The Jazz music of the Big Band Era was the peak of over thirty years of musical development. Jazz was so innovative and different that it could literally sweep the world, changing the musical styles of nearly every country. Big band Jazz that makes the feet tap and the heart race with excitement that it is recognized with nearly every type of music.…
The Jazz Age was a defining point in the history of America. This point in time defined the clear division between the older and younger generations of America. The Jazz Age was more than just a time period but a cultural movement. Although African-Americans receive credit for the introduction of this music into America, it had quickly expanded to the white middle class and further erupted from there. The introduction of this new style of music resulted in the younger generation of America at the time to become rebellious and less inclined to follow in their ancestors footsteps culture wise (Boundless). Jazz music, in its beginnings, was most often played in cities such as New York, Chicago, and New Orleans. Each city boasted its own unique…
I am doing my end of the semester paper on Jazz music. Jazz was created in the twentieth century and was said that it was, “created to bring people together.” Jazz was also known in many cities around the time of the jazz age, but the city that was known as the birthplace of jazz was New Orleans. There are many important names that people still know today from the jazz ages. One important name during the jazz age was Louis Armstrong is known for many Jazz songs like “What a Wonderful World”, “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Go down Moses.” Another name was Billie Holiday and she was known for “God Bless the Child” and “Billie’s Blues.” The other name was Duke Ellington, who have many recordings like “Take the A Train”, “Black and Tan Fantasy”,…
Jazz is one of the musical genres that represent America. It had a combination of influences from Africa and Europe. When Africans were brought to the United States as slaves, they brought their music and culture with them. Samuel A. Floyd Jr. stated “…particular musical tendencies were brought with Africans to the New World…and spread throughout African-derived populations in the United States, eventually becoming an integral part of the music we know as jazz.” African slaves used musical expression for social purpose in the 1800s; they sang songs when they are working or they played drums. The immigration of Europeans started in the seventeenth century. They brought the instrumentations, the tonality, the chords, and the form into the United…
In the first episode of “JAZZ,” Ken Burns demonstrates how the creation of jazz was made possible by the social and political circumstances in New Orleans during the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century. By combining the historical explanations of narrator Keith David and the emotional commentaries of African American artists, he retells history in an unconventional way that gives a more meaningful description than textbooks and encyclopedias. As Keith David explains, New Orleans was the home to two different social circumstances: it was the most “cosmopolitan city in America” as well as the center of the slave trade. New Orleans was a place filled with “people from all nationalities living side by side” who brought upon a musical “gumbo” of Caribbean rhythms, classical music, minstrel music, the blues, ragtime and more. These diverse musical styles were taken advantage of by the African American people, in a period of time where they were deprived of the freedom that America promised to all of her inhabitants. African Americans found the liberty they sought for in music and dancing. Ken Burns supports this idea by explaining how blacks were allowed to sing, dance and play the drums in the Congo Square as he demonstrates it in a series of…
This is an ensemble piece with solo instruments featured, this piece could not attain it's goals if it were being played as a solo. It shares all the main features of Jazz, characteristically your brass pieces, sax and trumpet and it's use of drums throughout to keep the tempo as well as the use of improvisation as most jazz pieces have. I believe this piece could serve a specific…
had a numerous short, reoccurring piano riff. This ischaracteristic of almost all jazz. The song also featured a saxophone, whichthroughout the song had its own solo. It is likely that Duke's band also had atrumpet, clarinet, and other typical jazz instruments. The song was very effectiveof presenting the many different instruments and showcasing the jazz feel. LikeHadlock said, "I'm going to give you one note today... see how many ways youcan play…
The “Globalization of Jazz” is occurred when musicians from all around the world that were assimilating bebop and post-bop styles into the music of their culture in interesting and creative ways and creating new hybrid styles. Jazz had absorbed musical influences from other cultures and the reciprocal absorption of jazz into other parts of the world was…
While we may carefully analyze the two pieces to satisfy our curiosity regarding musical evolution in Jazz, we should also not lose sight of the fact that these are two very enjoyable styles of music. From the lively swing orchestras inspiring large audiences to dance, to the softer Bossa Nova sound which is pleasing to hear in a relaxed setting, both have contributed to the growth of musical creativity in Jazz from the 1930's through today.…
Many jazz concerts feature a wide range of instruments which complement and highlight each other. This band was no different. It featured a piano, tenor sax, flute, guitar, drums, bass, and a trumpet. It was really interesting how instrument variation could be utilized all at the same time and still sound great. There were no vocals in the four-song show, however, the band did have many instrumental solos. The solos were unique in the fact that there was one featured instrument with one or more background instruments. I felt that even though there was more than one instrument playing at once, the pieces were still solos rather than duets since the background music just kept the rhythm flowing rather than playing at full volume with the…
The saxophone solo was present. Overall, this piece showcased the balance in both the sounds and the playing and feelings. The next piece is In Memory of Bix by Steve Allen. Listening to the song made me feel like I was in a night club listening to a sad love song. The solo trumpet really brought out the passion from the song. It was a jazz standard but I did not think it was jazz at all. I thought it was ballad. I was impressed with the saxophone played named Vince. The trumpet player John Garcia gave me chills. I was reminded of Miles Davis somewhat through his solo. I did notice that he used vibrato and his sound was not mellow as Miles Davis. Then, Con Alma by Dizzy Gillespie closed out the first section for the jazz ensemble. Immediately, I could pick up on the bebop style for its fast and energetic style. The rhythm was complex. I could not follow at all. The trumpet solo was clear and crisp. The saxophone soloist and trumpet soloist played together for a part then they took turn to perform their own solo. The bass solo was great and I could feel that there was Latin musical elements involved. It was similar to Dizzy Gillespie’s Manteca where it had Latin style…
The poem" jazz fantasia" made by Carl Sandburg was a poem about a band of jazzmen playing their instruments and to make it be the best of all time. The author makes sure to make images in your head to see how the instruments are played and to be able to play them with feelings. In the poem I found at least two or more onomatopoeias that showed the sounds of the instruments and other things. One of the sounds were the ooze of the trombones that were able to make an image in your head about the mood being quiet and smooth about the tune. Another sound that I found in the poem was that the boat going down the river was making hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo which makes you think of old movies with steam boats and how the warm summer nights are. The author was…
The first intrigues me is the high notes. The clarinet solo performer has a skillful transform between high notes, and the piece ends with an altissimo C. The performer changes it nice, smooth and natural. The second part that intrigues me is the whole band makes a good combination. The other performers not only do not cover the clarinet's sound, but also set off the advantages of the clarinet. It makes a good harmony. The last thing is the emotions. The performers perform the characteristics of jazz, and full of emotions.…
Breathing and Living Jazz For my Extended Project, I will be composing a Jazz and Blues inspired piece. Jazz is a style of music that originated in the United States of America and was used as a way to express one's emotions. The syncopated rhythms and simple understructure have led to some of the most influential songs and musicians of the 20th century. The room to improvise is endless. It is often said, “in jazz there is no wrong note”.…
Early’s writing is direct yet easy to understand, and allows the reader to truly grasp the significance of Jazz music. This article is immensely useful and relevant because it provides not only the history behind the Jazz art form but the cultural impact it has on american culture. The article also speaks about how Jazz music was the epitome of black creativity in America, which is very relevant to the topic at hand of how the Black narrative is woven into this style of…