Riffs!
Episode notes At the Jazz Band Ball explores the riff — a short musical phrase that became one of the building blocks of swing. Hear how a few simple notes, repeated, varied, layered, and passed among musicians, could generate excitement and hold an entire arrangement together. Music (Artist): Carolina Shout (James P. Johnson, 1921); Squabblin' (Walter Page's Blue Devils, 1929); Stealin' Apples (Fletcher Henderson, 1936); Toby (Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, 1932); Moten Swing (Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, 1932); Out the Window (Count Basie, 1937); Jumpin' at the Woodside (Count Basie, 1938); Wrappin' It Up (Fletcher Henderson, 1934); For Dancers Only (Jimmie Lunceford, 1937); Spinnin' the Webb (Chick Webb, 1938); Christopher Columbus (Fletcher Henderson, 1936); In a Jam (Duke Ellington, 1936); C Jam Blues (excerpt) (Duke Ellington, 1942); Duke's Place (Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington, 1965); One O'Clock Jump (Count Basie, 1937), SET 1 — The Riff Takes Shape SET 2 — The Basie Method SET 3 — Riffs in Motion SET 4 — The Riff Returns Copyright 2026 Kevin McLaughlin
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