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New Orleans: Birthplace of Jazz

New Orleans: Birthplace of Jazz. New Orleans. Rich in culture: French, Spanish, British, African slaves, Native Americans Early jazz musicians Creole (French and Blacks); had benefits unlike blacks: social, economic, musical training. Able to attend concerts and the opera

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New Orleans: Birthplace of Jazz

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  1. New Orleans:Birthplace of Jazz

  2. New Orleans • Rich in culture: French, Spanish, British, African slaves, Native Americans • Early jazz musicians Creole (French and Blacks); had benefits unlike blacks: social, economic, musical training. Able to attend concerts and the opera • Creole: Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory, Honrey Dutry, Johnny St. Cyr • Black: Joe “King” Oliver, buddy Bolden, Bunk Johnson

  3. New Orleans • Musicians: played in brass bands, brothels, saloons, traveling minstrel shows. Easier work than the docks on the river • N.O. supported as many as 18 bands sponsored by fire department, police , armed forces and various fraternal lodges. • Some bands were full time, others were part time.

  4. New Orleans • Buddy Bolden (d. 1931) • Cornet player who was never recorded; remembered in memoirs of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Had super clear tone; influence on creation of early jazz • Played in various bands in Storyville District. • Committed to mental institution in 1907 and died there in 1931. • Band “Eagle Band”, became training ground for early jazz musicians (Sidney Bechet)

  5. New Orleans • Bunk Johnson: Undiscoverd until historians were piecing together history. • Not recorded until 1942. • Like to tell interesting stories • Was an active musician in New Orleans • Freddie Keppard (1889-1933), “King” Oliver, and Louis Armstrong were only New Orleans cornetist who were recorded

  6. New Orleans • Keppard led Olympia Brass Band and performed in Buddy Bolden’s “Eagle Band” • Considered most direct musical descendant of Buddy Bolden and King Oliver • Travel to California with Original Creole Orchestra (1912-1918) before moving to Chicago • Keppard was made an offer to record, but turned it down because he did not want to be copied.

  7. Dixieland • No set standard instrumentation • Front line: cornet, clarinet, sometimes violin and trombone. • Second line: Drums and Percussion • Terms come from N.O street parade band • Rhythm section: guitar or banjo, string bass or tuba, and drums. • Banjo replace guitar eventually. Bass instrument optional, but became standard by 1920s • Bass instrument: tuba, bass saxophone ,string bass. Recordings show transition from tuba to string bass was slow; same for banjo to guitar

  8. Dixieland • Each instrument has role • Cornet: played melody very syncopated; eventually replaced by trumpet. • Clarinet: played rhythmically active embellishments of cornet melody. • Trombone: outline harmony by playing the chord tones (root, 3rd , 5th) • Most trombonist prefer the “tailgate” technique

  9. Dixieland • Tailgate: using the slide to smear or gliss from one pitch to another. • Came from advertising minstrel shows; trombonist had to sit on the tailgate of the wagon • Piano: maintain harmony or rhythm (early jazz bands didn’t use banjo, guitar or bass)

  10. Drummers • Emulated marching second line (more than one player) • Mounted cymbal on a floor stand and developed a foot pedal for cymbal and bass drum • Used percussion like temple blocks, spoons, novelty items. Used more as a gimmick. Drummers played rudimentary techniques of second line

  11. Drummers • Don’t know how exactly how drummers played. • Recordings weren’t able to capture natural balances of what bands achieved until invention of microphones and amplification. • Loud drums ruined the recording (this is why cornets and trumpets were use with mutes) • Believe same reasoning was used for temple blocks and quieter percussion

  12. Brass Bands • Tradition borrowed from Europe; popular before WWI • Early jazz musicians began careers in brass bands Jimmy Noone, Sidney Bechet, Buddy Bolden, Bunk Johnson, Joe “king” Oliver Most situated themselves around New Orleans

  13. Brass Bands • Repertoire ranged from arrangements of piano rags, blues, marches, polkas, czardaszes (Slovakian folk dance), cake walks, and coon songs • Instrumentation included cornets, clarinets, trombones, drums, tubas and some string instruments (banjo, guitar, violin)

  14. Brass Bands • Bands performed for various functions (weddings ,funerals, street parades, etc.. • No recordings of early brass bands; No musicians were recording prior to 1917; technology was too new and no recording industry • Brass bands lead to smaller groups that represent nightlife in new orleans • `

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