Jazz: A Swingin’ Celebration
”Jazz”
Sequence 2 (Saner)
Julia: Jazz is a unique and exciting kind of music that was born in the United States around the turn of
the 20th century. That’s more than a hundred years ago!
Thomas: The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, played an important part in the development of early jazz.
Avery: Way back then, the people of New Orleans came from many different cultures.
Hannah C.: There were African Americans as well as Creoles, who were descendants of mixed African,
French, and Spanish heritage.
Dominick: There were also people from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Cassidy: All of these different kinds of people had their own musical traditions.
Ryleigh: There were brass bands and ragtime pianists, symphony orchestras and blues musicians, just to
name a few.
Jayden: Jazz began to emerge when different peoples and their music began to blend together. Early
jazz featured syncopation, blue notes, and improvisation.
Monica: But jazz is not just one style of music. It includes many styles, like Dixieland, bebop, swing, or
blues.
Micah: The blues is a musical style that originated in the African American community.
Jasmine: It came from plantation work songs, spirituals, and field hollers or calls.
Alex: It was used to express sadness or difficulties and challenges through music.
Alyssa: Not all jazz tunes are blues and not all blues tunes are jazz.
Hannah B.: In fact, the blues has found its way into almost every style of 20th century music from folk to
rock, county, pop, and of course, jazz.
Emma: The word “blue” has even become another way of saying “sad”.
Makayla: So if you find yourself feeling sad, at least you know you can always sing the blues.
“The Blues”
Sequence 4 (Roll)
Ian C.: One of the earliest styles of jazz is Dixieland.
Kristen: It came about as a blending of African rhythms and improvisation with European instruments,
like the trumpet, clarinet, or trombone.
Parker: Dixieland musicians combined musical ideas from brass band marches, ragtime, or blues over a
steady rhythm played by a rhythm section.
Haley: A rhythm section usually had a piano, guitar or banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.
Joe: Some of the instruments in a Dixieland group played a melody while others improvised, or “jazzed
up” the melody.
Mckenna: Dixieland Jazz is known as New Orleans Jazz or Traditional Jazz.
Kyle: It wasn’t actually called “Dixieland” until it started to move north out of New Orleans.
Becky: Because New Orleans is on the Mississippi River, it was easy for musicians to travel north,
bringing their music with them.
James: Other cities that quickly became known for jazz included Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and New
York.
Emma: Young Americans in particular really liked this new style of music.
Kaden: They loved to listen to it and dance to it.
Madalyn: Radios and record players were becoming more widely available, which also helped the
popularity of jazz.
Dylan: Almost anyone could listen to it on American airwaves, in dance halls, and even in their own
homes.
Lily: Jazz truly was spreading across the land.
“Jazz Is On Its Way”
Sequence 5b (Ashpaw)
Ty: Don’t wave goodbye to that Dixieland style jazz just yet!
Mackenzie: Our next song is inspired by a Dixieland jazz standard called, “Tiger Rag”.
Mattie: “Tiger Rag” was first recorded in 1917 by the Original Dixieland Jass Band.
Sierra: The song was also known to many as, “Hold That Tiger”.
Isaac: “Tiger Rag” is one of the most recorded compositions of all time!
Jana: Our version of this jazz classic features the recorder.
Paige: We have also changed some of the words. Can you figure out what they are?
Eli: Give it up for Ms. Ashpaw, Ms. Saner, and Ms. Sies classes performing, “A BAG O’ Tigers”.
“A BAG O’ Tigers”
Sequence 7 (NeCamp)
Isabella: As jazz spread across the country and even around the world, it also continued to evolve.
Alanna: In the 1930s, a new kind of jazz emerged and the Big Band or Swing Era became popular.
Madison: Swing music was energetic and fun to dance to.
Ada: Jazz bands grew to include four trumpets, four trombones, five woodwinds, and a rhythm section.
Preston: They toured all over the United States and filled the radio airwaves with the sounds of swing.
Izzy: Yet another new style of jazz called bebop, or bop, appeared in the 1940s.
Tanner: This was a very complex kind of jazz with fast melodies and improvisations.
Lynda: Bebop showcased the technical skills of payers and had a frantic feel to it.
Kylie: Some people didn’t care for it, while others thought it was genius.
Ashlee: Cool Jazz also appeared later in the 1940s, but it was very different than bebop.
Brittanie: Some think it was a kind of revolt against bebop.
Makayla: The word “cool” meant the style was more understated, moody, or subdued.
Genna: In the 1950s and ‘60s, Latin-influenced jazz became particularly strong.
Tiffany: Latin dances such as the samba and the bossa nova were extremely popular in the United
States.
Tristin: Latin Jazz has its own unique sound. It uses a wide variety of Latin percussion instruments, such
as congas, to flavor the music.
Jamie: It uses syncopation, but it does not necessarily swing.
Sequence 7b (change class, Ashpaw)
Samantha: We are going back to the 1930s to show you what it means to “swing”.
Alex: Swing was the popular music of its time
Ashley: Swing dances occurred all over the country in large dance halls filled with people and of course a
big, loud swing band.
Austin: There are many different kinds of swing dances that were performed at these dance halls.
Isabelle: The Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Charleston are some examples, just to name a few.
Mikayla: Another type of popular swing dance was the Jitterbug.
Bayli: Enjoy our version of the jitterbug, called the jitterBAG featuring Ms. NeCamp’s class and Ms. Roll’s
class on the recorder and some added B-A-G improvisation.
“JitterBAG”
Sequence 9 (Ashpaw)
Henry: Of course, jazz continues to evolve and blend with other types of music.
Marissa: Whether it’s jazz-rock fusion, contemporary jazz or some other new style, jazz is still growing
and changing constantly.
Lincoln: It has lasted over 100 years, but we have no doubt it will continue for years to come.
Jessie: Jazz is about personal expression, emotion, and communication.
Colby: But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to what some of the jazz greats have to say.
Sequence 10 (change classes, Sies + some Ashpaw)
Seth (Louis): Hi. I’m Louis Armstrong. I was one of the first well-known jazz musicians. I played the
trumpet and I was a singer with a distinctive voice. Everybody called me “Satchmo”
Matt (Duke): I’m Duke Ellington. I was a jazz composer, pianist, and a big band leader for more than 50
years. Many of my works have become jazz standards, like “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That
Swing).”
Darren (Miles): I’m Miles Davis. I was also a jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. I was a real
pioneer in jazz styles like bebop, cool jazz, and fusion.
Christopher (Glenn): I’m Glenn Miller. I was a trombone player, band leader, and composer of big band
music. I am a true patriot. During World War II, I formed a civilian band and played for our troops to
boost morale. Later I served as a captain in the Air Force and formed a marching band.
Luke(John): I’m John Coltrane. I played tenor and soprano saxophone and some still consider me one of
the most influential saxophonists in jazz history. My wife and son were also jazz musicians.
Katie (Ella): I’m Ella Fitzgerald. I can make any song a jazz song when I sing it. I had a three octave vocal
range, and everybody called me the “First Lady of Song”.
Noah (Dizzy): I’m Dizzy Gillespie. I was a trumpeter, a bandleader, and a composer who was big in the
modern jazz scene. But I’m probably most famous for my bent trumpet and my puffed out cheeks.
Emily (Billie): I’m Billie Holiday. I am a jazz singer and most known for my slow ballads and smooth voice.
My most famous song, “Strange Fruit” was very influential during the civil rights movement. I almost
always performed with a flower in my hair.
Tommie (Ashpaw) (Dave): I’m Dave Brubeck. I play jazz piano and I’m a composer who has written a
number of jazz standards. I’m probably best known for my use of unusual meters, rhythms, and
tonalities.
Brett (Ashpaw) (Herbie): I’m Herbie Hancock. I’m also a jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. I was
one of the first jazzers to embrace electronic music. Even today, I’m still on the cutting edge of jazz.
Abigail: Each one of these jazzers has made a huge impact on the evolution of jazz music.
Sierra: Without their contributions, jazz would be completely different!
Zoe: There are a lot more jazzers than the ones we introduced today.
Kirsten: These just happen to be some of the ones you may have heard about.
Chloe: In the hundred plus years that jazz has been around, there have been thousands of great jazz
musicians.
Ryleigh: And there will no doubt be thousands more.
Alyssa: All have contributed to this unique American art form called jazz.
Sierra: We can’t name all of them for you, of course.
Elizabeth: But we can pay tribute to many of them.
Montana: You may recognize this next tune, but we have added a jazzy twist!
Makayla: Beethoven may not have been a jazzer himself, but we think he would have been fine with this
ode to jazzers!
“Ode To Jazzers”
Bows