Jazz For Listeners Midterm
Art Tatum
- Pianist - almost legally blind but great improvisor who worked out arrangements by adding and changing chords - played with powerful stride style
All Woman Bands
- Sweethearts of Rhythm - sexism was happening - belittled and accused of not being able to swing and musical expression secondary to looks
Julian (Cannonball) Adderly
- alto sax - warm and inviting sound
Lee Konitz
- alto sax - student of Lennie Tristano - played with light dry airy tone - did not sneak quotes from pop tunes like bebop players - almost all notes in his lines slurred together - his style typified cool jazz
Paul Whiteman
- band leader of Paul Whiteman's orchestra - King of jazz - helped advance career of George Gershwin
Blues
- based on 3 chords - 12 measures (bars) in length
Bebop
- bebop players often wrote original tunes using accompaniment chord progressions of popular tunes (aka CONTRAFACTS)
Why Bebop Came About
- big bands on decline - singers became more of a commercial force - this generation searching for more assertive mode of expression
Blues
- black folk music - performing blues involved drop and scoops of pitch and unique phrasing - guitar and banjo were first instruments used in blues and jazz
Improvisation Types
- blues - rock and roll - rap - bluegrass - country
Kansas City Jazz Style
- blues oriented - arrangements based on short musical phrases called Riffs (theme statements or sometimes back grounds for solos) - Head Arrangements were Riffs created on the spot
John Hammond and Jazz Talent Scout
- born into wealthy Vanderbilt family - worked as disc jockey + tour manager and scout for Benny Goodman - Financed jazz recording sessions when record sales were down - discovered Count Basie
American/Popular song
- chorus is 32 bars - AABA structure
Artie Shaw
- cool contrast to Goodman's hot - Broke up his band several times throughout his career
Gerry Mulligan
- cool jazz sax, composer, and arranger - sound was soft and dry - lines simpler and more direct - created stir by starting a couple of pianoless quartets when he moved to CA (bc piano provides chords which act as an anchor by providing the harmonic base) - his music became known as West Coast Jazz
Bix Beiderbecke
- cool playing style - subdued playing manner
Styles of Jazz
- dixieland - swing - bebop - post bop - cool jazz - fusion - avant garde
Earl Hines
- early jazz pianist who influenced the piano playing styles of 30s and 40s - sound was brassy because of physical force he had when striking the keys - piano styles historically significant and paved way for modern jazz pianist who solo with same conception used by trumpeters and saxophonists
Art Blakey
- exemplified elements of hard bop
Coleman Hawkins
- father of Modern Tenor Sax - C melody popular because it was a non transposing instrument - After 20's, all sax used Bb and Eb - Demonstrated more interest in harmonic chord progression and just sticking with embellishing the melody
New York
- first known big band led by Fletcher Henderson (known as one of fathers of Swing big band sound) - Coleman Hawkins and Louis Armstrong played in Henderson's band
Dexter Gordon
- first tenor sax to be recognized as bebop player - deep dark sound - aggressive style
Horace Silver
- got start in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers - took inspiration from gospel church music and soul
Wes Montgomery
- guitarist - style of voicing line in octaves
Harp Bop Definition and Elements
- hard bop is variation of Bebop which incorporates several elements which included Funky Jazz along with Straight Ahead Swing - trends of hard bop include: - drummers play with more activity - tone colors are darker, weightier and rougher - chord progressions are less and frequent identical to those of pop tunes - there is less of the start and stop quality which leaves the Listener off balance - there is a hard driving feeling that pushes relentlessly with emphasis on consistent Swinging - piano comping has more variety in rhythms and chord voicing
Elements of Music (harmony)
- harmony (consists of more than one note occurring simultaneously) - harmonic progression and chord progression
Ragging & Ragtime
- ragging was practice of creatively altering and syncopating an existing piece of music - ragtime characteristics were polyrhythms, rhythmic polarity between treble and bass, multisectional forms, and syncopation
Mainstream Jazz
- remained central to the jazz experience through the remainder of the century - within mainstream were several musical currents, cool jazz, chamber jazz, modal jazz, and hard bop - within hard bop was soul bop
Elements of Music (rhythm)
- rhythm (dictated by tempo, meter, and feel) - tempo= whether music is fast or slow - meter= what count is - feel= the effect it has on physically
Ben Webster
- romantic player of the highest order - wide tonal and emotional range
Woodwinds
- sax - clarinets - flutes
Swing
- steady beat - constant tempo - arising and falling of MELODY
Types of Rhythms
- swing - latin - waltz
Sonny Rollins
- tenor sax - master of Bebop and hard bop - tone was hard and tough
Modern Jazz Quartet
- their music sometimes called chamber jazz (name derived from classical chamber music) - MJQ was cool jazz modernist group that could connect with bebop yet maintain the cool jazz sound
Clifford Brown
- trumpet player - could play long lines - killed in car crash
John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie
- trumpet player - would quote popular songs and classical melodies in his improvisations - introduced the Afro Cuban element to modern jazz
Miles Davis
- trumpet player and band leader - used Harmon Mute - master of paraphrasing melodies
Brass
- trumpets - trombones - tuba - french horn
Rhythm
the arrangement of the beat, tempo, and meter in time
Meter
the grouping of the meter (beats) - 4/4, 3/4, 6/8. 5/4
Tempo
the speed at which the beats pass
Chorus of Blues
typically 12 bars
End of Swing Era
- American Federation of Musicians ordered musicians to stop recording for record companies bc they wouldn't contribute to unions pension fund - 2 different types of music became popular, Bebop in Jazz and Rhythm and Blues (AKA R&B) - cost of maintaining and operating big bands became more expensive - ballrooms started declining - young listeners attracted to more accessible sounds
Cool Jazz Artists and Groups
- Art Pepper - Chet Baker - Chico Hamilton - Bud Shark - The Modern Jazz Quartet - Paul Desmond
Kansas City Musicians
- Bennie Moten (band leader) - Jay McShan (singer) - Andy Kirk (band leader) - Count Basie (born in NJ) - Mary Lou Williams (pianist, arranger) - Charlie Parker (Inventor of Bebop)
Jazz Age Vocalist
- Bessie Smith considered city blues singer - Cab Calloway
New Orleans Notables
- Buddy Bolden (cornetist) was one of earliest jazz musicians - Freddie Keppard turned down opportunity to make first jazz recording - King Joe Oliver a mentor to Louis Armstrong -Lillian Hardin and Armstrong married - Kid Ory Original Creole Band was first African American New Orleans Group to make a record
The Great White Bands
- Casa Loma Orchestra became first white swing band
Woody Herman
- Clarinetist and Sax - talent was ability to organize and sustain ensembles which had exceptional arrangements - Band = "Woody Herman's Herd"
Charlie Parker
- Father of Bebop - nickname was Bird - played sax - used Double Time figures would are scalier runs played at twice the tempo of the tune - sound was dry and biting
John Coltrane
- Giant Steps an important recording - 3 improvisational periods (playing over difficult chord changes, Modal playing, free jazz style)
Harlem and the Cotton Club
- Harlem during 1926-1930 was one of most creative places in America - Savoy Ballroom and Cotton Club most prominent - Savoy Ballroom allowed blacks and whites - Cotton Club allowed only whites
Jazz Start
- Jazz got its start in New Orleans - people of color free in New Orleans at this time - Creoles of Color (part African and part French) - New Orleans had population of whites, Negros, and Creoles of Color
Arrangers of the 1920's
- Jazz had few formal arrangements in 1920's - Most orchestras had stock arrangements and small groups improvised of used "Head Arrangements"
Jazz Beginnings
- Jazz originated from brass bands and ragtime piano styles of the 1800's that were blended to satisfy social dancers - Slaves in the fields sang to communicate with each other (Field Hollers) - Jazz took harmony from Europe
New Orleans Notables (2)
- Jelly Roll Morton was first to notate jazz compositions and claimed to be creator of jazz - Sidney Bechet was one of first jazz musicians to spread jazz to Europe
Chicago Notables
- Joe "King" Olive and Creole Jazz Band was one of first jazz ensembles to make recordings for Gennett - Louis Armstrong moved to Chicago to play with King Oliver - Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings were some of most important in jazz recording history - Jelly Roll Morton recognized as first great jazz composer and arranger (integrated improvisation, contrast, and variety in compositions) - Morton used "Stop Time" (intermittent statement of the beat), breaks, varying rhythms, and outstanding improvised solos in compositions
Prominent White Bands Players
- Joe Venuti - Eddie Land - Red Nichols - Jack Teagarden
Glenn Miller
- Led most popular swing band in 30's and 40's - Trombonist - Bands signature sound was clarinet playing the melody an octave above 4 sax's
New Orleans Jazz Imitators
- Livery Stable Blues by Original Dixieland Jazz Band was first recorded jazz tune - Nick LaRocca falsely claimed to be creator of jazz
New Orleans Styles and Jass Variants
- Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet started concept of individual jazz soloist - James P Johnson start "Stride" piano playing style - Johnson was father of Stride
Roy Eldridge
- jazz trumpeter considered link between swing era and modern jazz - fiery aggressive tone
Stan Kenton
- lead modern jazz big band - dubbed his music Progressive Jazz - arrangements for his band included complex jazz harmonies and was more concert oriented - feeling of classical music common in his music - started present big band instrumentation of 5 woodwinds, 5 trumpets, and 5 trombones (used in HS, colleges, and pro bands around the world now)
Benny Goodman
- led Jazz Oriented Big Band during 30's and 40's - played Clarinet - 1st band leader to integrate black and white musicians in his small group - King of Swing
Six Jazz Creating Conditions in New Orleans
- lose cultural boundaries (no ghettos) - active afro caribbean culture - vital musical life - good times atmosphere - numerous brass bands - strong dance tradition
Elements of Music (melody)
- melody (a series of notes) - strung together melodies become phrases - phrases made up of shorter groups called motifs
Cool Jazz
- modern jazz style that arose in US after WW2 - characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone - employs formal arrangements and incorporated elements of classical music - classical elements of counterpoint and fugue were present
Dave Brubeck
- most influential and important cool jazz musicians - compositions tuneful and improvisations simple - he explored and was innovator of using different time signatures and rhythms - one of 4 jazz musicians recognized on cover of time magazine
Swing
- most popular style in jazz history - Benny Goodman was king of swing - greater reliance on written arrangements during swing era than combos in early jazz
Syncopation
- musical accents come on and off beats - come on 2 and 4 (instead of 1 and 3)
Louis Armstrong
- often called father of jazz - nickname was Pops - another nickname was Dippermouth because his mouth was as big as a dipper - most widely imitated jazz improvisor prior to Charlie Parker - first jazz musician to refine a rhythmic concept that abandoned the stiffness to ragtime - employed eighth note patterns - could embellish or paraphrase a tune's melody popularized Scat Singing as Vocal Technique
Improvisation
- on the spot composition or making it up as you go - jazz improvisation can be (technical, theoretical, intellectual, intuitive, or emotional)
Chicago Notables (2)
- one of most important and famous was Bix Beiderbecke - Bixs' sounds was cool, influenced by Debussy and Ravel
Miles Davis
- one of most influential jazz musicians in history - performed regularly with Charlie Parker
Frank Sinatra
- one of original jazz crooners - performed and recorded with Harry James an Tommy Dorsey Orchestras
The Jazz Age
- opening of Roseland Ballroom (1919) was national institution for dance craze - "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith was first African American Blues recording - Race Records catered to AfAm population
Types of Improvisation
- paraphrase (soloist utilizes the tunes melody as the basis of further development) - Formulaic (most common type where musician utilizes Licks) - Motivic (utilizes short and repeated motifs)
Thelonious Monk
- pianist and composer - improvisations convey sense that he is struggling to decide on every note and then he reaches a decision just barely in time to play it - known for combining tones that clash with each other - had cover picture on Time Magazine - true jazz original
Lennie Tristano
- pianist composer and bandleader - schooled in bebop but avoided playing - had high regard for JS Bach and encouraged students to learn his compositions and improvise in the Baroque Style
Rhythm
- piano - bass (time keeper) - drums (time keeper) - guitar
Sidney Bechet
- played soprano sax
Lester Young
- popular sax - nickname was Prez or Pres (bc president of sax) - style was light and cool
Regional Bands
- provided live music for areas of the country that were close to metro cities - many never recorded but provided entertainment
Bebop versus Swing
- uses small group instead of big band - average tempo faster - clarinet as solo instrument was rare - display of instrumental virtuosity was higher priority - melodies and harmonies more complex - comping used more than stride style with simple on the beat chording - bebop musicians enjoyed leaving phrases in tunes suspended or unresolved - bebop solos departed completely from the melodies and retained only the chord progressions - basic chords of bebop tunes were usually altered and additional chords added
Chicago
- was one of first paces jazz migrated to from New Orleans - chicago jazz had edgy rhythm with angry staccato solo work
Elements of Music (notes)
- whole note (= 4 beats) - half note (= 2 beats) - quarter note (=1 beat) - eighth note (=1/2 beat) - sixteenth note (=1/4 beat)
Ragtime
- written piano music put together using a rag - popularized syncopation - Scott Joplin known as "King of Ragtime"
Beat
a unit of praise