Final Blog

American Jazz

Jazz is one of the most important music in the United States, because it is what Americans can truly call their own. It was developed from several different influences and is unique to this country.

History of Jazz

Before 1850- Folk music based on African forms; white dance and band music

Circa 1850- Plantation songs sung by slaves; Minstrelsy was white music meant to copy plantation songs

During the Civil War- Slave songs of the United States published

Post Civil War- Prison songs

Late 1800s- Blues develops and is complete by 1910

1890s- Ragtime develops and is the most popular music in America

Early 1900s- Marching band music, Ragtime and the Blues begin to fuse into early jazz roots.

1910-1920- Jazz is born in New Orleans via a combination of black and Creole music

1920’s- New Orleans Jazz is the thing. The Jazz Age is born

1930s- Swing is king and this is the only time that Jazz and popular are the same thing

1940s- Bebop is born. It is later called simply Bop

1950s- Hard Bop or Funk and Cool Jazz take over

1960s- Modal and Free Jazz find followers

1970s- Jazz fuses with one of its derivatives to form Jazz-Rock or Fusion

1980s- Contemporary Jazz age begins

1990s- Hip-Hop and other forms emerge. Hard Bop revival.

Source: www.allaboutjazz.com

Instruments

Rhythm section- these instruments keep the beat and form the backbone of the band

Drum set- idiophone and membranophone

Piano- chordophone

Guitar- chordophone

Bass- chordophone

Lead- These instruments improvise and play the melody of the song, and are all aerophones

Trombone

Trumpet

Clarinet

Saxophone (bar saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone)

Characteristics of Jazz

Improvisation- Musicians have a chord progression and have no notes written down to read, but instead make up melodies on the spot.

Blue Notes- transform regular scales into blues scales by flatting certain notes in a scale.

Swing- playing a pair of notes in a way which elongates the first and shortens the second.

Call and Response- one instrument will initiate a call, and another will respond

Polyrhythm- two rhythms played simultaneously

Syncopation- Rhythmic manipulation in which a musician will fail to sound a beat on the accent.

Famous Jazz Musicians

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)

John Coltrane (1926-1967)

Miles Davis (1926-1991)

Duke Ellington (1899-1974)

Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993)

Charlie Parker (1920-1955)

Listening Examples

Miles Davis- So What

Dave Brubeck- Take Five

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong- Let’s Call the Whole Thing off

These are song of the most famous Jazz songs, and these artists are monumental in the Jazz genre. These songs encompass all the elements of jazz such as improvisation, syncopation, blue notes, and call and response.