100 pieces to know jazz – part 2, the 1930s
In the 1930s jazz was dominated by great musicians, who laid the foundations of the jazz language for all instruments. The great virtuosi of these years remained in some cases unsurpassed in the following decades, among them Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman and Lester Young. New musical instruments also appeared in this period, such as Charlie Christian’s electric guitar, or the vibraphone played by Lionel Hampton.
The 1930s were also the heyday of big band jazz, which we will address in the next section. Click on the links for more on the artist or the song. At the end of the article you will find the spotify playlist to listen to all the songs.
- Art Tatum – Tea for Two (1933)
- Coleman Hawkins – Body and Soul (1939)
- Charlie Christian – I’ve Found a New Baby
- Benny Goodman – Moonglow (1936)
- Lester Young – The Man I Love
- Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started (1937)
- Earl Hines – G.T.Stomp (1939)
- Lionel Hampton – Hot Mallets (1939)
- Fats Waller – Honeysuckle Rose
- Sidney Bechet – Sweet Georgia Brown
Other tracks
- Hot Lips Page, Thirsty Mama Blues
- Pete Johnson, Roll’Em Pete
- Roy Eldridge, After You’ve Gone
- Django Reinhards, Nuages