There are so many music ensembles around the world; however, some people don't take time to listen to them because they may be out of the decade they listen to, not their genre or just don't want to. Here is basically a list of some of who I believe to be successful ensembles, no matter the genre of music.
1.Glenn Miller Orchestra
Famous for their songs, "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "A String of Pearls" and the ever so popular, "In the Mood," Glenn Miller Orchestra is one of the most well known musical ensembles from the Jazz and Big Band Era. The director, after whom the band was named, was a famous trombone player from Iowa, who found his fame for mixing the lines clarinets would play with the tenor saxophones, which launched him into the limelight and cast his future as a famous band director. Sadly, he was on a flight from the United Kingdom to Paris, France when his plane hit a bout of rough weather and was lost somewhere in the English Channel; however, even though their famous leader had been lost, the band kept on playing.
2.The Beatles
Who doesn't remember this iconic picture from such an iconic band? Known for being the biggest figures in the America's "British Invasion" movement, The Beatles were famous for such classics as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," "Hey, Jude," and "Yellow Submarine". They broke down walls for other great groups, such as The Animals, The Who and U2, after their successful performance on the Ed Sullivan Show and successful concert at the Washington Coliseum. Sadly, the group split up in 1970, John Lennon was murdered in 1980, George Harrison died in 2001 after a battle with a non-small cell lung cancer that had spread to his brain.
3.Green Day
The band Green Day is one of my favorite modern groups. With hits like, "Holiday," "21 Guns," and "Wake Me Up When September Ends," how could you not like them? They have quite a wide array of styles. "21 Guns," for example, is more of like a ballad style, much like, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". "Holiday," however, is more of a very hardened style of Punk Rock. For those who are sensitive to Explicit content, I do not recommend that you start with "Holiday".
Fall Out Boy, a punk rock band that was started in 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois, is famous for iconic songs, such as "The Phoenix," "Thnx fr th Mmrs," and, most recently, "Uma Thurman". My personal favorite of theirs is "The Phoenix" which has been turned into an amazing marching band arrangement that has the right amount of intensity and dynamics; but, I digress. One thing they're most known for is "Immortals" from the movie, "Big Hero 6".
5. The Doobie Brothers
I'll be honest, this group has a tie for my favorite band with The Beatles. Some of their best known songs are "Long Train Runnin'," "What a Fool Believes," and "Listen to the Music," are the kind of upbeat thing you'd love to listen to on a sad day and just feel better about yourself. These songs are also reminiscent of the "hippie" style of songs of the 1960's.
These ensembles may be a little odd to be paired together; however, I feel they're either important or, like the Doobie Brothers, a group that should be known to you. This list doesn't even begin to cut it on ensembles with huge influences; however, it is a nice junk. This also doesn't mean there aren't important single artists, as well. This is just the beginning to a greater knowledge of musicians and ensembles that will help any music major, or something that just may be of intrigue to someone.
