Quiz 1 & 2

Jelly Roll Morton

creole pianist and first important Jazz composer. Began work in the bordellos of New Orleans, but would eventually travel the US. Possessed a huge ego and actually went as far as to say he invented Jazz.

Syncopation

emphasizing an weak beat or off-beat. (wiki "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur.

Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke

from Davenport, IA. One of the first truly important white jazz musicians. A cornetist known for his haunting, singing tone and inventive improvisation. Would die at 28 after a life of music and hard drinking.

Louis Armstrong

"Pops" and "Satchmo". Probably the most influential cornetist, trumpeter, and entertainer to come out of the early jazz years. Known for his spirited and inventive improvisation... his pyrotechnics on the trumpet... and his unique singing voice. Would be maligned by much of the African community during his lifetime, but is now considered one of the great ambassadors for his ethnicity.

Robert Johnson

A Delta blues man who supposedly sold his soul to the Devil for his musical abilities. Not a commercial success in his lifetime, but rediscovered in the 1960s after his death, and would become one of the most well-respected early blues musicians of the 20th century.

Melody

A linear combination of pitches, in rhythm, that a listener perceives as a single entity

Classic Blues

A musical genre that developed in the end of the 1800's in America. Generally performed by a single female singer, backed by a piano or band and following, quite strictly, the 12-bar blues form. Characterized by a reliance on texts oftentimes dealing with the many faces of love and utilizing the improvisatory abilities of band members.

Country Blues

A musical genre that developed in the rural deep south of America in the 1800's and persists to this day. Generally performed by a single male with a guitar and following, roughly, the 12-bar blues form. Characterized in early times by sorrowful texts dealing with the hardships associated with rural life in the south as a person of African descent.

Common Ragtime Form

AABBACCDD

Raggin

Improvising in a ragtime style, ie with a "stride" left hand and a syncopated right hand.

Congo Square

Location in New Orleans where slaves were allowed (on Sundays) to congregate freely. Important because traditions brought over from Africa and the Caribbean could easily be observed.

Sidney Bechet

New Orleans clarinetist and soprano saxophonist. One of the first "individuals" of the jazz age. Considered as one of the few equals of Louis Armstrong, spent a lot of his life traveling the world... and in trouble. Would eventually be a leader in the "Dixieland Revival".

Scott Joplin

Ragtime's most important composer. Composer of the Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer (among others). Born in Texas, but came to fame in St. Louis.

Buddy Bolden

The elusive "Father of Jazz". New Orleans cornet player often attributed with being the first known Jazz musician. No known recordings exist. Known for a bluesy, big cornet sound. Would face severe psychiatric troubles late in life.

Rhythm

The organization of sounds in time

Pitch

The relative highness or lowness of a sound

Blue Third

a "bent" or "slid" third note in a scale. Typified in early blues. For musicians, the note generally falls between the minor/major third of a scale (pitch-wise).y

Jass

a derogatory term, sexual in nature, applied to early hot music. Would eventually become the term "Jazz".

Call and Response

a feature in much Africa music where a voice or instrument audibly states an idea, and this idea is followed by a audible reply by other musicians or dancers

Ragtime

a musical genre, generally for solo piano, characterized by strong syncopation in the right hand, a "stride bass" in the left hand, and a general sense of rhythmic vitality. Born around St. Louis. It's features would combine with blues eventually in the creation of early jazz. Exemplified in the music of Scott Joplin.

The New Orleans Diaspora

also called "the great migration". The exodus of African Americans from New Orleans in the 1920s to northern cities in search of better living, working, and social conditions.

Bessie Smith

considered the greatest of the Classic Blues singers. A protégé of Ma Rainey who would become one of the most well paid classic blues artists of the early 20th century. Would die in a car crash at an early age.

Improvisation

in the jazz context, composing in real time. Making up melodies in the moment.

Joe "King" Oliver

leader of his "Creole Jazz Band", a popular band leader and cornetist from New Orleans. Left an impressive number of recordings. Would settle in Chicago to record. One of the first to give Louis Armstrong his start.

Original Dixieland Jazz Band

one of the first all white Jazz bands, led by cornetist Nick LaRocca , and the first band to record jazz music (1917). Playing is often considered "stiff" and more like raucous ragtime.

Beat

the pulse, or heartbeat, of music. Rhythm is generally organized within the confines of a beat