Part 3 The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz Since 1960 America’s Musical Landscape 5th edition PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter Malamut Georgian Court University Part 3 The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz Since 1960 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Jazz since 1960 Emerging new styles joined without replacing established jazz trends The jazz experience increased in complexity and sophistication Although hardly in popularity Starting from bebop, jazz has belonged to the classical as well as popular music world Jazz is “America’s classical music”—Billy Taylor Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz in the 1960s Jazz musicians explored relationships between classical and popular music Less emphasis placed on outstanding solo performances accompanied by other players More emphasis on collective improvisation by several, or even by all, ensemble members at the same time Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Charles Mingus (1922-1979) A double bass player intimately involved with progressive jazz in the 1950s As a composer His new ideas concerning jazz composition made Mingus controversial, yet influential Explored the complex relationships between jazz composition and improvisation Encouraged freedom and creativity within a formal framework, disapproving of a written score Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Charles Mingus Made the bass line significantly more interesting and important than it had been in early or traditional jazz styles His bass solos sometimes imitated saxophone or piano lines His “unwritten compositions,” in the tradition of progressive jazz, were rhythmically complex, with changing meters Flexible rhythmic pulse—often accelerating tempos Calling out instructions to the players Sometimes modal bass lines required musicians to improvise new kinds of melody lines instead of those based on given tunes Mingus revolutionized jazz and jazz composition Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Free Jazz Innovations of Charles Mingus and others during the 1950s encouraged jazz musicians to seek new approaches to improvisation Improvisation remained at the core of the concept of jazz Especially influential was Mingus’s idea of collective improvisation = Simultaneous improvisation of some or all members of a combo 1960: The album Free Jazz, by Ornette Coleman, introduced free collective improvisation Free Jazz defied the perception of jazz as accessible to the ordinary listener Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Free Jazz: Characteristics No familiar chord changes No references to popular songs or blues No steady beat Each musician improvised independently, but aware of others Initial phrases of a piece were played together by soloists yet not necessarily in unison Released musicians from the strictures of tonality, recurring rhythmic patterns, fixed pulse, predetermined themes There were short melodic motives—riffs—that could be inserted Free jazz uttered musically the sorts of freedom African Americans demanded and finally were achieving in many areas of life Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Free Jazz and its Relationship to Non-Western Music Having no chord changes relieved free jazz ensembles of the need to include piano With its restrictive keyboard limited to the tones of the black and white keys This freed musicians to explore non-Western scales Musicians were able to include instruments from other cultures And play Western instruments in nontraditional ways Ornette Coleman’s free jazz performances used Microtones (lying between the tones of a piano keyboard) Certain rhythmic techniques from the music of India Heightened emotions and intellectual challenges Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Free Jazz: John Coltrane (1926-1967) Saxophonist, spiritual leader of free jazz during the last years of his short life His free spirit caused him to change stylistic preferences throughout his career Early in his career Known for producing “sheets of sound” because of playing so many notes at rapid-fire tempos Example: His 1959 Giant Steps saxophone Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

John Coltrane Later areas of interest Modal music, working with Miles Davis The influential album Kind of Blue Indian music The 1960 album My Favorite Things As a saxophonist on tenor and soprano saxophone Admired for his beautiful tone and effects Countered Ornette Coleman’s concept of collective improvisation by playing extremely long individual solos “Chasin’ the Trane” (1961) is the most famous of these Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Listening Example 52 A Love Supreme, Part I “Acknowledgment” (excerpt) Produced in 1964, the very spiritual and emotional album A Love Supreme seems to identify with rebellious youth of the 1960s seeking new cultural and spiritual indentities based on non-Western traditions. Combining religious ecstasy with tranquility and meditation, this hypnotic mixture of music and chanting became one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. Acknowledgement is the first of four sections, which make up a suite. The other three parts are Resolution, Pursuance, and Psalm. A Love Supreme, Part I “Acknowledgment” (excerpt) By John Coltrane Performed by the John Coltrane Quartet (Coltrane on tenor sax, plus piano, bass, drums) Listening Guide page 237 Meter: An improvised introduction, then quadruple meter that is free and flexible, changing as the piece progresses, with skillful polyrhythms. After the brief opening passage, bass introduces the four-note main theme, based on the words “a love supreme.” Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Third Stream Third stream combines jazz and classical music in a manner that—unlike the blending of classical and jazz effects in symphonic, cool, and progressive jazz—allows each style to retain its characteristic qualities John Lewis first attracted attention to this new idea Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Third Stream: John Lewis (1920-2001) Classically trained, this African American pianist was interested in Renaissance and Baroque European art music Founded the Modern Jazz Quartet Wrote jazz pieces for the MJQ using classical forms of earlier periods Some pieces were performed with the MJQ and symphony orchestra or other classical ensemble MJQ improvised, while the classical ensemble read and played the notes; Both ensembles remained true to their traditions Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Third Stream: Gunther Schuller (b. 1925) Introduced the term “third stream” Believed that jazz and classical music should be treated as separate but congenial entities In 1957 he referred to Classical music as the “first stream” of music Jazz as the “second stream” Their combination in a manner allowing each to retain its characteristic qualities as “third stream” music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Third Stream remained in vogue for only a short time Yet its influence persists Example: Ornette Coleman’s 1960s piece “Skies of America” for symphony orchestra and solo jazz improvisers In this piece by Coleman, the conductor chooses between an array of notated inserts to be cued to the orchestra by hand signals Challenges in Coleman’s piece abound for symphonic players New York Philharmonic musicians balked in 1997 when Coleman suggested to play notes other than notes he had written Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1970s Prior Decades It is possible to define a dominant style for each decade 1920s: The jazz age; emotionally intense 1930s: The swing era; soothing big band music 1940s: Reacting to bebop 1950s: Staying cool 1960s: Exploring relationships between jazz and classical music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1970s and Prior Decades No one style reigned exclusively at any time All existed concurrently with other important kinds of jazz Yet each decade is associated with its own particular approach to jazz It is possible to discern an alternation between classically cool and romantically emotional music decade by decade Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1970s Several important movements coexisted and influenced later jazz A comeback of swing, remaining strong today European chamber music-style combos appealed to many musicians and listeners Bebop made a powerful and lasting return Two other movements vied for attention World music Fusion Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1970s: Fusion (Jazz-Rock) Jazz and rock Came from the same roots (blues, gospel, work songs) Faced crises as the 1970s began Jazz losing its identity Foundering somewhere between classical and foreign ethnic musics Rock, mourning the deaths of some of the greatest stars And struggling to find the means to address the tragic social and political events of the day Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Fusion (Jazz-Rock) Jazz musicians started incorporating rock elements into their music in the 1960s Example: Miles Davis’s 1969 recording Bitches Brew Davis then produced On the Corner in 1972, including sitar and a shocking rock drumbeat This was criticized as “antijazz” Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Fusion Defined Jazz-rock = fusion = jazz-rock-fusion Melds rock rhythms and the use of electronic instruments with Collective improvisation Extreme ranges of volume Rapid shifts in meter, tempo, mood, uncharacteristic of rock Instrumental music—no vocals Bass guitar or electric bass instead of stand-up bass Allowing for faster playing, and… Altering of sounds with electronic effects Snare drums and bass drums used as the rhythm section Raising the rhythm section to unprecedented dominance Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Fusion: Mid-1970s Some jazz ensembles used electronic organs, other keyboards, synthesizers… Electroacoustic instruments = Sound is mechanically generated, then electronically amplified and altered The sound engineer as artist and technician… manipulated sounds to musicians’ best advantage Synthesizer and Keyboard Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Weather Report: A Fusion Band of the 1970s and 1980s One of the earliest and most influential jazz-rock groups, active for over fifteen years Formed by musicians Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, who had worked with Miles Davis This band stunningly presents the virtuosity and rhythmic complexity associated with jazz-rock fusion Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Fusion: Two Influential Jazz Pianists Herbie Hancock (b. 1940) Huge success with electronic instruments His album Headhunters (1973) The first jazz album to be certified gold Remained for a time best-selling of all jazz albums Electric bass, keyboards, synthesizers gave jazz a radical new sound called funk (see chapter 17) Chick Corea (b. 1941)—An accomplished pianist Return to Forever was his influential fusion group Corea played a wide variety of electronic keyboard instruments Incorporated Latin American rhythms within his music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Listening Example 53 Stretch It, Part 1 By Chick Corea This piece is from Correa’s album Inside Out (1990) Hear the virtuosity and the rhythmic sophistication of fusion, which remains a vital jazz style today Notice the recurring bouncy two-note motive which enhances the good humor Stretch It, Part 1 By Chick Corea Performed by the Chick Corea Elektric Band Listening guide page 241 Instruments: Piano and synthesizer (Chick Corea), sax, guitar, electric bass, drums Tempo: Fast Meter: Duple—but listen for rhythmic complexities and changing meters as the piece progresses Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1970s: Integration of Foreign Sounds Fusion implies a bringing together, yet brought serious schisms within the jazz world, as musicians chose Between acoustic and electronic instruments Between flexible free jazz rhythms and a soul- or gospel-influenced steady beat Among a variety of music from foreign cultures, a concept sparked by John Coltrane India, Brazil, Arabia, Bali, Japan, China, African cultures European concert music was also used by some musicians Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Integration of Foreign Sounds in the 1970s: Don Cherry (1936-1995) Worked with Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane; performed and recorded in Europe and New York during the 1960s Following extensive travel in Asia and Africa, settled in Sweden Became active there in music education and performance Calling himself the “world musician,” Cherry played trumpet, as well as ethnic instruments from… Tibet, China, India, Bali, other countries 1978: He formed a trio, Codona, with a Brazilian percussionist and an American sitarist Performed and recorded ethnic musics for children and adults Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1980s A fragmented period of enormous diversity, exploration, discovery The range of jazz identity was extended, through… New information about other music traditions Sophisticated new technology World music remained important Electronic techniques expanded their applications Often musicians participated in a number of kinds of jazz, establishing no definitive identity in any one Two fields of interest were characteristic: Crossover jazz, and, a revival of interest in traditional styles Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1980s: Crossover Music Crossover music = The blending of jazz and various other musics John Lewis’s Modern Jazz Quartet Seen as a black response to the intellectualism of the Dave Brubeck Quartet And as New York’s answer to West Coast cool jazz Fusion was another form of crossover Remained strong in the 1980s; not as popular as in the 1970s Herbie Hancock’s album Future Shock (1983) was an example Included the piece “Rockit” A fusion of jazz, funk, electronics A massive hit, inspired an MTV video Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

1980s Crossover Music: Pat Metheny (b. 1954) A jazz guitarist who remains popular today Initiated a rock band format Produced albums of melodious jazz-rock 1985: Composed the score for the movie The Falcon and the Snowman Led to his recording “This is Not America”—a Top 40 hit—with David Bowie Having explored the musical possibilities of the twelve-string guitar and guitar synthesizer, called the synclavier, Metheny continues to move between pure jazz and pop jazz Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1980s: Traditionalism Some musicians blended jazz, rock, folk, pop, foreign sounds… Other musicians resisted such combinations and the white European concert sounds of much crossover music They returned to earlier styles, updated to modern tastes New Orleans, Chicago, and Dixieland jazz became popular Bop and so-called post-bop offered traditionalists a structured yet progressive sound—daring but not too new The return to the traditional was tempered with freely flowing, flexible rhythms and meters indigenous to much music in Africa Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond The 1990s became the first decade in jazz history to have no defining movement Relationships to rock loomed ever more important, as well as soul, funk, world music, and crossover A new fusion called jazz-rap evolved Fusion became more complex as musicians explored and expanded styles, techniques, technology Example: British jazz group Us3 released their album Cantaloop 2004, with “jazz influenced urban sounds leaning heavily o a Latino R&B vibe” Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond: No Wave or Noise No wave seeks the emancipation of noise (as per scholar musician John Zorn) Pieces in this style are extremely brief, very fast, loud A collage of very short, isolated sound events Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond: Musicians John Zorn is among an impressive number of contemporary jazz musicians who are… Following Duke Ellington’s lead in finding ways to integrate composition and improvisation Masterful improvisers, interested in putting to their own various uses many or all of the ethnic, technological, traditional, and experimental resources available Several of these people are scholars Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond Henry Threadgill (b. 1944) Saxophonist and flutist; toured with gospel musicians, blues bands 1960s: Became associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM) To help Chicago musicians present their new, commercially unacceptable music 1970s: Formed the trio Air Explored African music, ragtime, assorted traditional musics Since 1980: Formed groups with unusual instrumentation Such as the Very Very Circus, which uses… Trombone, two tubas, two guitars, drums Fuses avant-garde jazz, funk, salsa, European marches Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond: Anthony Braxton (b. 1945) A former AACM member, Braxton reached a milestone in jazz history by recording a double album of solo alto saxophone music For Alto, released in 1971 Other alto sax players soon made their own recordings A master improviser An intellectual composer: Devised systems for composing music, some based on mathematical relationships, diagrams, or formulas as a means of generating improvisation within the framework of an orchestral composition In some pieces, parts can be played by different instruments Some of his compositions can be played together Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

The 1990s and Beyond: Anthony Davis (b. 1951) Sometimes referred to as a crossover musician Blends jazz and classical styles in his pieces Using Eastern musics Pianist and improviser Writes out most of his own music He considers improvisation just one compositional tool Episteme, his avant-garde jazz ensemble, has been involved in some third stream-style performances with classical performers Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Anthony Davis: Classical Compositions The Life and Times of Malcolm X Davis’s first opera, and the first of several American operas based on a contemporary political subject Amistad, 1997, his fourth opera, is a story of a slave uprising on a ship, and the subsequent trial As a Broadway composer 1993: Composed music for Tony Kushner’s prizewinning Angels in America Davis’s symphonic, choral, and chamber works incorporate jazz and classical concepts Such as improvisatory passages, jazz undertones Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961) A classicist who believes that bebop is the foundation of modern jazz Defends, updates, modernizes early jazz styles in his own compositions Juilliard-trained trumpet virtuoso with extremely beautiful sound Educator, composer, and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, New York Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Wynton Marsalis Voiced concern with restoring “respect and seriousness” to jazz Believes the future of jazz holds more emphasis on composition than on soloing Writes music intended to last Author of Sweet Swing Blues on the Road, 1994 1998 Pulitzer prize winner for music, for his extended composition “Blood on the Fields” Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Today and Tomorrow The important American music we call jazz continues to evolve Tradition and innovation inspire today’s jazz musicians and fans The blues was the subject of a celebration in 2003, declared by Congressional Proclamation, the Year of the Blues In remembrance of W. C. Handy’s first hearing, in 1903 He played slide guitar with a knife, singing the blues He later published commercial blues; established a relationship between blues and the music business Today we recognize the blues as a basic structure, a feeling, an attitude, an exacting discipline—an indefinable and indestructible American music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Today and tomorrow: Collectives Important to the jazz business today are the numerous collectives organized to support jazz musicians From the start, collective organizations have helped musicians Make a living Create jobs (called gigs) Create new compositions (starting in the 1960s) The Jazz Composers Collective, founded in 1992, is the most significant collective today Finds grant money for commissioning compositions and recordings Sponsors concerts Builds audiences for new jazz music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Today and Tomorrow: Instrumentation Jazz instrumentation continues to evolve Musicians explore new technology and world sounds The organ and its evolution in jazz: 1920s: Thomas (Fats) Waller played on a giant pipe organ 1940s and 1950s: Jazz organ trios with electric organ, guitar, drums, at times tenor sax imitated an orchestra Today: Synthesizers and portable digital organs Commercial success of the recent sampling of organ-heavy soul jazz recordings from the 1960s has created a new audience for the Hammond (electric) organ (Wild) Bill Davis—the creator of the modern jazz organ Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Today and Tomorrow: Performances The arranging impulse largely dropped out of jazz performance from the 1960s through the 1980s But thanks to Henry Threadgill and Wynton Marsalis, it is back The trend is for less emphasis on virtuosic solos The bandleader controls the ensemble, in a collective endeavor shifting focus from one musician to another Today’s performances often seem to be more about rhythm and interplay than about solos or even melodies Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Today and Tomorrow: Conclusion The Turtle Island String Quartet fuses the classical string quartet with popular contemporary American styles Bluegrass, swing, bebop, funk, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, salsa, others—plus classical Indian music As of 2005 innumerable jazz festivals around the nation and worldwide celebrated local and international talent It has become increasingly unrealistic to confine jazz to narrow definitions Jazz continues to be a vital feature of the American musical landscape Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Part 3 Summary The form of Sousa’s marches—a series of melodic strains—was also the form of ragtime, which was A written piano music combining black rhythmic effects with European harmony and form Syncopated melodies in the right hand accompanied by a simple duple left hand pattern By World War I, rags were published by Tin Pan Alley Many Tin Pan Alley songs had the spirit of ragtime The great popular songwriters wrote for Tin Pan Alley and for Broadway musicals Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Part 3 Summary: Country Music Rooted in rural and mountain folk traditions Jimmie Rodgers popularized hillbilly songs The Original Carter Family brought mountain music to the city Recordings, radio shows spread this music Roping a Maverick painted by Olaf C. Seltzer (1877-1957) Country musicians Absorbed many influences as they moved to different states Soon new styles evolved In Texas: Western swing and honky-tonk Cowboy songs from films joined the hillbilly repertoire to produce country-western Except for bluegrass, country music consists primarily of songs Country musicians absorbed many influences as they moved to different states; soon new styles evolved. In Texas, Western swing and honky-tonk was popular. Cowboy songs from films joined the hillbilly repertoire to produce country-western music. Except for bluegrass, country music consists primarily of songs. Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Part 3 Summary: Jazz Black musicians combined… Forms, harmonies, timbres of white popular musics with… Creole, Caribbean, black African rhythmic and melodic techniques This hot new music for dancing was called jazz Blues was An early manifestation of jazz Blues began as black folk song style, and evolved to… A sophisticated, influential form of popular music Boogie-woogie transferred the form and harmonic structure of blues to the piano Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz New Orleans nurtured the first important black combos Soloists improvised on a given tune Combo members backed them up In Chicago later, white Dixieland bands imitated New Orleans jazz sound White and black teens and young adults danced to early jazz White middle-age people preferred sweet and symphonic jazz during the turbulent Depression years Not true jazz, these genres introduced the art of the arranger They paved the way for the 1930s swing bands Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz in the 1930s and 1940s Mid-1930s 1940s Jazz reached its peak of popularity, for about a decade Big bands played arrangements of blues and pop tunes Harmonies more adventurous, pieces more structured than earlier jazz Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie rebelled against the commercialism and popularity of big band swing Established bebop, a music for listening—not dancing Bebop ushered in the age of modern jazz 1940s Singers replaced big bands in popularity Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Jazz Since 1950 Jazz musicians have formed alliances with the world of concert music, producing… Symphonic works with jazzy flavors Jazz pieces in classical forms Third stream pieces in which jazz and classical music meet Influential musicians in concert jazz… Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus Additional modern jazz types include… Progressive jazz, cool jazz, free jazz, fusion Jazz composition is now among the most important fields of American music Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960

Image Credits Slide 9: Saxophone © Getty Images Slide 22: Music Synthesizer and Keyboard Royalty-Free/Corbis Slide 39: Wynton Marsalis © AP/ Wide World Photo Slide 47: “Roping a Maverick,” painting by Olaf C. Seltzer © Corel Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 14: Jazz since 1960