As the name implies, Big Bands are groups made up of several musicians. Its origins are in the jazz genre, and usually, there are three musical sections: brass, woodwind and percussion. Big Bands had their golden age during the roaring twenties when swing musc was at its height, and until the 1960s these bands were found in dance halls all over the world. However, in the 60s, pop bands started to become more popular, and as these groups had fewer members it was cheaper to hire them instead. Also, people’s musical tastes changed around this time, forcing Big Bands to take a back seat. While this doesn’t mean that they disappeared completely, since they still represent the jazz genre, they have now moved onto a more specialised circuit dedicated to this musical style.

Anastasia’s Early Performances

Anastasia’s early musical performances were with the orchestra of the Conservatory where she studied the saxophone professionally, however she was also part of a Big Band. This is no surprise, since the instrument that Anastasia plays so well, the saxophone, features strongly in jazz music. With the Big Band, Anastasia learned about a different type of music and began to learn about a musical style that was completely different from the classical genre she was studying. Thus, her training widened and gave her the experience that she needed to launch herself as a solo performer, playing in dance halls from the beginning of her university career. The money she received from these gigs together with her employment with one of the country’s most important banks, helped her to fund her studies. Soon, music was her full time occupation, although she did not give up her studies and earned her degree.

The experience with a Big Band

Without a doubt, these early experiences with the Big Band helped Anastasia to feel more comfortable on stage and made her more confident as a musician. Perhaps it also helped her to realise that the instrument that she loved so much was capable of much more than she had first thought and that classical music was just one of the paths that she could take. Only she knows just how much influence these experiences had on her, however when we see her perform on a stage, we appreciate everything that has brought her to where she is today.