chapter 9 jazz. the roots of jazz jazz began through the spirituals and work songs of enslaved...
Post on 13-Jan-2016
239 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
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=w
hN5PXsrP6E
top related