History of Jazz America’s Music
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM The New Orleans Jazz Museum's collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world. It consists of instruments, pictorial sheet music, photographs, records, tapes, manuscripts and other items ranging from Louis Armstrong’s first coronet to a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording ever made.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM It includes the world’s largest collection of instruments owned and played by important figures in jazz- trumpets, cornets, trombones, clarinets and saxophones played by jazz greats such as Bix Beiderbecke, Edward “Kid” Ory, George Lewis, Sidney Bechet and Dizzy Gillespie.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM NOTES Other artifacts in the Jazz Collection include some 12,000 photographs from the early days of jazz; recordings in a wide variety of formats, including over 4,000 78 rpm records that date from 1905 to the mid-1950s.
The Museum has the largest collection in the world of instruments owned and played by important figures in jazz, possessing multiple examples of all the commonly used instruments: trumpet, cornet, trombone, clarinet, and saxophone. Some late 19th-century instruments date from the early days of jazz.
What is Jazz? A musical conversation: partly planned and partly spontaneous A dialogue among the musicians who perform it.
Elements of Jazz Improvisation (to make up) Rhythmic Uses Call and Response Most songs have solos
Where was Jazz developed? New Orleans Diverse population: African, French, German, Italian, Mexican, English, Native American Known as a melting Pot
Where is Jazz found? Night Clubs Concert Halls Subway Stations Sidewalks Radio TV Shows TV Commercials Film CDs
Spirituals or Work Songs 1612-Present Work songs sung by slaves, were considered the foundation of Jazz. These songs were called spirituals. Those spirituals were later called Gospel songs. Gospel Songs were later used a our first songs in Jazz and R & B. Slaves would sing in the fields to make the work day go faster. Spirituals are the first “church songs.” It is the roots of Gospel.
Blues Pain of lost love, injustice, or adversity Derived from field hollers, work songs, hymns Is the basis for R & B, Rock N’ Roll, & Country
Ragtime 1896-1917 Primarily uses a solo piano Father of Ragtime is Scott Joplin
Dixieland 1900-1928 Typical instrumentation: trumpet, clarinet, banjo, trombone, piano, tuba, & drums. Collective Improvisation; everyone plays at the same time.
Jazz 1920-Present Roaring 20’s Instruments: Saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar, & drums) Use of Chord Progressions
Father of Jazz Played the trumpet Louis Armstrong 1901-1975 Father of Jazz Played the trumpet Known as Satchmo when he would sing or scat (scatting is the use of words and non-sense words)
Bebop 1940-1955 Small Groups Designed for improvisation Very difficult to play Rarely written down Named for one of the non-sense words from scatting.
Afro-Cuban 1950s Unites Blues, Swing, Ragtime with various Cuban grooves. Created by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo.
Cool 1949-1955 Groups range from trios to nonets. Started to use more “classical” instruments; Oboe, French Horn, Flute Slower pace, loud, more emotional
Bossa Nova 1960’s Brazilian style of music Gained a “cult” following later on due to jazz festivals around the world.
Hard Bop 1952-1959 Return to fast-paced jazz. Mainly in northern cities
Avant Gard/Free Jazz 1959-1970 Not based on chord progressions Pushed limits of what they could play and audiences could stand
Fusion 1969-1990 Merged Rock N’ Roll Uses electric instruments Brought back Jazz into the mainstream
Contemporary Jazz 1990-Today Main reasons is selling records Many styles of the past are still being played today. The future of jazz is worked out right now
Big Band Era 1935-1945 Bands formed as hotel dance bands. Fletcher Henderson is 1st band to gain national notoriety. Ellington/Webb put together bands
Big Band Cont’d Clubs open all over NYC (Harlem). Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club Chuck Webb at the Savoy. Only time jazz eclipsed all other forms of music.
Benny Goodman Brings the “swing beat” national attention in 1935. Played the Clarinet Nicknamed “King of Swing”
Important Facts 1913 James Reese Europe records ragtime with first all black ensemble. 1917 Original Dixieland Jazz Band records first jazz record. Miles Davis would change the face of jazz 3 different times (Cool, Hard Bop, Fusion). 1935 Microphone is invented
RCA Victor Talking Machine
Important People Kid Ory Duke Ellington Jelly Roll Morton Miles Davis Charlie Parker Billie Hollidae Ella Fitzgerald John Coltrane
Miles Davis James Reese Europe Ella Fitzgerald
Original Dixieland Jazz Band John Coltrane Jelly Roll Morton Billie Holiday Original Dixieland Jazz Band Kid Ory