Early Jazz

1. Early Jazz • Derived and influenced by African music in the slave culture. • Ragtime and Dixieland. • Started in New Orleans - seaport • Chicago and New York became big jazz cities for recording. • Much of the music was improvised.

2. Ragtime • Rags were first written for piano and later arranged for small groups. • Introduced accents in the right hand and syncopations throughout. • Still used today but not very often. • Rags that were orchestrated for various instrumental groups led to the development of Dixieland music. • Ragtime was not specifically jazz music but led to the creation of it.

3. Scott Joplin1868-1917 • Composer of piano rags. • One of the first to publish rags. • Met many other “ragtimers” but decided to concentrate on composing rather than performing with them.

4. Jelly Roll Morton1890-1941 • Pianist • First started in Brothels • Lot of recordings in 1923 and 24. • Played on West Coast from 1917-1922. • Had all performers solo. • Blamed his death on a voodoo spell.

5. James P. Johnson1894-1955 • Made famous for his piano style known as stride piano, fast moving left hand. • Studied classical and ragtime piano. • Became known as the best piano player on the East Coast. • Has accompanied for over 400 recordings. • Stride piano smoothed the transition from ragtime to jazz and influenced piano styles much like Jelly Roll Morton’s playing. Jim Hession playing Stride style piano

6. Dixieland • Several melodies played at the same time by trumpet, clarinet, and trombone. These were accompanied by combinations of piano, tuba, bass, banjo, guitar, and drums. • Major contributors to this style: • Jelly Roll Morton • Louis Armstrong • Nick LaRocca • Bix Beiderbecke

7. Early New Orleans Dixieland1900-1917 • These groups used coronet or trumpet, clarinet, and trombone in the front lines. • The rhythm section was made up of a banjo, a tuba, and drums. • This style was played with equal emphasis on each beat. Chicago style will later change that.

8. 1920s Chicago Style Dixieland • Exciting time in Chicago “Roaring 20s.” • Workers migrated from the south. • This style added saxophone and piano to N.O. style. • Created emphasis on beats 2 and 4 instead of all 4 beats. • Banjo exchanged for guitar and tuba for string bass. • Performed more aggressively. • Chicago was the center of jazz. • Louis Armstrong was very influential. • Chicago was where the first recordings took place.

9. Earl Hines1903-1983 • Jazz pianist who influenced piano styles in the 30s and 40s. • Got his start by recording with Louis. • His style was often called “brassy” because of the force he used to strike the keys. • His style influenced Art Tatum and Count Basie.

10. Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong1901-1971 Play Stardust • “Father of Jazz” • Most widely imitated jazz improviser before Charlie Parker. • His solos played on 1927, 1928 recordings served as a model for the swing era. • Appeared in about 50 movies. • Father of Scat.

11. Why Louis is important • One of the first great soloists in history. • One of the first to refine rhythm: • No stiffness like ragtime. • Used swing eighth note patterns. • Syncopated selected rhythmic figures. Today called “Jazz swing feeling.” • Not many players come close to his talent. Always thought ahead in phrases while maintaining the feeling of spontaneity.

12. He added a great sense of drama to soloing with perfect use of dynamics and range with perfect timing. • Frequently broke away from just melody embellishments and improvised original, melody like lines, that fit in the chord progressions. • Popularized the N.O. trumpet style and extended it. • Provided jazz with a collection of phrases and ways of constructing improvisations.

13. His singing style influenced many famous singers such as: • Billie Holiday • Bing Crosby • Popularized Scat singing • Style of singing which includes improvisation and does not include any lyrics.

14. Swing and Big Band Era

15. Swing and Big Band Era • Began in the late 1920s into 1930s due to the less stiff, looser rhythmic feeling. • Most popular style in jazz history. • Swing Era is also called the Big Band Era because the size of swing bands was 10 or more. • Saxophones, bass, and high-hat cymbals became more common. • Collective improv was rare. • Smoother rhythmic feel than rags and dixieland.

16. 3 categories of instruments: • Brass: trumpets, flugelhorns, and trombones. • 2-5 trumpets (usually 3) with lead in the middle. • 2-5 trombones (usually 3) with lead in the middle. • Saxophones/reed section: saxophones, clarinets, and flutes. • Sax players switch between saxes, clarinets, and flutes. • Rhythm Section: Piano, Bass, rhythm guitar, and drums. • Rhythm guitar faded out in the late 40s except for Basie’s band.

17. Rhythm Section • Pianists played melody sometimes, Basie liked comping (playing accompanying chords as accents behind soloist), most used stride or chords every beat or every other. • Guitar and bass usually had timekeeping duties. • Bassists played in the background in two styles: • Two-beat style - played notes on the first and third beats out of every four. • Walking bass style - played on every beat. • Drummers made beat obvious for dancers with occasional dramatic effects.

18. Larger bands demanded written arrangements. Musicians had to read and write music. • Some tunes made up and taught to members of the band but not many. These were called “Head Arrangements.” • Most arrangements were simple • Melodies played by entire band in unison or harmony. • Improv followed with accompaniment from rhythm section and riffs from other sections. • Melodies and accompaniment traded between sections. • Arrangements often contained themes and variations. • Call and response melodies and accompaniments were common.

19. Recordings were helping the popularity of jazz to spread until the stock market crash in 1929. RCA was only one left. • Big bands gained exposure through radio broadcasts. When recording returned, it only added the growing popularity of big bands and swing music. • Certain jazz musicians were known in this era much like rock stars are known to us. • Big bands used showy costumes and stage settings. • They sometimes traveled with 6 singers at a time.

20. Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969) • First important jazz tenor saxophonist. • Sax was considered a novelty before his style brought recognition to it. • Deep, husky tone became model and made tenor sax one of the most popular instrument in jazz. • Loved to play over complex chord progressions. • Harmonic improviser

21. Count Basie (1904-1984)

22. Count Basie (1904-1984) • Most swinging band. • Originally a stride style pianist. • Began as a drummer. • Unique touch of the piano: • Choice of notes near perfect • Sense of time was equal to a good drummer’s • Very light and precise • Led a big band from 1937 til death.

23. Led the first rhythm section in history that consistently swung in a smooth, relaxed way. • Excellent sense of tempo • Ability to keep time and swing consistently w/out using hard approach • Quiet, relaxed playing • Even stress on each beat • Emphasis on buoyancy rather than intensity • No rhythm section member stuck out, blended well.

24. Piano - Count Basie • Rhythm Guitar - Freddie Green 1911-87 • String Bass - Walter Page 1900-57 • Drums - Jo Jones 1911-85 • Famous for sharp and lively comping • Most used model for comping • Comping is playing accompanying chords as accents behind the soloist • Pianist must listen and play interactively

25. Basie’s specialty style was Kansas City Style: • Lighter and more relaxed • Arrangements based on riffs • Head arrangements - memorized • Lester Young (1909-1959) • “Prez” • Basie’s most notable soloist • Style served as model - “cool jazz” • One of the five most influential saxes • Paved the way for modern tone color, vibrato, rhythmic conception, and phrasing. • Musical storyteller

26. Roy Eldridge (1911-1959) • One of the most advanced/daring improvisers of Swing Era. • Link between Swing and modern jazz. • Played sax-like lines - swooping. • Often used upper register. • Influenced modern trumpeters to use greater instrumental facility. • Played in Gene Krupa’s big band.

27. Art Tatum (1910-1956) Play Danny Boy • One of the most widely admired pianists. • Partially blind and self-taught. • Combined styles. • Long, fast runs with odd rhythm combos. • Advanced knowledge of chords structures. • Chord substitution. • Influenced Charlie Parker.

28. Billie Holiday (1915-1959) Play Just One • One of the greatest singers in Swing Era. • Troubled childhood created raw emotion brought forth in her singing. • Combination of swinging, blues, delicate sound. • Stretched the musical phrases to fit feelings. • “Strange Fruit” • Great American Songbook