1. Music: An Appreciation 10th Edition by Roger Kamien
Part VIII
Jazz
2011 © McGraw-Hill Higher Education

2. Blend elements of several cultures
Ch. 1 - Jazz Styles:
Roots of Jazz
Blend elements of several cultures
West African emphasis on improvisation, percussion & call-and-response techniques
American brass band influence on instrumentation
European harmonic & structural practice
Blues & ragtime were immediate sources

3. Elements of Jazz Tone Color Improvisation
Usually performed by combo of 3-8 players
Backbone is rhythm section
Similar to Baroque basso continuo
Main solo instruments trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, vibraphone, piano
“Bends,” “smears,” “shakes,” “scoops,” “falls”
Improvisation
Created & performed simultaneously
Each performance is different
Usually in theme and variations form
Most commonly 32-bar structure: A A B A format

4. Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony
Syncopation & rhythmic swing are features
Rhythmic accent on beats 2 and 4
Syncopation often occurs when performer accents note between the regular rhythmic accents
“Swing” result of uneven 8th notes (triplet feel)
Melodies flexible in pitch
3rd, 5th, & 7th scale steps often lowered (flatted)
Called “blue” notes, these pitches come from vocal blues
Chord progressions similar to tonal system
As jazz evolved, harmony grew more complex

5. Ch 2 - Ragtime Blues Dance hall and saloon music
Piano music w/ left hand “oom-pah” part
Usually in duple meter at moderate march tempo
Right hand part highly syncopated
Left hand keeps steady beat
Scott Joplin – “King of Ragtime” ( )
Listening - Maple Leaf Rag p Basic set CD 8:41
Blues
Vocal and instrumental form
12 measure (bar) musical structure I IV I V I
3 part vocal structure: a a’ b
Statement/repeat of statement/counterstatement

6. Ch. 4 - New Orleans Style Also called Dixieland
New Orleans was center of jazz
Front line of horns supported by rhythm section
Songs frequently based on march or church melody, ragtime piece, pop song, or blues
Characteristics
Improvised arrangements
Multiple instruments improvising simultaneously
Scat singing
Theme and variation form predominates
Many notable performers
Most famous was trumpeter Louis Armstrong

7. Ch. 5 - Swing Popular 1935-45 (Swing era)
Written music
Primarily for dancing
The popular music of the time
The music of WWII
Large bands (usually players)
Saxophones, trumpets, trombones, rhythm section
Melody usually performed by groups of instruments rather than by soloists
Other instruments accompany w/ background riffs
Theme and variations form common
Usually included improvisation by soloists (singly)

8. Ch. 6 - Bebop Bebop Style 1940s and early 1950s
Meant for listening—not dancing
Combo was preferred ensemble
Role of each instrument changed from earlier jazz
Melodic phrases varied in length
Chords built w/ 6 or 7 notes, not earlier 4 or 5
Theme and variations form still dominant
Melodies derived from pop songs or 12-bar blues
Initial melody by soloist or 2 soloists in unison
Many notable performers including
Trumpet Dizzy Gillespie, piano Thelonious Monk
Most famous/influential alto sax Charlie Parker