1. Jazz
Chapter 9

2. What you will learn
Describe the beginnings of jazz
Identify the musical characteristics that make jazz a uniquely American music
Distinguish among various jazz styles and eras
Identify significant jazz musicians

3. Bridge Chromatic Bebop Dorian mode Fusion Jazz Polyrhythmic Break
vocabulary
Jazz
Polyrhythmic
Break
Scat singing
Swing
Bridge
Chromatic
Bebop
Dorian mode
Fusion

4. The African Roots of Jazz
From ’s slaves were brought to America from Africa
Music there was functional (not artistic): works songs, spiritual songs, healing songs, etc.
Owners let them keep their music to keep them “happy”
African slaves sang spirituals and work songs, dance tunes, and blues

5. The African And EUROPEAN roots of jazz
Traits of jazz from Africa
Rhythm, especially polyrhythm and syncopation
Juxtaposing two or more rhythms
Expressive vocal quality
European roots
Brass bands of the 1800’s
Instruments (clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, saxophone)
Harmony and chord progressions

6. What is Jazz
Jazz
A musical form distinguished by its reliance on improvisation and its rhythmic urgency
The word did not appear until 1917
Both art (Europe) and function (Africa)are essential to jazz
Skill and inventiveness of performers is emphasized

7. “STRIDE” Piano A distinctive trait of early jazz
Built on a steady oom-pah
Left hand – timekeeping bass
Right hand – shifted accents as it embellished the tune
These early pianists made the piano an important part of the jazz band
Keep off the Grass (1921) James P. Johnson

8. Ferdinand “jelly Roll” Morton (1885-1941)
Great legend of early jazz; Pianist and bandleader
Helped unite the styles that formed jazz
Perfected the New Orleans Dixieland jazz style that had collective improvisation
His group “Jelly Roll” Morton and His Red Hot Peppers introduced a driving swinging sound
“Black Bottom Stomp” (1926)

9. Listen and Ponder What instruments do you hear being played?
There are three main improvised solo sections - identify the order of the instruments that play them
There are four short breaks
A measure or two where everyone stops playing except the soloist
Name the breaks by instrument in the order they are played

10. Dixieland jazz
New Orleans(Dixieland) bands were small groups or combos
Clarinet, cornet, trombone, and drums – each with a specific role
Trumpet/cornet – melody
Clarinet – embellishes the melody
Tuba/bass – bass line
Piano/banjo – provide chords and rhythm
Drums – keep steady tempo and provide rhythm
“Tiger Rag” – The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
The first band to make a jazz recording
Original Dixieland Jazz Band

11. Dixieland Performance practices
Everybody plays all the time – except for solos
Embellished the melody of existing song
Collective improvisation – everyone improvises at the same time
Improvisation based on embellishing the melody
Usually learned by ear
Unlike classical musicians who want a clear tone, jazz musicians will bend the pitches

12. The Mississippi Connection
In the early 20th century, jazz musicians headed north up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers on riverboats looking for work and more freedom
They settled in Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City
Each city developed its own jazz sound
Jazz began to draw a wider audience by becoming dance music
White musicians began to play jazz

13. Louis Armstrong (1898-1971) Played trumpet and sang; legendary
Set standard for jazz soloists
Introduced scat singing:
A form of vocal improvisation on nonsense syllables
Began on trumpet at age 13
Joined King Oliver’s band in 1922
First to insist on staying where he played
In 1957 criticized the government's failure to enforce Civil Rights
“When the Saints Go Marching In”
“What a Wonderful World”
“Hello Dolly” – knocked the Beatles out of first place on the charts

14. Sectional organization
During the 1920’s, jazz evolved into a sectional form with the full ensemble alternation with solo sections
“Hotter than That” (1922)
Example of the new style of hot jazz with sectional organization
Performed by Louis Armstrong
Composed by Lil Hardin, Armstrong’s wife, one of the few females working in jazz
Intro – 8 Bars
Trumpet & Rhythm; Clarinet Break (2) – 32 bars
Clarinet & Rhythm; Vocal Break (2) – 32 bars
Voice and Guitar – 32 bars
Voice/Guitar Duet – 16 bars
alternated 2 bar breaks
Etc......

15. Chicago and The Emergence of Swing
Refers to the special rhythmic character that jazz musicians add to the music
Fletcher Henderson ( )
Bandleader, composer, and arranger
Progressive leader of big band jazz
Pivotal in the development of Swing
“The Stampede” (1926)

16. Henderson’s Band
He enlarged the band and established the instrumentation that became the standard – 3 sections
Brass – 3 trumpets and 2trombones
Reed - 3 or 4 saxes(could double on clarinet)
Rhythm – drums, piano, guitar, and double bass
Emphasis on solo playing over arranged accompaniments

17. The big Band Era Swing was primarily dance music
Big bands played music for kids to dance the jitterbug and Lindy Hop
Legends of the big band era
Benny Goodman
Woody Herman
William “Count” Basie
Lester Young
Duke Ellington
Mary Lou Williams
Woody Herman

18. Benny Goodman (1909-86) Clarinet virtuoso; classical education
Called the “King of Swing”
Born into poverty
Heard by Ben Pollack at age 12
Pollack put him in his band
His first recordings were made with Pollack’s band in 1926
Spent next 50 years recording and touring
His band members became band leaders
“Don’t Be That Way”
Ben Pollack

19. William “Count” Basie (1904-1984)
Piano player and band leader
Born in New Jersey but settled in Kansas City
Important to Kansas City sound
Along with Ellington, most influential in establishing the Swing style
Took over Benny Moten’s band in 1935
His star soloists went on to lead bands
Music was ultra-relaxed and ultra swinging
“One O’clock Jump”

20. The Rise of the Saxophone
Lester Young
Clarinet eventually gave way to the saxophone
Lester Young ( )
Member of Count Basie’s band
Set standard for other musicians
Inspired Charlie Parker
Most professional jazz saxophonists double on clarinet when needed.
“Shoe Shine Boy”

21. 32 bar song form Trumpet & Rhythm; Clarinet Break (2) – 32 bars
A large number of songs being written in 32-bar form ; became standard
A A B A form
Each section being 8 bars.
Bridge
A connective part of a composition
Trumpet & Rhythm; Clarinet Break (2) – 32 bars
Clarinet & Rhythm; Vocal Break (2) – 32 bars
Voice and Guitar – 32 bars

22. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974)
Raised in a middle class family in Washington D.C.
He showcased his musicians
Made a jazz a sophisticated art form
Music was often chromatic:
Incorporating tones from a musical scale consisting entirely of half steps
His work celebrated African-American culture
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
“It Don’t Mean a Thing” (1932) sung by Ella Fitzgerald
Anticipated and summarized the entire swing era
First to use the word swing

23. Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) One of the few women to succeed in jazz
Great piano player
Composer and arranger
Arranged for Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington
Played professionally by age 6
1931 – she joined the band Twelve Clouds of Joy
Zodiac Suite: “Gemini” (1945)

24. The 1940’s and Bebop
Bebop:
A complex and sophisticated type of improvised jazz
After World War II, the interest in jazz intensified
Swing remained popular
More freedom and improvisation; greater playing ability was needed
Goal was to see how much they could stretch a composition while maintaining its basic formal structure
Too fast for dancing; focus was back on jazz combos
Leaders of bop started in Swing bands

25. John Birks ”Dizzy” Gillespie(1917-1996)
Pioneer of Bebop
Born in South Carolina
Started in Swing bands
Joined with Charlie Parker
Later formed his own bands
Added Latin elements to music
“Night in Tunisia”

26. Charlie “Yardbird” Parker (1920-1955)
Saxophone
Works, such as “Confirmation” are now jazz standards,
Grew up in Kansas City
Joined the Jay McShann swing band in 1938
Started out on Bari Saxophone in high school
New York night club named in his honor

27. Cool Jazz, Fusion, and Beyond
New directions in jazz
Reactions against the complexity of bebop
Revived older forms
Danceable blues became rhythm and blues – R & B
Modal jazz – using different scales
Dorian mode:
A scale with the pattern of whole step, half, whole, whole, whole, half, and whole

28. Cool Jazz Reaction against the emotional intensity of bop
Simpler melody and rhythm
Miles Davis ( )
The Miles Davis Sextet
Leading jazz group of the time
Influential albums – Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue (birth of modal jazz)
“So What” from Kind of Blue
Davis perfected a style of trumpet playing that was restrained and moody

29. And Beyond
The arrival of rock and roll (50’s), society was solely focused on it
Began with the Beatles
Jazz lost some of the mainstream popularity, but not forgotten
Free jazz – stretched expression, atonal
Ornette Coleman
New tempos, meters, timbres from other cultures
Fusion
Combination of jazz and rock
Miles Davis
Introduced synthesizer to jazz music