From Roots to Fusion —Episode 4

At the height of this fourth episode, racial discrimination and segregation is very strong, especially in large American cities. So much so that many times African-American musicians had to paint their faces white to avoid causing problems with the public. In this context, and while the work for small bands is slowly drying up, three talented and ambitious musicians venture into the format of big band: Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Lionel Hampton.

On the other hand, in this installment a fairly new voice appears in jazz: the saxophone. Of the five saxophones available, the most frequently played in the genre were the alto (Eb) and tenor (Bb) and less frequently the soprano (Bb) and baritone (Eb). With them, the history of jazz entered a new chapter: swing.