.  Subs, as they are called, are required to attend a few rehearsals just prior to   a particular engagement, so that they will be familiar with the arrangements we play, and thus     guaranteeing that we are able to maintain the quality of performance.
                                               

                                           To Be Continued
                                            
                                              



"Getting a band together is not too difficult a proposition if you have           plenty of money, or backing, or a name as a leader, or at least a definite      job in view. As it happened, when I started out one day in March, 1934, 
I had none of those things."  Benny Goodman, 1939

At least, when Goodman started out, that unique American invention, "The Big Band" , was        already an established concept.  Bands and orchestras of various sizes existed, but the big          band was created for the purpose of filling a dance hall with more sound than a small combo      could generate.  Electronic amplification of the power and fidelity available today, simply            didn't exist.
 
A "big band"could be from 10 to 18 musicians, with instrumentation generally consisting of a     trumpet section, trombone section and saxophone section, with some sax players doubling on     clarinet. All this was held together by the rhythm section of piano, bass, drums and often           guitar.

There were lots of musicians around, so at least getting  enough players to start a band was a     small problem.  All music was live at the time, even that heard on the radio was performed by     a band or orchestra in the radio station's studio.  Sound was still new to movies, and even if       music was included, it was generally of the background variety.  The concept of music on         film, purely for the for the  sake of the musical performance, was still a ways in the                  future. There being a constant demand for live  music, there was an ample supply of musicians  ready to provide it.

 
When I started Victory Swing, I at least had a definite job in view.  The problem was, it             wasn't going to pay anything. It was to be a benefit performance at an event put on for the         purpose of raising funds for the WWII Memorial, in Washington, D.C. Prospective members     were told up front that the band was being formed for the purpose of playing strictly WWII       era music for an audience that was expected to include a number of WWII veterans.

 
I had managed to acquire a couple of books of swing era big band arrangements. Some were     the original versions of the tunes, some were "watered down" arrangements of popular tunes      of the era, some were simply awful.  I advertised for players, emphasizing that those applying    should be those who would play simply for the love of the music. Money was incidental and,     it being a sizeable organization, the money wouldn't be much.  If anyone was looking for  a        steady paying gig, they should look elsewhere. If the band did well, we could decide                  collectively to keep it going. 
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