Jazz 2015
Pre-Jazz Forms
Before Jazz was formally developed, pre-jazz forms such as spirituals and the piano rag were popular.
African slaves were brought over to America to work in the fields by slave traders. They were
unhappy with their life and used music to help ease the cruelty set down by their masters. Spirituals
were a mix of American “white” church music and the African roots of the slaves. Songs were about
their hardships and trying to escape by going to heaven.
Piano rags were the instrumental form that was popular from 1890 to 1930. They were mostly
simple piano pieces or brass band ensembles which featured syncopation and group improvisation.
They were played at funerals and parades. A ragtime piece on piano was characterised by the
melody in the right hand of the piano and a walking bass in the left, the rhythm is played
straight (does not swing), with a fast tempo with moving quavers and syncopation. It was very
popular particularly with “white” American audiences popular. Racism and cultural attitudes
would play a large part in the development of Jazz.
Characteristics of Jazz
Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Spiritual.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thz1zDAytzU
Piano Ragtime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmruHc4S9Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmCsdqs-lLU
Name some of the Characteristics of Pre-Jazz that you can hear in the examples above.
Louis Armstrong
The many faces of Louis Armstrong
Listening Example
“Just One of Those Things”
Vocal tone colour
Vocal Quality
Instruments
Voice, Piano, Snare Drum played with brushes, Double Bass, Hi Hat Cymbal, Trumpet, More of the
drumkit – Cymbals.
Birth of the blues – Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sYdUGoIqUM&feature=related
Undoubtedly his Signature piece was:
What a wonderful World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM
Armstrong, Louis (‘Satchmo’ Louis Armstrong) (b New Orleans, 1901; d NY, 1971).
American jazz trumpeter and singer. From 1917 played on Mississippi river boats. Joined King
Oliver's Creole Jazz Band 1922. Played often with Fletcher Henderson's orch. 1924–5, then formed
own band. Became world‐famous as result of recordings in 1920s in which his virtuoso trumpet‐
playing and his idiosyncratic singing had enormous influence on jazz scene. Nickname ‘Satchmo’ a
diminutive of ‘Satchelmouth’. Visited England and Europe in 1932 and 1934. Made many films and
appeared with big bands in ‘swing’ era. Formed his All Stars 1947. Appeared with Bing Crosby and
Frank Sinatra in film High Society (1956).
He was arrested for firing a gun and sent to a juvenile facility (reform school) as a teenager where he
made to learn the Trumpet. So if he hadn’t actually gotten arrested Jazz may have never been the
same.
Early forms of Jazz and the influence of New Orleans
Dixieland Jazz : Oh When the Saints Come Marching In.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q0zZ0VdlUM
Dixieland. Style of instr. jazz‐playing from c.1912, also called ‘New Orleans’ or ‘classic’ style.
Had elements of ragtime and blues with own distinctive improvisation. (Is where you “make it up on
the spot”) Dixieland bands were divided into 2 sections, one providing rhythm and harmony, the
other melody and extemporization. (another word for improvisation) The melody section consisted
of trumpet or cornet, clarinet, and trombone. (and, later, sax.); the rhythm section of piano and/or
banjo, trap drums, and sousaphone, tuba, or plucked double bass. Outstanding Dixieland performers
were Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, King Oliver, Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, and Earl Hines.
Listen to “Oh When the Saints” and answer the following questions.
What instruments can you hear?
Can you place them in the two groups for Dixieland?
How would you describe a Dixieland bass line?
If the bass line is simple - where does the complexity “live” in Dixieland Jazz? Why?
What are the different “roles” of the melody instruments in Oh When the Saints?
What is Call and Response?
A fundamental (basic) jazz characteristic that can be traced back to the African slaves
working in the fields. Where one instrument/voice “calls” to another by singing/playing a
short melodic phrase/riff and then the ensemble replies with either a repetition of the phrase
or a complementing melodic phrase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRjT4h7F_jw
Basin St Blues - Call and Response example.
Big Band Jazz
Listening Examples
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Count Basie “Corner Pocket”
Brian Setzer Orchestra “Jump Jive an Wail”
Glenn Miller “In the Mood”
Stan Kenton “Tuxedo Junction”
In what ways is the Big Band piece “Tuxedo Junction” different from the Dixieland
piece “When the Saints”?
Big Bands
Count Basie
Count Basie and his Piano
During the big band era, which spanned roughly a decade from 1935 to 1945, jazz
music was at the very forefront of popular culture in the United States.
A Big Band is an ensemble of approximately 17 players, usually featuring
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a saxophone section, (2 Altos, 2 Tenors, 1 Baritone)
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a brass section consisting of 4 trumpets and 4 trombones, and
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a rhythm section comprising of a piano, guitar, bass and drums
The Big Bands were especially popular during World War Two and toured the World
entertaining American troops and playing in Dance Halls and clubs all over America.
Bands that embraced more hard-driving rhythms and featured the improvisations of
stellar soloists, such as those led by Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie,
were dubbed "swing" or "hot" bands.
After World War II (1945), it became very expensive to pay bands with so many
members, especially as many countries faced the prospect of rebuilding after the war.
Unfortunately Big Bands began to disappear in favour of smaller ensembles.
While there are still Big Bands today, they now embrace many other musical styles as
well as swing.
Listening examples
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Count Basie “Corner Pocket”
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Brian Setzer Orchestra “Jump Jive an Wail”
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Glenn Miller “In the Mood”
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Stan Kenton “Tuxedo Junction”
Be Bop
Charlie Parker “Bird”
Bebop, often referred to simply as "bop," was the first modern style to emerge in jazz
after swing. Though considered revolutionary and startling at the start of the period, it is
now regarded as one of the fundamental, classic genres of jazz.
Bebop was developed in the early and mid-1940s by such legendary musicians as
Charlie Parker; Dizzy Gillespie; Thelonious Monk, and Max Roach.
These boppers embarked on a new and more rapid style of improvisation that
compressed more ideas into less space, and made far greater use of altered chords
than earlier jazz.
Though some big bands explored bop, smaller groups such as quintets were usually
preferred. Bebop melodies were highly syncopated and often very difficult. Quite often
the tempo for a Be Bop piece is usually about 200 beats per minute. (WOW!)
Listening Example
Charlie Parker “Now’s the Time”
Provide reasons why Be Bop was only a popular form for a short amount of time? Fell
out of favour with people.
Its quite repetitive – Often the improvised solo lines were repeated as the player
sometimes ran out of ideas – so fast.
Because of the speed the main melody was played so quickly – they often repeated it.
That annoyed people.
No vocals – It was rare that a Be Bop piece had lyrics. Too fast. Most of the pieces in
this genre were instrumental.
Not much variation between the pieces – Limited instrument line up. For Eg Sax,
Drums, Bass and maybe a piano – very difficult to sound “fresh” by the end of a 2
hour set.
Its not a relaxing genre – so people who went to bars to listen to this weren’t there to
relax –
Continuous flow of notes and the very high speed of the pieces started to become
problematic for people who were not “fans” of Be Bop.
Latin Jazz
Latin American countries are considered to be South American countries like Cuba, Brazil and
Argentina.
Latin music influenced jazz throughout the 1950’s and 60’s when Jazz musicians were
searching for new sounds and rhythms to add to Jazz music. Consequently, many latin
American musicians would also influence jazz and move to the United States to further develop
Jazz music.
Latin Jazz introduced the following Latin American musical elements.

Latin rhythms and ostinatos
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Latin American percussion instruments (Tambourine, Agogo, Vibra Slap, Congas, temple
blocks, Cabassa)
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Latin melodies and scales
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Latin musical styles for eg, samba, bossa nova, salsa, Rhumba
Listening Example
Soul Sauce by Col Tjader
This piece uses a Vibraphone as its melody instrument.
What is a vibraphone?
A Vibraphone is a percussion instrument resembling the xylophone but having metal bars and
motor-driven resonators for sustaining the tone and producing a vibrato. (From Webster's Ninth
New Collegiate Dictionary, copyright 1986 by Merriam-Webster Inc.)
Its unusual sound and keyboard-like notes made it a perfect instrument for musician’s
searching for a new sound in Jazz.
Roland Kirk
http://www.eclipse.net/~fitzgera/rahsaan/rrkhome.htm
Roland Kirk was born on August 7,1935. He lost his sight at an early age.
Dreams played an important part in Kirk's life and musical development. He dreamed of
playing two saxophones simultaneously and immediately set out to make this a reality.
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He found two antique saxophones in a pawn shop and christened them
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the manzello (an old form of the soprano saxophone) and
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the stritch (like a straight alto saxophone).
Along with the tenor saxophone, these comprised the "triple threat" mentioned in his
first recording. Kirk was also a highly innovative flute player, using many unorthodox
(unusual) techniques in his playing, especially

simultaneously singing and playing, his most famous example of which is "You
Did It, You Did It" from We Free Kings, his first release for Mercury.
Manzello and stritch at the same time as in the photo above.
For Kirk, jazz was "black classical music", and he steeped in its wild, untamed spirit.
Listening Example
Roland Kirk “Hip Chops” playing the flute and the manzello at the same time
List of the musical effects that you can hear him play?
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Sings into the instrument whilst he plays
Plays a number of instruments simultaneously
Flutter tonguing