Chapter 72
Summary
Duke Ellington was a jazz composer and pianist in the 1930’s, known for his Big Band compositions
and arrangements. His “orchestra” was not anything like that of the orchestras of the 18 th and 19th
centuries; it was made up of horns (cornets, trumpets, trombones, etc.). Following Ellington and the
Swing Era were various jazz styles including bebop (codified language and upbeat, almost frantic
style of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillepsie, and Bud Powell), cool jazz (laid back in
tempo, harmonic density, and dynamics, a forerunner of whom was Miles Davis and which later
inspired Bossa Nova of Carlos Jobim and others), third-stream jazz (a mix of classical and jazz styles
by bands like the Modern Jazz Quartet), avant-garde (jazz that throws form out the window and
usually begins with a melody and uses improvisation as a center for development), fusion (the
combination of jazz and funk styles with amplified instrumentation as shown by bands Weather
Report, Return to Forever, and Miles Davis), neoclassical jazz (the expounding of bebop, with more
tonal centers and intricate harmonization), new age jazz (the use of electric effects to create new
moods and timbres shown by Jojo Mayer), and acid jazz (the combination of hip hop beats, effects,
and funk style found in the bands Medeski, Martin, and Wood). George Gershwin’s early Broadway
compositions have become classic jazz standards, inspiring many a generation of jazz musicians the
world over.
Study Questions
1. Who was Duke Ellington, what genre of music is he associated with, and what was his main
instrument (or instruments)? What was his contribution to jazz?
2. To what was bebop a response? What is bebop, who is associated with bebop, and what are
its substyles?
3. Who was George Gershwin, and what is his contribution to jazz? What is important about
his work “Rhapsody in Blue”?
Listening Guide
4. Who are Dizzy Gillepsie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis? What style influences “A Night
in Tunisia?” What are its main performing instruments? How does improvisation affect the
form of the piece?
Test Questions
5. Discuss the many different substyles of jazz. What composers and performers they are
associated with? How do instrumentations, rhythms, and timbre define each style?