Early Jazz
Derived
and influenced by African music in
the slave culture.
Ragtime and Dixieland.
Started in New Orleans - seaport
Chicago and New York became big jazz
cities for recording.
Much of the music was improvised.
Ragtime
 Rags were first written for piano and later
arranged for small groups.
 Introduced accents in the right hand and
syncopations throughout.
 Still used today but not very often.
 Rags that were orchestrated for various
instrumental groups led to the development of
Dixieland music.
 Ragtime was not specifically jazz music but led to
the creation of it.
Scott Joplin
1868-1917
 Composer of piano rags.
 One of the first to publish
rags.
 Met many other
“ragtimers” but decided to
concentrate on composing
rather than performing
with them.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Jelly Roll Morton
1890-1941
 Pianist
 First started in Brothels
 Lot of recordings in 1923
and 24.
 Played on West Coast from
1917-1922.
 Had all performers solo.
 Blamed his death on a
voodoo spell.
James P. Johnson
1894-1955
 Made famous for his piano style
known as stride piano, fast
moving left hand.
 Studied classical and ragtime
piano.
 Became known as the best
piano player on the East Coast.
 Has accompanied for over 400
recordings.
 Stride piano smoothed the
transition from ragtime to jazz
and influenced piano styles
much like Jelly Roll Morton’s
playing.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Jim Hession playing
Stride style piano
Dixieland
 Several melodies played at the
same time by trumpet,
clarinet, and trombone.
These were accompanied by
combinations of piano, tuba,
bass, banjo, guitar, and
drums.
 Major contributors to this
style:




Jelly Roll Morton
Louis Armstrong
Nick LaRocca
Bix Beiderbecke
Early New Orleans
Dixieland
1900-1917
These groups used coronet or
trumpet, clarinet, and trombone in
the front lines.
The rhythm section was made up
of a banjo, a tuba, and drums.
This style was played with equal
emphasis on each beat. Chicago
style will later change that.
1920s
Chicago Style Dixieland
» Exciting time in Chicago “Roaring 20s.”
» Workers migrated from the south.
» This style added saxophone and piano to N.O.
style.
» Created emphasis on beats 2 and 4 instead of
all 4 beats.
» Banjo exchanged for guitar and tuba for string
bass.
» Performed more aggressively.
» Chicago was the center of jazz.
» Louis Armstrong was very influential.
» Chicago was where the first recordings took
place.
Earl Hines
1903-1983
• Jazz pianist who influenced
piano styles in the 30s and
40s.
• Got his start by recording
with Louis.
• His style was often called
“brassy” because of the
force he used to strike the
keys.
• His style influenced Art
Tatum and Count Basie.
Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong
1901-1971
Play Stardust
• “Father of Jazz”
• Most widely imitated jazz
improviser before Charlie
Parker.
• His solos played on 1927,
1928 recordings served as
a model for the swing
era.
• Appeared in about 50
movies.
• Father of Scat.
Why Louis is important
• One of the first great soloists in history.
• One of the first to refine rhythm:
• No stiffness like ragtime.
• Used swing eighth note patterns.
• Syncopated selected rhythmic figures. Today
called “Jazz swing feeling.”
• Not many players come close to his
talent. Always thought ahead in phrases
while maintaining the feeling of
spontaneity.
• He added a great sense of drama to
soloing with perfect use of dynamics and
range with perfect timing.
• Frequently broke away from just melody
embellishments and improvised original,
melody like lines, that fit in the chord
progressions.
• Popularized the N.O. trumpet style and
extended it.
• Provided jazz with a collection of
phrases and ways of constructing
improvisations.
• His singing style influenced many
famous singers such as:
• Billie Holiday
• Bing Crosby
• Popularized Scat singing
• Style of singing which includes
improvisation and does not include
any lyrics.
Swing and Big Band Era
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Swing and Big Band Era
 Began in the late 1920s into 1930s due to the less
stiff, looser rhythmic feeling.
 Most popular style in jazz history.
 Swing Era is also called the Big Band Era because
the size of swing bands was 10 or more.
 Saxophones, bass, and high-hat cymbals became
more common.
 Collective improv was rare.
 Smoother rhythmic feel than rags and dixieland.
 3 categories of instruments:
 Brass: trumpets, flugelhorns, and trombones.
 2-5 trumpets (usually 3) with lead in the middle.
 2-5 trombones (usually 3) with lead in the middle.
 Saxophones/reed section: saxophones, clarinets,
and flutes.
 Sax players switch between saxes, clarinets, and
flutes.
 Rhythm Section: Piano, Bass, rhythm guitar,
and drums.
 Rhythm guitar faded out in the late 40s except for
Basie’s band.
Rhythm Section
 Pianists played melody sometimes, Basie liked
comping (playing accompanying chords as accents
behind soloist), most used stride or chords every
beat or every other.
 Guitar and bass usually had timekeeping duties.
 Bassists played in the background in two styles:
 Two-beat style - played notes on the first and third beats
out of every four.
 Walking bass style - played on every beat.
 Drummers made beat obvious for dancers with
occasional dramatic effects.
 Larger bands demanded written arrangements.
Musicians had to read and write music.
 Some tunes made up and taught to members of the
band but not many. These were called “Head
Arrangements.”
 Most arrangements were simple
 Melodies played by entire band in unison or harmony.
 Improv followed with accompaniment from rhythm
section and riffs from other sections.
 Melodies and accompaniment traded between sections.
 Arrangements often contained themes and variations.
 Call and response melodies and accompaniments were
common.
 Recordings were helping the popularity of jazz to
spread until the stock market crash in 1929. RCA
was only one left.
 Big bands gained exposure through radio
broadcasts. When recording returned, it only
added the growing popularity of big bands and
swing music.
 Certain jazz musicians were known in this era
much like rock stars are known to us.
 Big bands used showy costumes and stage
settings.
 They sometimes traveled with 6 singers at a time.
Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969)

First important jazz
tenor saxophonist.
 Sax was considered a
novelty before his style
brought recognition to it.
 Deep, husky tone
became model and
made tenor sax one of
the most popular
instrument in jazz.
 Loved to play over
complex chord
progressions.
 Harmonic improviser
Count Basie
(1904-1984)
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Count Basie
(1904-1984)




Most swinging band.
Originally a stride style pianist.
Began as a drummer.
Unique touch of the piano:
 Choice of notes near perfect
 Sense of time was equal to a good
drummer’s
 Very light and precise
 Led a big band from 1937 til death.
 Led the first rhythm section in history
that consistently swung in a smooth,
relaxed way.
 Excellent sense of tempo
 Ability to keep time and swing
consistently w/out using hard approach
 Quiet, relaxed playing
 Even stress on each beat
 Emphasis on buoyancy rather than
intensity
 No rhythm section member stuck out,
blended well.




Piano - Count Basie
Rhythm Guitar - Freddie Green 1911-87
String Bass - Walter Page 1900-57
Drums - Jo Jones 1911-85
 Famous for sharp and lively comping
 Most used model for comping
 Comping is playing accompanying chords
as accents behind the soloist
 Pianist must listen and play interactively
 Basie’s specialty style was
Kansas City Style:
 Lighter and more relaxed
 Arrangements based on riffs
 Head arrangements - memorized
 Lester Young (1909-1959)
 “Prez”
 Basie’s most notable soloist
 Style served as model - “cool
jazz”
 One of the five most influential
saxes
 Paved the way for modern tone
color, vibrato, rhythmic
conception, and phrasing.
 Musical storyteller
Roy Eldridge (1911-1959)

One of the most
advanced/daring
improvisers of Swing Era.
 Link between Swing and
modern jazz.
 Played sax-like lines swooping.
 Often used upper register.
 Influenced modern
trumpeters to use greater
instrumental facility.
 Played in Gene Krupa’s
big band.
Art Tatum (1910-1956)
Play Danny Boy







One of the most widely
admired pianists.
Partially blind and selftaught.
Combined styles.
Long, fast runs with
odd rhythm combos.
Advanced knowledge
of chords structures.
Chord substitution.
Influenced Charlie
Parker.
Billie Holiday (1915-1959)
Play Just One

One of the greatest
singers in Swing Era.
 Troubled childhood
created raw emotion
brought forth in her
singing.
 Combination of swinging,
blues, delicate sound.
 Stretched the musical
phrases to fit feelings.
 “Strange Fruit”
 Great American Songbook