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Introduction:
Jazz music, a music form often called America’s
classical music and originated back in the 1800s
in the south. This African American form of
music is one of the oldest and most beloved in
America. Popular all over the world, it has the
distinction of influencing all kinds of music.
Jazz has the uniqueness of being completely
flexible and this is what makes it appealing to
music lovers of any age. Today, even electronic
DJs and hip hop artists include popular jazz
music in their repertoire.
Jazz has a strong
rhythmic base with blues notes, solos and the
‘call and response’ pattern. One of its
specialties is its ability for improvisation.
Thus we have jazz music, a constantly innovating
musical form made greater by artists such as
Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Miles Davis,
Billie Holiday and so many more. These
outstanding musicians have not only inspired and
influenced musicians of today but have also
helped develop a strong interest in the history
of music in today’s music fans.
The sounds of jazz spread over the US around the
1920s especially in New York and Chicago. The
flexibility of jazz allowed musicians to combine
the piano for the ‘ragtime’ feel to the existing
sounds. In Europe, James Reece improvised with a
whole orchestra, bringing in a fresh flavor to
this music genre.
Jazz is
still the most favorite form of music in Kansas
City, Memphis and New Orleans where it all
started, but it is obvious to see what a wide
influence it has over contemporary music. If you
listen to bands like Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, The
Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy,
etc. you will hear the kind of jazz sounds
enjoyed by the present generation.
The question that
often arises is “What exactly is Jazz”. There
are many stories related to the origin of the
word Jazz, and we know that there are plenty of
elements that come together to make up this
unusual but beautiful music form. Yet, there is
no way you can define Jazz because it is
something that you experience with your senses.
Today there are many types and styles of jazz
and you can see its influence on different
genres of music in jazz rock, latin jazz, acid
jazz, fusion jazz and lots more.
So, what is Jazz?
Jazz is America’s very own
musical art form. Jazz has its origins in the
beginning of the 20th century from
the Afro-Americans. It also has the influence of
European and Afro-American culture. One thing we
can say for sure – there are so many styles and
players in jazz music, that there is something
to please every musical preference.
The History Of Jazz And How It Evolved
As we said
earlier, Jazz has its origins in the US in the
early 1900s. For a century following its
beginnings, jazz has evolved from ragtime, to
the blues to the big band and Bebop to become an
inherent part of the Afro-American tradition.
Jazz specifically has its roots in New Orleans,
Chicago and New York City where it is as alive
as on the day it was born.
Let us now trace a quick timeline in the history
of jazz:
Around the 1700s
Music is in the blood of African Americans. Jazz
can be tracked back to those days of slavery
when the ‘call and response’ style was popular.
The slaves developed this to make their work
life more interesting. There was a song leader
who would sing a line and the others would
respond to this call. The slaves also sang
spiritual songs to express their religious
beliefs and to voice their wish for freedom.
These went on to form the foundation of jazz.
Around the 1800s
In the 1800s many
Europeans immigrated to America bringing their
musical traditions with them in the form of
Irish gigs, German waltzes, French quadrilles,
etc. It was during this time that Scott Joplin,
the afro amercian composer experimented with the
European style, combining them with the African
rhythm and melody. This came to be known as
ragtime.
In the 1900s
New Orleans, with
its multi-cultural population, has the credit
for its role in the growth of Jazz music during
the twentieth century. It was a magical time
when new cultures merged to come up with ‘Jazz’
as it is called today. Jazz was thus a result of
the union of African American music, European
music, blues, ragtime, marching band, etc.
1920s
During this time,
the African Americans moved to Chicago and New
York in search of a better life. They brought
the divine Jazz with them, which was loved by
the locals. People danced to jazz and blues. It
was time when radios and record players were
available, helping in the growth of Jazz. The
music spread all over America, thanks to the
radio, dance halls and record players.
1930s
The 1930s saw the
birth of ‘big band swing’ a new energetci jazz
form which became very popular during the next
two decades. Swing was the dance
music of this time.
1940s
It was World War II
and a majority of the African amercian musicians
were drafted into the army. There were hardly
any musicians to play at the dance halls.
1950s
Television came into
our lives and became a major source of
entertainment. The dance halls became less
important and began to close. It was also a time
when rock n roll and Elvis Presley took the
young generation by storm.
1960s
The 1960s saw the
rebellion of the African American jazz artists
against record companies owned by the whites,
controlling their income as a result. They broke
free to take hold of their own destiny and
music.
From the 1970s to
the present day
Jazz has constantly
evolved and adopted new forms throughout the
century and the 1970s was the time for fusion.
The 1980s saw the birth of acid jazz and classic
blues while the 1990s reveled in smooth jazz and
retro swing.
Today, jazz is seen
as an eternal music form that thrives and
flourishes in the musical taste of music lovers
of all ages.
The Elements That Make Jazz So Special
Jazz is similar to other
styles of music in many ways, yet the way these
elements are handled in jazz is completely
unique. Here is an overview of these elements
vis-à-vis jazz music:
Interpretation
The way a jazz music player
handles a melody is called interpretation. Being
a flexible form of music, practically any melody
can be interpreted with jazz by adding triplets
to the basic beat. This is called swinging. Most
of the music we hear is just the opposite, with
a straight eighth note. For a jazz musician, it
is very important to have the ability to do this
– swing the beat with triplets.
Improvisation:
As with any music form,
improvisation requires a lot of dexterity and
creativity. To be a truly great musician,
improvisation is the one critical element that
they need to master. To be able to improvise,
the musician must have the ability to not only
compose but also revise, edit and perform on the
spot. The greatness of a jazz player is
evaluated by this element, since it involves a
lot of instinct combined with ability.
Rhythm
As we mentioned earlier, jazz
music shows features similar to other types of
music, and the difference lies in the way that
jazz treats these features. Of these, one is
rhythm. Jazz uses syncopation and this
differentiates it because it accentuates the
music unexpectedly and this could be on a part
of the beat or measure. Syncopation lends
variety to the music.
Tempo
In Jazz music, tempo tends to
be even and steady from the moment the melody
starts until it ends.
While playing jazz music, the
players choose from two forms of musical styles
at the time of improvising. These are the blues
and the AABA tune. The blues are usually the
favourite since it is a stylized form with 12
measures of music. You will find blues that are
8 or 16 measures long, but it is the 12 measure
variety that’s most preferred. That said, blues
is easy to improvise on since the basic blues
has 3 chords with the player playing on the one
blues sc ale.
Most popular jazz music is
based on the AABA tune. It is more complex than
the blues and calls for more in-depth
theoretical and practical knowledge. The AABA
tune has 4 phrases, each 8 measures long and
while the A phrases are similar; the B acts as a
bridge between the As.
Different Jazz
Styles
Thanks to its
constantly evolving state, jazz music can be
broadly classified into the following styles:
Ragtime
Ragtime is
the first ever jazz music which originated back
in the 1800s and was meant for the piano.
Energetic, ragtime is reminiscent of the African
dance style. Scot Joplin’s ragtime compositions
are legendary.
The
Blues
The Blues
is significant in jazz music as it has a major
influence on it. Blues basically originated as a
vocal expression of the Afro-Americans working
in the fields in the early 1900s. Blues singers
used the guitar, harmonica and piano as the
accompanying instruments. W C Handy is called
the father of Blues music. Other blues legends
are Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and the like.
Dixieland
Dixieland,
traditional or New Orleans jazz found its
beginnings in the early 1920s at a time when the
blues, ragtime and brass band were popular.
Dixieland jazz used trumpet-cornet, clarinet,
trombone, and the saxophone as accompanying
instruments. Distinctive since there was no
vocalist, the rhythm part of this kind of jazz
also used the banjo tuba, drums, piano or string
bass. Some Dixieland legends are trumpeters
Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiterbecke and pianist
Jelly Roll Morton.
Big Band
Also
popular in the 1920s at the same time as
Dixieland, Big Band jazz had an ensemble of more
than ten players on the saxophone, bass,
trumpets, guitar, piano and drums. These
musicians together created the swing style of
jazz that was great to dance to. Popular Big
Band jazz artists are Duke Ellington, Benny
Goodman, Paul Whiteman.
Bebop
The 1940s saw Bebop,
as a natural extension of Big Band jazz. Yet
Bebop was very different since it had only 4 – 6
players. Its specialty was complex tunes and
chord progressions, so not really the best dance
music. But it gave birth to ‘scat’ which
converted meaningless words into improvised
melodies. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is a Bebop
icon.
Free
Jazz
Free Jazz
grew in the 1960s. It was highly unique in its
pitch and tonal quality and played by very few
musicians like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor,
etc.
Now let us take a look at some of the all time
greats in Jazz music.
All Time Great Jazz Artists
Jazz music has given rise to hundreds of
all-time great musicians. Any talk of jazz music
is impossible without mentioning Charlie
Christian, known for his innovation with the
guitar as his solo instrument. Almost all jazz
musicians adopt some of Christian’s techniques.
Next comes Wes Montgomery, who had the natural
knack of playing just about any melody, no
matter how difficult, with ease. He soloed in
single notes, octaves and chord fragments, using
a heavy tone and thumb stroke to produce the
distinctive sounds so beloved to his fans. Many
people consider Wes Montgomery as their all time
favourite guitar and jazz artist.
Miles Davis, a boxer, was an original lyrical
soloist and known as the most consistently
innovative jazz musician from the 1940s to the
1960s.
Barney Kessel was much sought after jazz
musician who was highly proficient on the
electric guitar. He performed with legends like
Artie Shaw and Oscar Peterson. With is smooth
west coast style, Kessel also played with Herb
Ellis and Charlie Byrd. Herb Ellis is known for
his Bebop style jazz and western swing and was a
great guitarist. He played with Oscar Peterson,
Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
The list of legendary jazz musicians is very
long with Django Reinhardt, Jim Hall, Louis
Armstrong, Kenny Burrell, Pat Martino, Pat
Metheny, Al Di Meola, Billie Holiday, Duke
Ellington and Benny Goodman, who gave the world
jazz music as we know it today, in all its
glory. |
