So, it's Friday night and you're probably plotting what to do with your evening. Quite likely, it'll be the choice of three things. Either stay in with crap panel show on TV or shove in a DVD, go down the pub or, visit the local town centre to see what nightlife is on offer.
A lot of people opt for the clubs, places which can be confusing and a waste of time. You?ll either get some DJ?s who won't bother working the room and playing records depending on the crowd?s mood. Instead, they?ll drop tracks to suit themselves. Only superstars and overly paid DJ?s can do this. The humble pleb DJ who uses a copy of iTunes can't.
Back in the 1940?s and 50?s, the nightclub world didn't exist. Instead, the yoof back then attended a manner of concert halls to dance to a variety of swing and jazz. The songs weren't played on vinyl, but via live bands who made the experience more interesting by parping ’til their eyes popped.
Go to a nightclub now, and the places are dripping with sweat, packed to the rafters and crawling with creeps who?ll offer you a drink; all in the assumption they?ll get to fondle your thighs. The big band scene just looked that bit more sophisticated. A cool hang out.
Nowadays, we have pesky Dizzy Rascal, but in the 1940?s, a man called Dizzy Gillespie was making music. Christ did he know how to move around a stage, control an orchestra and play a trumpet.
Here he is performing in 1947:
Away from Dizzie inventing bop, Ella Mae Morse was also on the scene bringing some glitz and glamour with her clear and sassy vocals.
And because modern life will never escape us, some karaoke style lyrics appear on this video for you to howl along with. Saying, that the song may be more familiar to some of you than you think.
Finally, we've found a cracking hour long performance from Duke Ellington who amazingly composed over 1,000 pieces of music.
Brass instruments have never sounded so ace. If you don't vaguely attempt to get up and dance during this footage, something is wrong with you. Seriously. There is.
So there we have it! Can we please have a return to the big brass sound please? We’ll get drunk and lose our baps all the same, but at least we’ll be afforded the opportunity of feeling vaguely sophisticated for a change.
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