There are plenty of arguments about this category but your author takes the more popular approach to defining this jazz sound. First of all, Classic & Trad (Traditional) Jazz is quite broad, starting with the 20’s and continuing into the 60’s. In the 20’s the groups had a Dixieland flavor, using many of the instruments but adding wildly popular “flapper girls” on the dance floor with their short fringe skirts and colorful hairdos, scarves, etc. The sound was very bright and such popular musicians as King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, Buddy Bolden, Bix Beiderbecke, and Red Nichols delighted audiences with such hits as Clarinet Marmalade, There’ll Be Some Changes Made, Ballin’ The Jack, Margie, Dinah and I’m Just Wild About Harry. Notice that there weren’t a lot of vocalists. Oh to be sure there were notable exceptions such as the gravel-voiced Louis Armstrong but many of the hits were highly popular without the vocal versions. In fact from the early years of the 20th Century through the 20s, New York was known for its "Tin Pan Alley," named after an actual street, West 28th. Here music publishers hired songwriters on a permanent basis to come up with all kinds of great music, and they did!
In the 30’s the sound softened somewhat. Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees aretypical and the saxophone became a popular featured instrument, along with violins.Banjos weren’t as popular, and although drums were still used, they were kept for themost part in the background. Vocals came back and most every band had at least one featured vocalist on hand. Ever heard of Ella Fitzgerald? The first half of the 30s was more of the “sweet” sound and Guy Lombardo was a favorite. The last half developed more of a “swing” feel with Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw leading thepack. Other notable stars in this musical decade include Jack Hilton & his Orchestra, Ted Weems & His Orchestra featuring singer Perry Como, Ray Noble, and Billie Holiday.Favorite songs of the era include: The Very Thought Of You, Goodnight Sweetheart,Vagabond Lover, Heartaches, and Time On My Hands. Interestingly, although Heartaches was recorded by Ted Weems in 1933 for some inexplicable reason it didn’tbecome a hit until 1947. It is since regarded as one of the greatest rhythm arrangementsever recorded.