big band
noun
: a band that is larger than a combo and that usually features a mixture of ensemble playing and solo improvisation typical of jazz or swing
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web All of this is backed by a manic big band soundscape. 
Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 The long-running big band led by trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2022 Staton began to perform on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of clubs and theaters for Black audiences and performers that traced its roots to the ’30s, when big band music was the chief draw, and was later a critical incubator of early rock ‘n’ roll. David Gambacorta, Longreads, 13 July 2022 Norman was a former big band singer who turned songwriter in the late 1950s. Variety, NBC News, 11 July 2022 Today, Tremonti is temporarily trading in his hard-rock setup for a big band ensemble — one that includes surviving members of Sinatra’s own orchestra. Amanda Peukert, SPIN, 30 May 2022 Patrons of South Side jazz clubs in the 1950s might have noticed something a bit different about pianist Sun Ra’s big band — slowly at first, then all at once. Hannah Edgar, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2022 At the same time, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis’ big band that follows in Ellington’s footsteps, performed at the Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, while the Harlem Quartet nodded in Ellington’s direction at the Wallis. Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2022 An orchestral tribute to Duke Ellington, the big band leader who also composed symphonies. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2022 See More
Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 The long-running big band led by trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis. Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2022 Staton began to perform on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of clubs and theaters for Black audiences and performers that traced its roots to the ’30s, when big band music was the chief draw, and was later a critical incubator of early rock ‘n’ roll. David Gambacorta, Longreads, 13 July 2022 Norman was a former big band singer who turned songwriter in the late 1950s. Variety, NBC News, 11 July 2022 Today, Tremonti is temporarily trading in his hard-rock setup for a big band ensemble — one that includes surviving members of Sinatra’s own orchestra. Amanda Peukert, SPIN, 30 May 2022 Patrons of South Side jazz clubs in the 1950s might have noticed something a bit different about pianist Sun Ra’s big band — slowly at first, then all at once. Hannah Edgar, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2022 At the same time, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis’ big band that follows in Ellington’s footsteps, performed at the Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, while the Harlem Quartet nodded in Ellington’s direction at the Wallis. Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2022 An orchestral tribute to Duke Ellington, the big band leader who also composed symphonies. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1917, in the meaning defined above