History of Jazz

America’s Music

What is Jazz?

• A musical conversation: partly planned and partly spontaneous

• A dialogue among the musicians who perform it.

Elements of Jazz

• Improvisation (to make up)

• Rhythmic

• Uses Call and Response

• Most songs have solos

Where was Jazz developed?

• New Orleans• Diverse population: African, French,

German, Italian, Mexican, English, Native American

• Known as a melting Pot

Where is Jazz found?

• Night Clubs• Concert Halls• Subway Stations• Sidewalks

• Radio• TV Shows• TV Commercials• Film• CDs

Spirituals or Work Songs1612-Present

• Before there was jazz, there was slavery.

• Slaves would sing in the fields to make the work day go faster.

• Spirituals are the first “church songs.” It is the roots of Gospel.

Blues

• Pain of lost love, injustice, or adversity

• Derived from field hollers, work songs, hymns

• Is the basis for R & B, Rock N’ Roll, & Country

Ragtime 1896-1917

• Primarily uses a solo piano

• Father of Ragtime is Scott Joplin

Dixieland 1900-1928

• Typical instrumentation: trumpet, clarinet, banjo, trombone, piano, tuba, & drums.

• Collective Improvisation; everyone plays at the same time.

Jazz 1920-Present

• Roaring 20’s

• Instruments: Saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar, & drums)

• Use of Chord Progressions

Louis Armstrong 1901-1975

• Father of Jazz

• Played the trumpet

• Known as Satchmo when he would sing or scat (scatting is the use of words and non-sense words)

Bebop 1940-1955• Small Groups• Designed for improvisation• Very difficult to play• Rarely written down

• Named for one of the non-sense words from scatting.

Afro-Cuban 1950s

• Unites Blues, Swing, Ragtime with various Cuban grooves.

• Created by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo.

Cool 1949-1955

• Groups range from trios to nonets.

• Started to use more “classical” instruments; Oboe, French Horn, Flute

• Slower pace, loud, more emotional

Bossa Nova 1960’s

• Brazilian style of music

• Gained a “cult” following later on due to jazz festivals around the world.

Hard Bop 1952-1959

• Return to fast-paced jazz.

• Mainly in northern cities

Avant Gard/Free Jazz1959-1970

• Not based on chord progressions

• Pushed limits of what they could play and audiences could stand

Fusion 1969-1990

• Merged Rock N’ Roll

• Uses electric instruments

• Brought back Jazz into the mainstream

Contemporary Jazz 1990-Today

• Main reasons is selling records

• Many styles of the past are still being played today.

• The future of jazz is worked out right now

Big Band Era 1935-1945

• Bands formed as hotel dance bands.

• Fletcher Henderson is 1st band to gain national notoriety.

• Ellington/Webb put together bands

Big Band Cont’d

• Clubs open all over NYC (Harlem). Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club Chuck Webb at the Savoy.

• Only time jazz eclipsed all other forms of music.

Benny Goodman

• Brings the “swing beat” national attention in 1935.

• Played the Clarinet

• Nicknamed “King of Swing”

Important Facts• 1913 James Reese Europe records

ragtime with first all black ensemble.• 1917 Original Dixieland Jazz Band

records first jazz record.• Miles Davis would change the face of

jazz 3 different times (Cool, Hard Bop, Fusion).

• 1935 Microphone is invented

RCA Victor Talking Machine

Important People

• Kid Ory• Duke Ellington• Jelly Roll Morton• Miles Davis

• Charlie Parker• Billie Hollidae• Ella Fitzgerald• John Coltrane

James Reese Europe

Miles Davis

Ella Fitzgerald

Billie Holiday

Kid Ory

John Coltrane Jelly Roll Morton

Original Dixieland Jazz Band