JAZZ
By: Shyam
Introduction
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in European harmony and African rhythmic rituals.
History and Development
The origin of the word jazz has resulted in considerable research, and its history is well documented. It is believed to be related to jasm, a slang term dating back to 1860 meaning “pep, energy”. The earliest written record of the word is in a 1912 article in the Los Angeles Times in which a minor league baseball pitcher described a pitch which he called a “jazz ball” “because it wobbles and you simply can’t do anything with it”.
The brief timeline of events which shaped the development of Jazz as a genre are:
The 1910s-1920s: It is colloquially known as “The Jazz Age” In 1919, one of the most popular blues singers, Bessie Smith, released his first jazz recording.
The 1930s-1940s: The early 1930s saw the rise of the swing and big band era
The 1950s-1960s: In the 1950s, softer styles of jazz music emerged. Acts such as The Modern Jazz Quartet and Miles Davis approached jazz music in a laid-back, cool way. At the same time, west coast jazz musicians, like Chet Baker and Dexter Jordon, developed a similar relaxed style.
The 1970s: The 1970s was when jazz evolved into numerous subgenres. The most notable is Latin jazz, which combines Latin and African rhythms. The 1980s and Beyond: Since the 1970s were all about Latin and fusion jazz, it was merely a matter of time for traditionalists to reject the new forms of jazz
Features of Jazz
The earliest style widely recognized as distinctly in the jazz tradition is Dixieland. This style is called “Dixieland” because the center of its development was in New Orleans. Dixieland jazz is typically performed by a small ensemble consisting of clarinet,
trumpet, and trombone, accompanied by a rhythm section of drum set, banjo (or piano), and string bass or tuba.
The next distinctive style was Swing. Swing music was performed by a larger ensemble consisting of saxophones (sometimes also
clarinets), trumpets, and trombones. From three to five plyers on each instrument might be used. The rhythm section would typically include piano, string bass, drum set, with occasional additions of guitar or other chordal/melody instruments.
Bebop, or just Bop, marked a return to small ensemble jazz. This style is characterized by complex harmonies, often rapid tempos,
and intense, frequently disjunct melodic lines. Ensembles could consist of one to three melody instruments (typically saxophone,
trumpet, or trombone), with a rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums.
The contemporary jazz scene is complex. All three styles previously mentioned continue to be cultivated. In addition, new
stylistic developments have enriched the tradtion. One style is “cool jazz,” characterized by technical sophistication and
expressive restraint. A radical extension of Bop resulted in “free-form jazz,” in which small ensembles (typically one melody
instrument, bass, and drums) improvise freely without the support of a previously determined melody, harmony, or metrical pattern. Another style is “fusion” jazz, which incorporates many harmonic and rhythmic practices of rock music, and exploits the possibilities of electronic instruments in combination with traditional ones.
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Trombone & Trumpets are key instruments in production of Jazz Music
Notable Artists
The Jazz musicians are not just some of the most important players in this genre; they’ve transcended their music to become jazz icons. Starting with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong – the latter considered by many casual fans to be the ‘founder’ of jazz itself – and go through to musicians (like Keith Jarrett) whose influence was felt well into the 21st Century. Some, like Charlie Parker or Django Reinhardt, are almost single-handedly credited with the arrival of a completely new type of jazz. Others, such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane, have been catalysts in the evolution of the music, from one type of jazz to another.
American Jazz trumpeter, Chris Scott at NO Jazz Fest, 2014
Psychological Impact of Jazz:
Jazz has always been a genre that fosters equality between genders when it comes to music. This can be seen in how female artists have been able to make their mark on the genre from its earliest days. Interestingly, it was women who were primarily responsible for helping to develop and popularise jazz in their early years. Women like Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald were some of the first jazz stars, and their influence is still felt today.
Jazz gives freedom of expression to both the musician and the listener. There are no rules in jazz, only guidelines. This allows for a lot of creativity and personal interpretation. For the musician, this means they can express themselves through their playing. They can improvise and play whatever they feel. This can be an excellent outlet for emotion and creativity. For the listener, they can interpret the music however they want. They can tap their feet, dance, or just sit back and relax. There are no right or wrong ways to enjoy jazz. Jazz is a unique art form that allows for a lot of freedom. This freedom can be very liberating and is one of the things that makes jazz so unique.
Having said these, there’s no denying that jazz has profoundly influenced American literature. From the early days of the Beat Generation to the post-modern novels of today, jazz has served as both a source of inspiration and a musical backdrop for some of the most important works of fiction in the last century.
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