History of Jazz A m e r i c a s C l a s s i c a l

Transcription

1 Jump Bands Trimmed instrumentation of the swing band 1 or 2 trumpets History of Jazz A m e r i c a s C l a s s i c a l M u s i c 1 trombone, if at all 3 saxes (alto, tenor, baritone) rhythm section: piano, bass, guitar (and/or vibes), drums Rhythm & blues based repertoire; extensive use of riff-based tunes Hard-driving rhythm section; loud drumming patterns with strong dance beats Focus on showmanship audience participation (dancing) Vibrant, blues-based improvisation; extensive use of riffs; lots of high register shrieks and wails Two dynamic levels: loud and louder Listening Example: Jump Call by Benny Carter; performed by the Benny Carter and His Orchestra After the Swing Era Jazz community splinters into three primary camps: Jump Bands: swing meets rhythm & blues (one of the roots of rock and roll); very danceable & accessible to mainstream audiences Bebop: jazz developed by and for virtuoso musicians; attracted performers with outgoing musical personalities; small, devoted audiences Lecture Four: Bebop Cool: jazz for the intellectual; formal compositions combined with reflective improvisations; at first, little audience appeal; gradual exposure in film and television soundtracks broaden aaudience appeal Listening Example: Ko-Ko by E.K. Ellington; performed by s Re-Boppers

2 A Comparison of Jazz Styles Bebop: Development Early Jazz Swing Bebop Group Size Combo: 5-8 players Band: players Combo: 3-6 players Primary Focus Collective and solo improvisation Written compositions and arrangements with solo improvisation Solo improvisation; jam session approach; spontaneous performance Solo Short in length; melodic paraphrasing with ragtime references Short to long lengths; based upon riff-based ideas Long solos; dense and syncopated lines; virtuosic in nature name of an early bebop recording made by Repertoire Ragtime, marches, popular songs Popular songs, show tunes, original compositions Original melodies composed over existing song structures Developed in the after-hours clubs in Harlem and other New York nightspots; Minton s and Monroe s Uptown House Popularity Regional, then national Mainstream popular music between Small, dedicated audiences Rhythmic Feel Ragtime phrasing; transition to swing; march beat patterns Swinging, dance beats; foottapping rhythms Lead Instrument Cornet/trumpet Trumpet/saxophone Syncopated, elusive beat patterns; difficult rhythmic ideas Saxophone/trumpet Notable Soloists Louis Armstrong Bix Biederbecke Sidney Bechet Earl Hines Benny Goodman Count Basie Lester Young Coleman Hawkins Thelonius Monk Max Roach Notable Composers Jelly Roll Morton Fats Waller Duke Ellington Fletcher Henderson Not clear how the term bebop evolved into the jazz vernacular scat singing syllables, usually at the end of a scat phrase Fostered by cutting contests between musicians after working hours (after dance halls and ballrooms closed) Stressed virtuosic technique; long, complicated improvised solos; and intentional move from constrictions of swing music Bebop: Culture Bebop developed its own cult identity: Dexter Gordon Thelonius Monk Bud Powell Max Roach Zoot suits Goatees Sunglasses (Shades) String Ties Berets or Tams Verbal Slang Political overtones Bebop People

3 James Dizzy Gillespie First, most influential bebop trumpeter; achieved international fame 1939: dishwasher at chicken restaurant; was nicknamed Bird ; heard pianist Art Tatum; transcribed Tatum s piano licks to sax Playing characteristics big brassy tone : worked several taxi dance bands outgoing personality : attended jam sessions at Minton s and other after-hours clubs preferred high register playing intense syncopated yet accessible improvised lines : worked with Earl Hines Band; met Performed in swing bands led by Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Barnet, Earl Hines, Cab Calloway and Billy Eckstine : worked with Billy Eckstine s Band; considered first bebop band Joined with in 1945 and made the first important bebop recordings after the Musicians Union recording ban Listening Example: Groovin High by J. Gillespie; performed by the and His Orchestra Born and raised in the KC jazz scene; idolized Lester Young As a teenager, he transcribed and learned all of Young s recorded solos with Count Basie s band Encouraged to go to New York; arrived in 1939 Listening Example: Embraceable You by G. Gershwin; performed by the Quintet : famous quintet, s ReBoppers, with ; first significant bebop recordings Charlie Bird Parker Lester Young influences Light, buoyant sound; little vibrato Quoting : uses pop song melodic fragments in solos Use of space in solos Coleman Hawkins influences Laid-back swinging quality; smooth, effortless performances Aggressive, angular solo material Complex, dense solos Blues-based riffs Listening Example: Scrapple from the Apple by C. Parker; performed by the Quintet

4 Charlie Bird Parker 1946: Los Angeles performances; drug bust; did time in jail and rehab near Santa Barbara : Back to NYC; formed new quintet with Miles Davis; Royal Roost Club exposed Parker to larger audiences (small by swing band standards) 1949: made excellent recording with strings, appreciated classical music, listened intently to contemporary symphonic music : inconsistent and rare performances due to deteriorating physical condition from escalating substance abuse died in 1955, before his 35th birthday. The coroner estimated his age at death was 55. His death was announced in the Washington Post, three days later. Charlie Bird Parker s Legacy Brought bebop to maturity; made saxophone the mainstream instrument of jazz Inspired legion of followers: Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, etc. Charlie Bird Parker: What They Said I loved Bird. He was so good to me. He turned me on to Stravinsky, to Bartok, to dance, to painters. He was a brilliant man. - Sheila Jordan, vocalist Bird was the other half of my heartbeat. - was one of the few jazzmen who can be said to have given dignity and meaning to the abused word genius. It was his desire to devote his life to the translation of everything he saw and heard into terms of musical beauty. In bringing the art of improvisation to a new peak of maturity, Parker had an inestimable influence on jazz musicians regardless of what instrument they played. -Leonard Feather, jazz author and critic Listening Example: Just Friends by J. Klenner & S. Lewis; performed by with Strings Dexter Gordon Premier bebop tenor saxophonist His career was productive until his death in 1990 Gordon s improvisation style similar to Parker Brought new complexity to jazz playing; solos free of cliché patterns Gordon s sound based more on Coleman Hawkins; Parker based more on Lester Young Phrasing transcended bar lines and chord changes Successor to Hawkins, linking to John Coltrane Added expressiveness into his solos in spite of their incredible activity Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Round Midnight Remains the model of improvisational greatness Listening Example: Tanya by D. Byrd; performed by Dexter Gordon Quartet

5 Thelonius Monk Monk was a giant figure outside the norm of mainstream jazz; unorthodox solos Symbolized bebop revolution in clothing, language, art and philosophy Powerful composer who wrote pieces beyond the boundaries of mainstream jazz and popular songs form; used abstract melodies and unusual harmony Stood out in his own ensembles; very stark, syncopated; would play painfully straight when rest of ensemble would be swinging hard Exposed, explored and embraced dissonances 1957: Monk recorded an album of his interpretations of well-known popular songs; hardly recognizable to casual listeners Listening Example: Straight No Chaser by T. Monk; performed by Thelonius Monk Quartet Bud Powell Most imitated bebop pianist De-emphasized the left-hand, used sporadically in support role; removed stride from jazz piano Re-focused importance of righthand improvised melodies; his improv skills on par with Charlie Parker Perfected locked-hands technique where both hands play in parallel motion with complex harmony Listening Example: Get Happy by H. Arlen & T. Koehler; performed by Bud Powell Trio Max Roach Most important drummer of the bebop era Started by subbing in for Sonny Greer in Duke Ellington Orchestra With Charles Mingus, co-founded Debut Records; released Jazz at Massey Hall, widely considered the greatest concert ever Interests in percussion grew into solo performances, percussion orchestras and expanding innovative technique beyond jazz Listening Example: I Get A Kick Out Of You by C. Porter; performed by Clifford Brown/MaxRoach Quintet Bebop in Review Overall, bebop styles were less popular than big band swing; fewer popular tunes and singers Smaller groups soloists Less arrangements, more originals and improvised melodies Solos, accompaniments and arrangements more complicated Less predictability in the music; predictability (often) breeds popularity Listening Example: Salt Peanuts by J. Gillespie, C. Parker and K. Clarke; performed by and His Orchestra

6 Next Lecture: Cool Jazz Listening Example: Moon Dreams by C. MacGregor & J. Mercer; performed by Miles Davis Nonet Sources Collier, Tom. History of Jazz. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa: 1997 Gridley, Mark C. Concise Guide to Jazz, fifth edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ: 2007 Hasse, John Edward, ed. Jazz: The First Century. William Morrow Publishers, New York, NY: 2000 Rosengarten, Lewis. Jazz in Short Measures. Authors Choice Press, Lincoln, NE: 2001 Zorn, Jay D. & August, June. Listening to Music, fifth edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ: 2007