part 3 the growth of vernacular traditions chapter 13: jazz 1930-1960 america’s musical landscape...

Part 3The Growth of Vernacular

TraditionsChapter 13: Jazz 1930-1960

America’s Musical Landscape 5th edition

PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter MalamutGeorgian Court University

© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 13: Jazz 1930-1960

2© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jazz 1930-1960 Jazz reached a peak of popularity in the mid-1930s

The Great Depression receded; this was an optimistic period America’s involvement in World War II lay ahead

Sweet Jazz was widely familiar by then People craved more adventurous listening

Prohibition ended; real jazz was performed in a pleasanter atmosphere than the illegal speakeasies of the 1920s Crowds flocked to hear big bands

By 1935 big band music resounded from radios, recordings, juke boxes, dance halls all over the United States



Big Band Swing Black jazz musicians added instruments to their

small combos

Developed the vibrant sound known as big band jazz, or swing

Swing was such an appealing new sound to whites and blacks of every stratum of society

Jazz and popular music came together for a time Swing was the popular music of the 1930s



“Big Band” and “Swing” Although early big bands started out with

five or six players

As time went on, the standard became twelve to eighteen players in three sections of instruments

Brass Reeds Rhythm



Big Band Instruments: The Brass Section The brass section

consisted of Trumpets trombones

trombone



Big Band Instruments:The Reed section The woodwind section is called the

reed section

Woodwind instruments used in a big band are played with a reed

A reed is a small flexible piece of cane used on the mouthpiece, to vibrate

Saxophones and sometimes clarinet were used in a big band

clarinet



Big Band Instruments:The Rhythm Section Guitar and/or double

bass Piano drums

Jazz double bass player



Big Band Swing:“Swing” and its meanings Swing eighths

Strings of eighth notes performed in uneven rhythm

Alternating long and short notes of subjective rather than measured length

This contributes to the flexible give-and-take, or expressive rubato, within the steady jazz beat

“Swing” also refers to a mood, a lilt, a magical effect of great jazz

When all elements of a jazz performance come together and work, the music swings



Big Band Swing Eventually the big, or swing, bands experienced the stimulating

interaction between black and white musicians characteristic of many developments of jazz

Recording companies and commercial radio stations still segregated popular music intended for blacks and whites

But African American music inevitably became more familiar to and popular with a widening audience

White people traveled to Harlem, New York City (a black neighborhood) to hear outstanding black jazz musicians jam = improvise

People were intoxicated by the indefinable trait called swing



Big Band Swing:The Art of Arranging Early jazz combos functioned well with free improvisation,

but larger groups of players… Needed structured arrangements

Written or thoroughly worked out in rehearsals Often based on New Orleans originals

Sounding similar to New Orleans and Dixieland jazz Large combos, more sensuous orchestration, structure Big band members had more formal musical training Big band harmonies were more adventurous Only brief solo improvisations; structured pieces



Big Band Music: Arrangers Jelly Roll Mortin, ragtime and jazz pianist, was one of the first

bandleaders to provide arrangements for his band, from the 1920s

Fletcher Henderson, pianist (1897-1952) wrote influential arrangements that later jazz bands emulated

Made his large groups sound as if improvising In fact, left room for limited improvisation

Transformed the large “sweet” dance band into a jazz band Skillfully alternating the independent use of each instrument

section with outstanding solos Henderson’s innovations were copied by dance bands of the

big band era, and high school and college jazz bands today



Big Band Music: The Kansas City Jazz Scene Musicians from Chicago, New York, New Orleans and

elsewhere found Kansas City a hospitable environment for gradually developing a distinct jazz style

Kansas City Jazz was stylistically more pared-down, lighter, more airy, less dense, more relaxed than New Orleans or Chicago jazz

Kansas City arrangements were based on simple musical phrases called riffs, which were repeated over and over

Count Basie dominated this jazz scene



Big Band Music:Count (Bill) Basie (1904-1984) Basie defined jazz as “music you can pat your foot to”

One of the most popular of all big band arrangers, Basie’s instrument was piano

His refined “less is more” piano style proved that space or silence is as important to music as sound

Basie’s band was admired for its rhythm section

Guitar, bass and drums produced perfectly balanced sound

Basie’s unique piano style gave further reason for some to consider his ensemble the best swing band of all



Listening Example 46Taxi War Dance

By Count Basie

and Lester Young (1909-1959)Listening guide page 215

Instruments:

Four trumpets, three trombones, three saxophones, piano , guitar, double bass, drums

Hear Basie on piano, and Lester Young on tenor saxophone

Basie introduces a rolling figure in the lower piano range, which continues as trumpets make brief, emphatic comments,accompanied by trombones anddrums

Hear Lester Young come in with his relaxed, swinging saxophoneimprovisation, which he extendsand develops

Trumpet and piano riff return,trombone solo accompanied byrhythm section

The piece continues….



Big Band Music:Benny Goodman (1909-1986) White clarinetist and bandleader

Brought big band music to national attention through his recordings and radio programs

Goodman’s unprecedented inclusion of African American soloists in his band was appreciated

But his exploitation of contributions of black musicians sometimes caused resentment

Many of Goodman’s best arrangements were by Fletcher Henderson, who never earned all the money he should have



Big Bands:Glenn Miller (1904-1944) An outstanding arranger, by 1940 he recorded forty-five songs that

made it onto the top seller charts Not even Elvis Presley or the Beatles matched this record!

Miller developed a distinctive irresistible sound A clarinet supported by four saxophones

Enlisted during World War II in the Army Air Forces Band Updated military music for troops to enjoy Disappeared in a small military plane (friendly fire?)

Music includes “Moonlight Serenade” “In the Mood”



Big Band Music:Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) A noted arranger and successful instrumental soloist on piano

It was unusual for a woman to be successful in the developing world of jazz

Arranged for Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington Became Ellington’s staff arranger

Contributed to all the evolving styles of popular piano music

1996: Honored with the first of an annual series of Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festivals at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC



Big Band Music: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) A great jazz pianist, it was said that…

Ellington used his jazz band as his real “instrument” Exploring its entire range of sounds with unprecedented

imagination and creativity, using precise orchestration

Born in Washington, DC, formed a dance band in New York City By 1927 his band had become the ten-member famous Duke

Ellington Orchestra, playing… Hot New Orleans jazz at the popular Cotton Club in Harlem Hired the best musicians, exploited their unique sounds in

his gifted orchestrations Wrote for the special talents of specific musicians



Duke Ellington Juxtaposed instruments in nontraditional

combinations

Using them in the extreme limits of their range

Transforming sounds of instruments, sometimes effectively obscuring their identification

Recognized as a serious composer, in addition to jazz Ellington produced symphonic works



Duke Ellington: Symphonic Works “Black, Brown, and Beige” (1943)

“Latin American Suite” (1968)

Large-scale sacred works incorporating dancers, choruses, gospel singers, his own band

Drawing from American musics including field hollers, Shaker hymns, fiddlers’ dance tunes, minstrel songs, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, New Orleans jazz, and especially blues… Ellington created a particular American tapestry of mood and

style



Duke Ellington: Later Years During the early days of rock and roll, Ellington’s

jazz was heard less often

But at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival his orchestra made a tremendous hit

Leading to a best-selling album, Ellington at Newport

And to prestigious new concert dates

From then, Ellington’s fame soared to unprecedented heights



Listening Example 47Mood IndigoBy Duke EllingtonListening guide page 219

Tempo: Slow and bluesy; danceableInstruments: Five trumpets, three trombones, five saxophones, (two

tenor, two alto, one baritone), two clarinets, bass, drums, and Duke Ellington at the piano

Hear the chromatic melodies, bitonal harmonies (juxtaposing one key over another), and dreamy mood that make this piece easy to listen to

Brief piano introduction, then muted sax, accompanied by walking bass improvises on the famous melody, barely suggesting tune fragments.Trumpets finally introduce the lovely theme, playing in a warm and mellow style rather than brilliant or virtuosic as in standard dance pieces. Bass supplies support, and muted saxdelicately embellishes.

Walking bass = A steadily movingpattern in the plucked string bass, with melodic and rhythmic implications



Women in Jazz Women desiring to play jazz in the 1930s

and 1940s faced nearly insurmountable odds

It was assumed they lacked the strength, temperament, or talent of the men



All-Woman Bands Back then, they were referred to as “all-girl” bands

These bands flourished during World War II Men were away at war

People grew accustomed to women in nontraditional roles

International Sweethearts of Rhythm The most impressive of the all female bands

Diverse makeup Mostly black; also Chinese, Indian, Hawaiian, white

Ignored by white audiences, film makers, print media, who would not take women jazz performers seriously

They were a hit at Harlem’s Apollo Theater and Savoy Ballroom



Reactions against Big Band Music 1940s—A new generation of young Americans unfamiliar with early

jazz danced to big band music Older people enjoyed big band music, too

Big bands based their music upon marches, hymns, and Tin Pan Alley songs which the older folks liked

Reactions against big band music set in at the same time Because arrangements grew more complex, emphasizing

rhythm and swing rather than melody The source tune sometimes was unidentifiable The swing crowd preferred the simple songs to the new

challenging instrumental arrangements



Reactions against Big Band Music: Popular Music and Vocalists Early jazz had important reciprocal relationships with popular song

They improvised on popular song melodies and harmonies Many songs of the 1920s and 1930s were jazz-flavored Big bands played arrangements of Tin Pan Alley songs

In the 1930s big bands began to work with vocalists

Big band style assumed the role of accompaniment Ella Fitzgerald (1918-1996)—Known for scat singing Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby—Famous crooners,

thanks to microphone technology and recording engineers

Frank Sinatra



Reactions against Big Band Music: Orchestras By the mid-1940s the favored lush string sound

of an orchestra replaced big bands for accompanying vocalists

Crowds came not so much to dance as to hear the popular singers



Billie Holiday (1915-1959) Born Eleanora Fagan and known as Lady Day, Holiday trod softly

between the worlds of jazz and pop

Interpreted blues songs as a great jazz singer

Her way of “microphonizing” her voice was innovative Used microphone—a new enhancement—to alter her voice

and add expressive effects

The ballad “Strange Fruit,” by Jewish songwriter Abel Meeropol (1903-1987), expressively sung by Holiday, was based upon a picture of a lynching

Holiday was a tragic figure who died a pauper



Bebop: Background In the early 1940s a few virtuosic black musicians revolted against

the domestication of jazz and 1930s swing bands

They reacted against polished performances of written, rehearsed “jazz” and created a new style known as bebop

They resented Limitation to the short stylized solos of big band music Dependence on written arrangements Lack of freedom to improvise Disproportionate financial rewards granted to less creative

and less innovative white musicians



Bebop Bebop musicians created a tight, difficult, virtuosic

music

A return to the ideals of early jazz—improvisation, virtuosity, close interaction between soloist and combo

Bebop is considered the first truly modern jazz

Performed-- like early jazz, and like concert music of its era-- by small ensembles of virtuoso musicians



Bebop: Characteristics Stark, clear, technically demanding instrumental lines

Angular melodies with large unpredictable leaps

Solos so rapid-fire that they were too fast to dance to

Rather than following a prearranged or familiar harmonic progressions, bop musicians challenged each other to chart new harmonic paths and make them work Dissonant chords startled listeners’ ears; improvisation on

harmony instead of melody was new and puzzled listeners

The best bebop musicians achieved a revolutionary sound that changed the course of jazz



Bebop: Instruments Typical bebop combo:

Trumpet, saxophone, double bass, piano, percussion

Trumpet and sax—melody instruments—sometimes started by playing a pop, blues, or original melody in unison

Then alternating with increasingly complex improvisations, supported by other players

Double bass marked the beat Sometimes took melodic responsibility by playing walking

bass

Piano and percussion supplied unexpected, irregular accents



Bebop: Charlie “Bird” Parker (1920-1955) An amazing saxophone virtuoso,

considered by some as the most influential of all jazz musicians Introduced new rhythmic, melodic,

improvisational techniques Known for his fiercely rapid tempo

and unrelenting emotional intensity

Jammed in Harlem’s clubs with pianist Thelonius Monk (1921-1982) and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie



Bebop: John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (1917-1993) Improvised rhythms of a complexity unprecedented in

Western culture Reached notes no one knew the trumpet could play Devised harmonic changes defying the accepted rules of

harmony

Gillespie enjoyed African Cuban rhythms and sounds Included them in pieces such as “Manteca”

Comfortable with a variety of jazz styles and techniques, less zealous than Parker, Gillespie was an active performer until shortly before his death



Listening Example 48KoKoPerformed byCharlie Parker (alto saxophone)Dizzie Gillespie (trumpet, piano)Max Roach (drums0Curley Russell (bass)Listening Example 48

Tempo: Extremely rapidHear solos interspersed with chorus in AABA form, as well as the

virtuosity, musicianship, and compatibility of these outstanding musicians

At a session to record the swingstandard “Cherokee,” by Ray Noble,Parker and Gillespie improvised half-heartedly on the tune until Parker,tired of the familiar melody, decidedto improvise instead on the chords.Instead of beginning with the usual reference to the standard tune, Parker used bits of his own melodicmaterial, skillfully weaving them overand through the unusual chord changes of “Cherokee.” Theresulting historic recording—one of Parker’s greatest solos—is based on no prewritten melody at all.

Parker’s “KoKo” is not related to Duke Ellington’s earlier piece of thesame name.



Bebop: Audience At the time Parker and Gillespie were leading the bebop revolution

A recording artists’ strike caused a ban on commercial recordings of popular music for about two years

After the ban, audiences, not understanding bebop, were nonplussed by its sophistication and complexity

Bebop is important music

Challenged and stimulated musicians and listeners

Ushered in the age of modern jazz Meant for listening more than dancing; a concert music



Jazz as Concert Music A number of composers have written classical and popular music

Applying classical knowledge to popular pieces Or refusing to distinguish between classical and popular music

1940s: Jazz musicians absorbed influences from classical music Jazz had become music for serious listening

1950s: Jazz was performed frequently in concert Black and white jazz musicians took an intellectual approach

And so did listeners Jazz criticism became a recognized field

Some jazz composers collaborate with poets, choreographers, classical musicians, producing serious concert works



Jazz as Concert Music:Jazz Composition The essence of jazz is improvisation

The challenge for musicians wishing to combine classical and jazz techniques is creating a balance between

What was written

What was improvised by the soloists

What an ensemble achieved collectively



Jazz Composition

There were precedents for requiring performers in the classical tradition to improvise During the Baroque period (1600-1750)

Composers wrote the melody and bass lines of a piece Harmonies were to be filled in by lute or keyboard

Early Classical period (1750-1825) Soloists improvised one or more cadenzas in a solo

concerto

Church organists Expected to improvise music that connects one part of a

service, or one verse of a hymn, to another



Classical Improvisation as Compared with Jazz Improvisation Classical musicians improvised within established guidelines

Jazz as classical music was a new concept

Symphonic jazz of the 1920s was concert music with some of the flavors of jazz

Big band arrangements approached the concept of composed music but were hardly original compositions

But by the 1940s, jazz composers were writing original jazz compositions

At that point jazz entered the world of art music



Jazz as Concert Music:Duke Ellington and Classical Music As a classical composer, Ellington wrote

Tone poems Ballet suites Concerto-like miniatures for star sidemen Sacred music Topical revues Film scores Extended jazz works A comic opera, Queenie Pie, for public television



Jazz as Concert Music: Duke Ellington, a Prolific Composer Ellington has been referred to as America’s most prolific composer

of the twentieth century Composed almost 2,000 pieces Composed in a large variety of musical forms

Serious compositions often reflected American black experience 1943: Black, Brown, and Beige, Carnegie Hall premiere

Subtitled “A Tone Parallel to the History of the Negro in America”

1945: Ellington’s orchestra was the only dance band selected to pay tribute to the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a memorial radio broadcast



Listening Example 49Concerto for CootieBy Duke EllingtonListening guide page 227

Form: Meter: Four beats to the barTempo: RelaxedInstruments: Saxophones, clarinet, trumpets, trombones, bass, drumConcerto = Multimovement composition for orchestra and one or

more soloists; i.e., a piece consisting of several independent sections, or movements

A B A

Ellington wrote this pieceto feature the trumpeterCharles “Cootie” Williams

Despite the definition of aconcerto, Ellington choseto write this as a one-movement piece

Yet, this piece retains themasterful interplay between soloist and orchestra characteristicof a classical form



Progressive Jazz:Stan Kenton (1912-1979) 1949: Pianist arranger Stan Kenton led a twenty-piece

orchestra in a jazz concert in Carnegie Hall

His tightly organized and beautifully balanced ensemble played with elegance and precision

Kenton named this music progressive jazz

Progressive jazz became the name of a new jazz movement

Another contribution Kenton made to modern jazz included serious exploration of Latin American drums and rhythms in his big band jazz



Progressive Jazz Artists In the East:

Stan Kenton and Woody Herman

In the West: Dave Brubeck (b. 1910)

Pianist and classically trained composer who studied with French composer Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

Brubeck used European art music effects that are Atonal = without a tonic Polytonal = with two or more tonics Complex rhythms, including jazz polyrhythms Irregular meters– five or seven beats per measure



Listening Example 50Take Fiveby Paul DesmondPerformed byDave Brubeck Quartet(Piano, sax, bass, drums)Listening guide page 228

Meter: Quintuple, or five beats per measure, divided in the pattern one-two-three-four-five

Notice the piano marking the beginning of each measure with a low accented pitch while the sax and drum solos weave intricate patterns over the steady five-beat accompanying figure

Dave Brubeck’s Quartet(Brubeck as pianist, Paul Desmond on alto sax,Joe Morello as drummer, and David Wright on bass) Achieved unprecedented popularity and sales for a jazz recording with Desmond’s engaging piece“Take Five”



Cool Jazz Closely related to and sometimes

indistinguishable from progressive jazz

Originated by composers reacting to bebop’s complexity

Jazz musicians organized larger bands including French horn, oboe

More elegant and less hot than bebop Reflected influence of European concert music



Cool Jazz: Trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991) 1949-1950: Davis led the nine-piece orchestra that recorded

the album later titled Birth of the Cool

The album, a project of Davis’s, later made a major impact on jazz musicians and fans

In addition to cool jazz, Miles Davis explored

Expanding the melodic possibilities of jazz by basing melodies on modes rather than major, minor, or blues scales

Throughout his life, Davis experimented with creative ideas in jazz



Listening Example 51BoplicityBy Miles Davis and Gil EvansPerformers: The Miles Davis NonetListening guide page 230

Listen for the trumpet and alto saxophone on top, the baritone saxophone and tuba on the bottom, and the horn and trombone in the center, accompanied by rhythm instruments

The diminished use of vibrato (a discreet variation in pitch that adds warmth and intensity to vocal and instrumental sounds), produced a drier, “cool” sound compared with the hot effects of bebop

An example of cool jazz,this piece demonstrates Miles Davis’s self-restraintand dramatic timing; silenceis as important as the notes

Hear how the music is slower-paced, less emotional, more cerebral,quieter than the impassionedsounds of bebop



Hard Bop A style combining driving rock-related rhythms with the “amen

chords” of gospel

Created by certain black musicians in the late 1950s Derives from the blues; strong rhythms, bluesy phrasing Melodies are straight-forward Harmonies are simplified Rigid beat punctuated with strong backbeats Improvised around new, unknown melodies

Drummer Art Blakey (1919-1990) and his group the Jazz Messengers



Image Credits Slide 5: Trombone

© C Squared Studios/Getty Images Slide 6: Clarinet

©Getty Images Slide 7: Jazz Bass Player

© C Squared Studios/Getty Images Slide 33: Charlie Parker

© Corbis

part 3 the growth of vernacular traditions chapter 13: jazz 1930-1960 america’s musical landscape...

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