Jazz music is a very popular form of music, this form of music has been a popular genre since the early 20th century, mostly present and evident in African American neighborhoods and then spread across America and Europe. Jazz has always influenced popular, more mainstream music, over the years it has gone through many evolutions, producing many different sub genres as time has gone on. Jazz is also influenced by the different cultures and regions it is brought into, with each culture adding its’ own distinct twist on the genre. This has created many distinctive and different styles in jazz culture.
It’s hard to define the starting point of the jazz music genre, as there are so many different sub genres and cultures that have involved themselves in jazz music. It’s also very difficult to actually define jazz, and put some kind of label on it’s traits and characteristics, as it has become so widely varied. One huge element of jazz music is definitely improvisation – playing around, rarely playing the same song or melody more than once, not having particular notes or keys to follow and experimenting with the music, which is a huge part of jazz’s liberal, free feel. Early jazz movements also had a kind of call-and-response pattern, in which some players would play a note, only to have other people playing different instruments play the same thing, and so on it would go, making the genre a little bit competitive during live performances. Many early jazz musicians did not even know how to play music. However, this is certainly not to say that jazz players are not talented – they certainly are very talented, often more than classical performers. They often instead learn notes by ear.
Some trace the jazz music genre back to the late 18th century, when African slaves were first brought over to the United States. They would sing, chant or improvise the creation of song and instruments while they were forced to work in the slave trade. This is where jazz’s call-and-response characteristic is from, it became a form of entertainment for the slaves. With the end of slavery, jazz music began to develop even more, as African-Americans were finally treated as people and were entitled to education. They began to perform early forms of jazz music as entertainment in nightclubs and other venues. ‘Ragtime’ was one of the first established sub genres of jazz, which became popular around this time, along with the rise of blues music. Jazz was especially popular in the South during this time, particularly New Orleans, where a lot of jazz music was developed and a lot of famous and influential jazz musicians first became recognized and known.
Throughout the early 1900s’ jazz began to blossom and grow, as musicians played around more with the genre and its’ possibilities. This included sub genres such as swing, gypsy jazz and European styles of jazz.Since this time, jazz has become a major influence and is even partially responsible for the invention and creation of other genres. It’s amazing to see how music has evolved.
By: Gareth L
There are a few music festivals that take place every year in the Isle of Wight, the ‘Jazz Festival’ is an event that has taken place for only a few years. I am a Jazz guitarist and I had the privilege to perform there for the first time last year in 2006, it was great, I loved the atmosphere, the people were warm and friendly and I’ve never met so many people who knew their Jazz inside out.
I got ready to go on stage with Jazz Culture to perform a well rehearsed Jazz set for 11 am, it was around 10.50 am in the morning and I didn’t expect anyone to turn up until we finished, at 11am the place was packed, I don’t know where the crowd came from but everyone sat down looking serious and ready to be entertained.
I knew that letting them down was the last thing on my mind, I came this far over the water by ferry to get up early in the morning for an unheard of 11am gig, me and the band went into a few standards like ‘blue skies’, ‘killer Joe’, ‘taking a chance on love’ and ‘fly me to the moon’ it went down a storm, we were on stage for about an hour, we even did two encores. From that moment me, the band and the audience fell in love with each other, there was a powerful aura between all of us. Well I’ve been to Isle of Wight many times since and when I perform there it feels like home to me, I got the chance to play at this years 2007 festival and it was mind blowing, there were many great international acts included, very talented and inspiring, there was a nice vibe all around and the weather was fantastic, I can’t wait to go there again, even if you aren’t performing, it’s worth booking a trip out there for three days next April to absorb this Jazz experience.
By: Clinton Paul
Some of the greatest piano players in history became known for their proficiency in jazz. Technicality and a heavy reliance upon the ability of the musician to improvise makes jazz piano one of the hardest styles to learn. That does NOT mean, however, that it can’t be learned, but to get to the highest rungs a pianist must have lots of talent, a great ear, and the ability to improvise.
The birth of jazz music in the early 1900s was a significant period in musical history. Many of those who are considered among the greatest jazz pianists of all times were pioneers of the genre during this period. Jazz evolved from musical styles that African slaves brought to America. Therefore, its inception can largely be attributed to the early African-American community. African-American pianists, such as Scott Joplin and Ernest Hogan, are considered to be among the fathers of ragtime music. Although the ragtime era only lasted a few years, it was a precursor to, and contemporary of, the jazz era.
Many of the earliest and greatest jazz pianists were African American. For this reason, jazz music had something of a hurdle to overcome. While many embraced jazz as a new and exciting genre, others didn’t. The emancipation of African slaves was still a fresh memory, and many people still carried strong attitudes of racism.
Jazz’s public image changed slowly over the first two or three decades of the 20th century. Great African-American jazz pianists of the early to mid 1900s were instrumental in helping transform the perception of jazz. African-American artists like Erroll Garner, Theoloius Monk, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson brought a level of class to the genre that was undeniable. In fact, the Count Basie orchestra was pivotal to the jazz culture of New York for half a century. Noteworthy musicians in and of themselves, they also provided back-up for critically acclaimed singers like Billie Holliday and Big Joe Turner.
Count Basie’s association with Ella Fitzgerald is both historically and musically significant. The 1963 album the two made together is remembered by critics as possibly the greatest recording of her career. Count Basie also made recordings with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett. These match-ups lent even more credibility to jazz as a distinct genre.
The evolution of jazz saw many changes over the ensuing decades. More branches and sub-genres developed. In fact, jazz music fell out of favor with the public for several years in the 1980s. There was controversy within the musical community over the fusing of so many different types of music with jazz. Some purists viewed it as “watering down” the art form. Other musicians and fans see jazz music as a culmination of many types of music and view blending it with rock as simply another variation generally known as “fusion”.
Contemporary jazz artists have brought jazz back around into public favor in the 21st century. Today’s great jazz pianists, like Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Norah Jones bear living proof of this by number of albums sold. While some write off their work as “pop” jazz, many believe they are instrumental in keeping jazz alive in the new millennium.
By: Duane Shinn