Amazing Jazz Music HistoryEasy-to-Grasp Info On Jazz Music History - Famous Jazz Cities, Exciting Jazz Styles, Renowned Musicians, Favourite Jazz Instruments .....
JAZZ MUSIC was born in New Orleans, Louisana, towards the close of the 19th century. Invented by African Americans, it was a blending of diverse influences - African blues, spirituals, worksongs and European music and instruments. Thus did jazz history begin. Jazz is characterised by three elements: Swing - a rhythmic momentum that makes you want to dance; Improvisation - whereby players create much of the music spontaneously; and Distinctive Voices - by which the musicians stamp their individual styles.
NEW ORLEANS occupies a special position in the history of jazz music. It was a bustling port city with a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural population. And it nurtured many jazzers whose fame continues today. It was in New Orleans that Buddy Bolden (cornet player) formed the first jazz band ever. Another noted band leader, Joe King Oliver (cornet), mentored none other than the young Louis Armstrong (trumpet & cornet). So in the early 1900s, these and other players helped jazz evolve into a music having collective improvisation and strong solo parts.
CHICAGO in the 1920s became jazz's happening city. This was when New Orleans declined after the closure of the Storyville red-light district. As jazz history took a turn, many jazzers migrated to this and other cities. The first ever recording of jazz was on 78 rpm records - by the all-white Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB). Originating in New Orleans and nurtured in Chicago, this band recorded in New York City in 1917. In Chicago itself, Louis Armstrong finally recorded and became the first famous jazz soloist. His white alter ego, Bix Beiderbecke, was the first white soloist and band leader who developed a white jazz following. Others who achieved fame in Chicago in the 1920s included King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band; Jelly Roll Morton (piano) and his Red Hot Peppers band; Benny Goodman (clarinet), Jack Teagarden (trombone) and Gene Krupa (drums).
JAZZ STARTED TO SWING by the late 1920s and early 1930s as this music evolved into big band swing.
NEW YORK CITY arose as the capital of jazz in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Big jazz bands, with a dozen players each, replaced the smaller groups of New Orleans. And thanks to records and the radio, this music finally reached the masses and became a part of America's national culture. This was a big turning point in the history of jazz music. [Click "Big Band Jazz Music" in the Navigation Bar for more info.]
BEBOP (Bop, Rebop) was a re-invention of jazz.This revolution was brought on by the artistic and social forces of the mid-1940s post-World War II period. Young jazzmen strained to be freed from the restrtictions of the big bands. Costs also necessitated a return to smaller bands. Hence there was a lot of exploration. In 1945, after much experimentation, Charlie Parker (saxphone player) and Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) recorded a new music that was launched as the bebop style. That changed the course of jazz music history. Wild, fast and free, bebop broke through the restrictions of the big bands. It conveys many emotions - sadness, humour and joy. Reflecting the bustle and noise of busy New York City, this new style produced a fresh crop of gifted jazz players.
OFF-SHOOTS OF BOP - During the 1950s, new variants of jazz were developed that incorporated certain features of bebop and other elements different from it. Hence there arose two off-shoots - cool jazz and hard bop.
COOL JAZZ emerged in California in the West Coast. Gentle and melodic, it was played primarily by white jazzers. It had features of both bebop and big band swing music . One key player was Miles Davis.
HARD BOP, however, surfaced in New York City. Played mainly by black musicians, it was bluesy and hard-driving . Art Blakey was one key player.
Over time, cross-fertilisation took place between the two variants while, elsewhere, furher experimentation with new sounds continued.
d) OTHER JAZZ FORMS (1960s to 19990s)
During the 1950s, the dominant forms were cool jazz and hard bop. But some players explored freer forms for more space to improvise and further ways to express their feelings in music. The resultant styles were avant garde and free jazz - emerging in the 1960s and flowing into the 1970s and 1980s. Chicago and New York were the centres for the new music. AVANT GARDE is experimental and elaborately composed in advance, although it may sound chaotic at times . Noted players include Anthony Braxton and Paul Bley. FREE JAZZ has few rules and is the most direct expression of feelings in music. It frees players from traditional musical structures and lets them use their instruments in unconventional ways to produce unusual sounds. Famous free jazz players are Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. FUSION JAZZ is the other musical stream of the 1960s, the first stream being avant garde and free jazz. This fusion form is jazz blended with rock, funk and other musical styles. Miles Davis was the leading figure at this juncture in jazz history. He had played bebop and cool jazz in the 1940s and 1950s. Now in the 1960s, he introduced electric instruments in fusion jazz to produce the throbbing sounds of this exciting new music.
This is American jazz spiced up with the pulsating rhythms and sounds of Cuba, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and South America. [Click "Latin Jazz Music" in the Navigation Bar for more info.]
Jazz history is over 100 years, and there is a gigantic legacy of great music and famous players. But room still exists for musical creativity and new sounds because jazz, unlike classical music, is largely based on improvisation. ACID JAZZ is prominant as a fresh music. It combines jazz with soul, funk and hip-hop to give a groovy, danceable beat. It was first recorded in London in the 1970s. NEO-TRADITIONAL JAZZ was played by a group of young jazzers in the 1980s. Known as the Young Lions, they continued developing the traditional acoustic styles whilst other musicians searched for new sounds. Wynton Marsilis (trumpet) was the leader of this group that included his brother Branford (saxophone) and Joshua Redman (saxophone). Heading the New York Lincoln Center, Marsalis is very influential in the modern jazz scene - and is truly jazz history in-the-making. CONTEMPORARY JAZZ or SMOOTH JAZZ has been described as light instrumental pop music, not true jazz. It has its roots in the fusion jazz of the 1970s. Players include Grover Washington Jr and Kenny G. But, while not being genuine jazz, this music may perhaps entice and lead jazz fans to the real thing! But then, what really is the real thing? We have to move back to the beginning and ask ......... WHAT IS JAZZ MUSIC?
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