Jazz

History of American Jazz

Appendix A: Understanding Jazz

-Americas art form
-European- African musical traditions
-Hard to define

Defining Jazz
Improvisation- spontaneous and simultaneous composing and performing
Rhythm- a unique interaction with time involving: -syncopation, -jazz swing rhythm
Dissonance- extending common rules of music; “pushing the envelope”
Jazz interpretation- a unique way of producing sound and phrasing melodies
Interaction- listening to and reacting to musical ideas from other musicians

Swing Rhythm

Beat |1 |2 |3 |4 | |Straight | I |I |I |I | |Swing | I | I | I | I | |
The Jazz Soloist
-The improvised solo the highest form of individual expression in a performance soloists create unique musical personality through note selection, tone quality, etc
“telling your story”
-Lay out
-”Blue Skies”

How the Rhythm Section Works
Piano (or guitar)- plays chords in a syncopated and interactive way known as comping
Bass- plays a note on every beat that outlines the chords, a technique called walking bass
Drums- swing rhythm is played on the ride cymbal(ride rhythm); syncopated accents played on bass drum (dropping bombs)

Commonly Used Wind Instruments
The Saxophone Family
Cornet, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone

Electronic Instruments
MIDI- introduced in 1984

Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm
Melody- the ‘tune’
Harmony- chords that accompany the melody
Rhythm- the relationship of notes and time

Form
Chorus
Head
Improvised Solo

Jazz Performance Form
-Head: 1 chorus
-1st improvised solo: (x) choruses
-2nd improvised solo: (x) choruses
-3rd improvised solo: (x) choruses
-Head: 1 chorus

Chapter 1: A Quick Look Back on the Early Years of Jazz

Melody
Riff
Phrasing
Hot/Cool
lyrical

Rhythm
Pulse
Temp
Bar/Measure
Syncopation
Polyrhythm

Harmony
Chord- 3 or 4 notes played at a time
Chord progression (changes)
Chord symbols
Lead Sheet- leading the musician