Even though I'm too young to have lived in the Big Band Era, my Dad had it going all the time and to this day it's my favorite. It's also one of the quickest ways to elicit compliance from the kids when on a trip. Just tune the XM to the 40's station and they'll do anything to get it changed!
It's the auditory equivalent of a tazer to them.
Several of the orchestras still tour and play the original arrangements. I've been able to see the Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw groups in the last several years. It's great to hear pure music with no electronics and in most cases, no amplification.