RUFFIN: NOW, A JAZZ MOMENT

"It Don't Mean a Thing..."

RUFFIN: EARLY ON, JAZZ WAS DEFINED LARGELY BY THE SOUND OF SWINGIN' BIG BAND DANCE MUSIC. NEA JAZZ MASTER LOU DONALDSON:

DONALDSON: "Don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing." Most of the jazz before bebop was dance music. Every band played for dancing. And in the dance bands, you didn't have many solos. You maybe had one or two and that was it.

It Don't Mean a Thing fades into Woody 'N You

RUFFIN: THEN ALONG CAME BEBOP  … 

DONALDSON: But bebop you could play, everybody could play on every song. It was a different kind of setup. And that set everybody on that trend and started them playing that way.

Woody 'N You up and hot

THIS JAZZ MOMENT WITH ALTO SAXOPHONIST LOU DONALDSON, WAS PRODUCED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. _______________________________________________________
Excerpt of "It Don't Mean A Thing…" composed by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills from the album, Sophisticated Lady, used courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment and by permission of Music Sales Corp. (BMI).

Excerpt of "Woody 'n You" composed by Dizzy Gillespie from the album, Rainbow Mist, used courtesy of Delmark Records and by permission of Music Sales Corp. (BMI).