Chapter 9 Jazz

The Roots of Jazz Jazz began through the spirituals and work songs of enslaved African Americans. These songs were not frivolous entertainment. They were a representation of honest, real human expression.

The Roots of Jazz Jazz as it is recognized today, started in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. This kind of music started around the second half of the nineteenth century. Brass bands are responsible for the roots of jazz.

The Roots of Jazz- Brass Bands Brass bands- bands made up of African Americans that played in New Orleans during the War of 1812. These bands had a unique way of “cutting loose” with rhythm.

The Roots of Jazz-Brass Bands The Brass Bands used classical instruments but in nontraditional ways. Instruments featured in the brass bands were: trumpets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones and drums.

What is Jazz? Jazz- a musical form distinguished by its reliance on improvisation and its rhythmic urgency. In its beginning, Jazz was referred to as a novelty- meaning that it was not taken seriously. Jazz music was not even printed until 1917.

What is Jazz? In Jazz, the skill and inventiveness of individual performers is key to the success of the music. The rhythm of Jazz is often polyrhythmic- juxtaposing two or more different rhythms. This polyrhythm is what gives jazz its energy.

Stride Piano One of the distinctive traits of early Jazz was the stride piano style. This style was made popular by Jazz legends Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson and Earl Hines.

Characteristics of the Stride Piano Style Built on a steady, oom-pah, time-keeping left hand bass. This was layered against the right hand part which shifted the accents as it embellished the tune.

Stride Piano These early stride pianists (Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Earl Hines) helped preserve a permanent spot for the piano in Jazz music. Their work influence future jazz pianists such as Thomas “Fats” Waller, Art Tatum, and Thelonius Monk.

“Jelly Roll” Morton Great Legend of the early Jazz movement He was a pianist and band leader Perfected the New Orleans Dixieland jazz style. Perfect example of this style is Black Bottom Stomp. Personal Tidbit- Jelly Roll was not shy about self-promotion. What do I mean by self-promotion?

Mississippi-The River, Not the State Jazz spread from New Orleans to the North up the Mississippi River. Primarily Dixieland Jazz at first. This music was shocking to new listeners as teens shocked their parents with their new dance moves (the Charleston and the Black Bottom)

Dixieland Jazz Distinguishing Features: Small bands- little duplication of instruments March-like feeling, reliance on duple meter Front line of wind instruments, back line of string instruments Embellish melodies of existing songs Use of riffs in a call and response format

Scat Singing Form of vocal improvisation on nonsense syllables Brought to the forefront by Jazz legends like Louis Armstrong http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbL9vr4Q2LU

Sectional Organization 1920s- Jazz began its evolution into a sectional form, solo parts alternating with the ensemble. Usually segmented into 12 or 16-bar sections Improvised chorus usually lasted 32 bars “Hotter Than That” (Page 202-Section Map) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAlrpx40UnE

Swing Swing refers to the special rhythmic character that jazz musicians add to the music. Basically this means the musicians would change the feel of a traditional duple jazz tune to a triple feel. While Dixieland Jazz was still popular, around 1935, Swing became all the rage with teens.

Swing Fletcher Henderson- considered responsible for the development of the swing band. Enlarged the jazz band with many duplications of instruments in each section. Emphasis on solo playing Trading fours- trademark of swing bands.

The Big Band Era Swing was primarily dance music. It gave birth to swing bands, or big bands. They were more dance orchestras than pure jazz bands.

The Big Band Era-Legend Benny Goodman- “The King of Swing” Was able to play the classics as well as jazz. His big band was highly successful What was Goodman’s main instrument

The Rise of the Saxophone Clarinet eventually gave way to saxophone as the most popular solo jazz instrument This instrument raised many musicians to stardom such as Lester Young, Count Basie, and Charlie Parker.

Duke Ellington Most prominent big band innovator Made jazz a sophisticated art, giving it form and substance His melodies are often chromatic- incorporating tones from a musical scale consisting entirely of half steps

Mary Lou Williams One of the few women able to break into the big band. Pianist, composer and arranger Joined a swing band (Twelve Clouds of Joy) where she gained recognition and respect Wrote more than 350 compositions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8I1Eq7-zfY

Bebop Bebop- a complex and sophisticated type of improvised jazz- music for listening rather than dancing Divided the jazz world into two separate factions- swing vs. bebop

Bebop- Pioneers Dizzy Gillespie Charlie Parker They made melodies more chromatic and far more complex. They helped declare jazz an art.

New Directions Fusion- combination of jazz and rock- now includes electronic keyboards Not popular with Jazz purists because it obscures two fundamental pillars of jazz: basic forms and improvisation.

The Future of Jazz Like most forms of music- Jazz continues to reinvent itself and adapt. This creates an enormous diversity of style

A Short History of Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whN5PXsrP6E