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The Art of Jazz Music

admin2 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:57:51 +0000

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

Jazz Sheet Music

admin2 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:54:12 +0000

Most jazz lovers or for that matter any music lover can never forget the name Louis Armstrong, or the famous ‘Satchmo.’ One of the most revered kinds of music styles in the world of jazz music is that of ‘Mr. Satchmo.’

Jazz music originated in 1920?s and continues to be popular not just in the United Stated but also in the whole world. Jazz sheet music is basically a blend of old African American music, with a little bit of a classical touch. Jazz music is a very soothing experience to ardent music lovers, not just of jazz, but also of classical music.

Music scores contain all kinds of styles and rock and roll music sequences. African Americans developed jazz music in the beginning of the 20th century in the United States in New Orleans. It was because of stars like Louis Armstrong that Jazz music became so popular and has such a great fan following in the world today.

Jazz sheet is no ordinary sheet music like other classical music sheets. This music sheet has many kinds of accidentals, rests and prolonged chords and so on. Jazz music sheets are quite complex in nature, as there can be variations for semitone changes for higher or lower pitches. Jazz sheet music is a combination of major, chromatic and diatonic scales. This music can also accommodate accidental bass pitches if any, with vocal parts as well. Jazz sheet music has many parts, and can sometimes produce non-harmony and non-melody music. Thus, a musician is always advised to select the right kind of players, instruments and voice pitches to produce harmony.

Jazz sheet music is indeed quite complex and difficult to read but indeed it is quite interesting and very melodious to play and listen to. Its popularity is at par with country music.

By: Kristy Annely

The Facts Beyond Jazz Music

admin2 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:38:49 +0000

Many people think that jazz is the music of the elite and well-established people. But, if you look into the roots of jazz, you will see the opposite. Jazz is an art of expression in the form of music. Jazz music is the fundamental music in human life.

Jazz tradition evolved from the lifestyle of black community in America who has been oppressed. Initially, the tradition began from the influence of tribal drums and gospel music, blues and field hollers (the shouts of cultivators). Its birth process has demonstrated that jazz was closely related to the life defense and expression of human life.

The interesting thing from jazz music was that the origin of the word “jazz” was derived from a vulgar term used for sexual acts. Most of rhythms in jazz were ever associated with the brothels and the women with an unfortunate reputation.

Then, in the journey of jazz, it eventually became an art form of jazz music, both in the specific composition and improvisation, which reflected the spontaneous melodies. Jazz musicians usually expressed their feelings that were uneasily explained because this music should be felt within the heart.

Jazz legend began in New Orleans and grew into the Mississippi River, Memphis, St. Louis, and finally Chicago. Of course, jazz was influenced by music in New Orleans, African tribal drums and the structure of European-style music. Jazz background could not be separated from the facts in which jazz was influenced by a variety of music such as spiritual music, cakewalks, ragtime and blues.

One of jazz legends who was believed was the legend around 1891. An owner of hair shaving shop in New Orleans, named Buddy Bolden blew his cornet and the time became the beginning of jazz music as a new breakthrough in the music world. Half a century later, American jazz music gave many contributions to the world of music. Jazz was also studied at university, and eventually became a serious music and was calculated by the world of music.

Jazz as a popular art began to spread to almost all of American society in the 1920s (known as the Jazz Age). Jazz was more widespread in the swing era in the late 1930s and it peaked in the late 1950s as a modern jazz. In the early 20s and 30s, “jazz” has become a common word.

The influence and development of blues music could not be left when discussing jazz music in the early years of its development. Expressions that shined when playing the blues were in line with the style of jazz. The ability to play the blues music became the standard for all jazz musicians, especially to be used in improvisation.

Blues music itself, which was originated from the southern region, had a very broad history. Blues players usually used guitar, piano, and harmonica, or played together in a group who played his own musical instruments.

By: Stewart B Johnston

Gypsy Jazz Guitar – A One-Man Genre

admin2 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:20:45 +0000

Gypsy jazz guitar is a genre based on the music of Django Reinhardt, a guitar player who overcame a severe disability to become a legend in jazz music. Most people have heard music by the Quintet du Hot Club de France or one of the gypsy jazz groups devoted to its style of music. Born in the 1930’s this group with Stephane Grapelli on violin, Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt and Roger Chaput on guitars and Louis Vola on bass, pioneered the concept of lead and rhythm guitar.

The group played popular jazz tunes of the time with Django and Grapelli alternating on the lead with the two other guitars playing rhythm and Vola playing walking bass figures. A drummer was never in the mix. They also wrote their own tunes, many of which have themselves become standards. Some of the group’s compositions include blue Drag, Minor Swing, Djangology, Django Rag, Django’s Blues, Django’s Tiger and Nuages.

The group’s violinist, Stephane Grapelli continued making music until his death in 1997 but the figure that has proved to be the inspiration of many gypsy jazz groups, Django Reinhardt only lived to be forty-three years old. Gypsy jazz has been behind the popularity of the Maccaferri and Selmer style guitars. The guitar that Django Reinhardt made famous was made by the Selmer company in Paris based on a revolutionary guitar design by Mario Maccaferri, one of the first generation of classical guitar players. Surprisingly, Maccaferri was never familiar with Django Reinhardt’s music.

As with all music associated with the tag “gypsy” the music is usually passed on directly from one musician to another. The Quintet Du Hot Club came out of an environment where playing music was simply a part of life. Each musician was both student and teacher. And there were not too many note readers among them. In fact Stephane Grapelli, a classically trained musician used breaks in the groups playing schedule to tutor Django in music. So every guitar player wanting to learn to play gypsy jazz is faced with learning the music of Django Reinhardt, as played by Django Reinhardt.

One element that made Django’s music unique was the fact that, due to an injury in a fire, Django played the guitar using only the first and second fingers of his left hand. This limited the range of notes available to him as he worked his way up and down the fretboard was severely limited. As a result of his injury, barre chords are not found in gypsy jazz guitar music. A close look at Django’s music will tell you he had little use for sevenths in his music.

If you want to listen to some contemporary gypsy jazz guitar, American groups devoted to the genre are Pearl Django and the John Jorgenson Quintet but Europe is still the place where there is most interest in this music, with groups like Hot Club of Hungary and Hot Club of France. If you want to learn to play gypsy jazz guitar, the ability to read tab would be a minimum requirement because there are many examples of Django’s music available as guitar tab.

By: Ricky Sharples

Popular Jazz Artists and Their Music

admin2 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:27:17 +0000

Many people consider jazz as the one true original American music. However, just as the country is a hodge-podge of different cultures, its music a mixture of different beats and melodies. In fact, jazz is a combination of African beat and European melodic influences. The combination is so unique only to America, which is why it cannot be considered as something that came from somewhere else. Jazz was first heard in the suburban areas in the south during the late 1800’s, in communities that were largely populated by Afro-Americans.

Because of its origins, the early popular jazz music artists were blacks. The genre was still at its inception stage with ragtime as its earliest form. The usual instruments used to create such music were banjo and piano. The popular artists then were Ernest Hogan and Tim Turpin, who published the Harlem Rag. By the end of the century, jazz developed further with the innovations created by Scott Joplin. Being a pianist trained in the classical music, he created a beautiful fusion of his specialty and ragtime. By the beginning of the 20th century, the blues came into being, with W.C. Handy as one of the most popular artists of such genre.

Big bands usually play jazz music during the early years. However, when swing music, another new jazz form, rose to prominence in the 1930’s, soloists became more popular too. Swing music highlights the skills of the trumpeter. Because of this, the trumpet player usually ends up becoming more famous than the other musicians in the band. During this time, the genre’s icons, such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington grew so popular that any jazz lover should know them and their music.

From the danceable swing music, jazz evolved further in the 1940’s to 1960’s with bebop. Bebop is known as the musician’s music because it gave emphasis on the talents of the instrument players. Every musician in the band was provided with moments to shine, from the piano, the base, to the wind instruments in the band. Among the top trumpeters were Clifford and Dizzy Gillespie. The most popular among the pianists were Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell. Even drummers gained recognition, with Max Roach as one of the more famous ones.

The 70’s saw the development of jazz fusion, a bold attempt to combine the elements of rock and roll with the classic jazz sound. These were the times when the jazz artists, such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Tony Williams became very famous. Not only did they develop a new jazz sound. They also influenced even the rock and roll artists of the time, such Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Grateful Dead.

By: Jim Oneil

The Dawn of Marvelous Music – Jazz in the 20’s

admin2 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:49:01 +0000

Considered as part of history, the dawn of Jazz music started as early as the 1920’s. This is the same decade when the radio was born. Both have invaded our homes and captivated us with a different relaxing rhythm. Here are some factors that led to the revolutionizing music of those times.

The Dawn
As a result of the exploration of musical instruments from Europe, Afro-American musicians derived its own style of music rendition. This was way back the nineteenth century. New Orleans was believed to be the starting point of Jazz Music until it extends its impact to New York, Kansas and Chicago during these times. In the same decade, the music industry sprung paving the way to the spread of the Jazz music influence in most independent recording companies. These companies were also known as Indie records. Both Indie records and Jazz music complemented each other as they helped one another in the stairs of fame. Jazz dance progressed as a result of this partnership. Despite the ghost of racism, Jazz music and dance spread all over the United Nations. The beginning of Jazz music was treated as threat to the society. To refresh your memories, these were the times when the law prohibits women to cast their votes on national elections hence critiques from both sides came out to put down the blooming music genre.

The Performers
It has become unstoppable for Jazz music. Unnoticeably, the number of Jazz artists and fanatics has grown exponentially. Paul Whiteman, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong were few names that became famous during those times. Most artists preferred going on tandem or in band instead of solo flight. It appears that Jazz during these times must consist of combination of more than two voices and rhythm. At this early stage, Jazz instruments like trombone, clarinet and cornet were the most popular.

The Evolution
Long before Jazz was totally accepted by the society, it has evolved in numerous forms. Different states derived the main concept then created their own style. Some of these styles were big band style, Latin Jazz, Acid Jazz, and later on, even hip style of Jazz.

These were the factors that contributed to the age of Jazz. It was even considered as a music that plays from the heart going straight to the soul. Until now, Jazz continues to invade the music industry. Regardless of its form, you can still distinguish the original concept as soon as it is played. Not only that it invaded the industry of music but also, you will notice its influence on our fashion and sense of style. With its impact, it has been considered as the long time played genre of our age. Music instruments have been designed to ensure that it will follow the same style as before. People from different nations have shown its support and admiration to this holistic genre. Who will not be captivated by its rhythm? You can consider it as synonymous to relaxation and lasting harmony.

By: Jim Aldridge

Jazz Music For Everyone

admin2 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:09:07 +0000

Several years ago, many people complained that pop music is one of the most familiar genres they can enjoy in their daily life. In this case, jazz music was not the common genre they can see it performed on the television very often. Jazz was brought or performed from pub to pub or even from one exclusive stage to others. But today is different. People can enjoy such music as they can enjoy pop music.

We have many great names in jazz music. You can look at the great voice of Al Jerrau, Diana Krall, Eric Benet, Brian Mc Knight, Jamie Cullum, Jason Mraz, and so on. They bring the great harmony to your ears and let you enjoy their music even from your bedroom. They accompany your lunch and bring the great nuance to your dinner. Jazz is a great music you should never classify it to the untouchable one anymore.

In some countries, jazz music is brought to be the common one by holding the jazz festival annually. They try to introduce the great elegant harmony in a great way that enables many people to be a part of it. So, they will finally feel that the unique arrangement of jazz is for everyone. It is because music is a universal language, thus everyone is worthy to be a part of it.

Besides, jazz music is now performed more often rather than several years ago. Some entertainment centers even give two of seven days in a week to perform jazz music. It shows that music should be a very universal thing where people all over the world from any levels can enjoy it. The classification is actually made to differentiate its type or genre, not its level. Music is the real beautiful language of all. What do you think?

By: Clay R Mccoy

Oscar Peterson – Jazz Pianist Extraordinary

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:22:52 +0000

One of the most influential players of jazz that the world has known, Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born on the 15th of August, 1925 in Little Burgundy, Montreal. His living environment was one imbibed with jazz music since lived in a locality where most of the people were African Americans. When just five years old, he was taught the piano and the trumpet. After being affected with tuberculosis a couple of years later, he dropped the trumpet and turned all his efforts towards the piano.

His main teacher these years, was his self taught father who was a porter working with Canadian Pacific Railways. He taught Oscar and his four brothers all that he garnered while playing the piano when he was in the merchant marine. His sister brought to his attention and taught him classical music.

Since starting to play the piano, Oscar made sure he got his basics right he would faithfully practice his scales and classical etudes daily – a habit which gave him a good grounding in the basics which in his later years contributed to a large part of his mastery over the piano. One of his piano teachers in his early years was Paul De Marky who also like his sister imparted lessons on classical piano playing to Oscar.

He started to catch onto traditional jazz recordings which prompted him to learn many ragtimes and boogie-woogie tunes of his time. This ability of his earned him the tag “The Brown Bomber of the Boogie-Woogie”. By the time he was nine years old, his playing was as mature as any other professional. He spent anywhere between four and six hours every day perfecting himself at the piano – a habit he kept when he was long into his professional career.

When he was 14 years old, he took part in a nation-wide competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in which he emerged the winner. This marked the beginning of his professional career. His first permanent gig was playing for a once a week show on the radio. He also played at hotels and music halls.

The inspiration for his style of playing came from most of the jazz musicians whom any pianist at the time idolized – Nat King Cole, Teddy Wilson, James P Johnson and Art Tatum. The tables turned later in his career when Art Tatum was compared to him in his later years of success. His first hearing of an Art Tatum piece was when his father played Tiger Rag for him. After hearing it, he almost lost faith in his abilities to play the piano as well as he could. He admitted later that he was intimidated by Art Tatum’s technique and that it made him decide to be humble at his own ability to play. Oscar Peterson ended up becoming good friends with Tatum eventually but he never let go of the awe he was in of the man. He rarely ever played the piano when Tatum was around.

Not only was he mesmerized by Tatum’s music, he also looked up to the pianists that Tatum looked up to as he started playing. His work had a lot of inspiration and note for note picked up sections from some of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s music. His work with his trio -the Oscar Patterson Trio – with Herb Ellis on guitar and Ellis Brown on bass had many such references.

His influences extend toward classical music which he has attributed to his sister Daisy Sweeney. The discipline that it involved was one of the key skills he picked up when he started learning piano from her.

Peterson found a good friend and collaborator in Norman Granz. Granz discovered him when he listening to Peterson playing at a club via a live radio broadcast. He was traveling in a taxi at the time. Upon hearing him play, he asked the driver to take him straight away to the club where Oscar Peterson was playing.

Granz got him a gig at Carnegie Hall as a part of his Jazz at the Philharmonic series. From then on, Granz served as his manager. Granz was behind Peterson in the fight against segregation. He stood in between the trio and a police who was trying to stop them from traveling in “white only” taxis.

Peterson was plagued with health problems throughout his life. He had arthritis to the extent that he could not button his own shirt. He was too heavy for his size which affected his mobility. But physical problems or not, history will certainly record Oscar Peterson as being one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time.

By: Duane Shinn

What is Jazz?

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:48:21 +0000

HOW JAZZ MUSIC WORKS
Jazz is like a musical language. When the musicians play, it’s as if they are talking to each other in jazz language. Most jazz music is based on a tune or a theme. The tune might be made up specifically or it might be based on a popular tune. A jazz group, or line-up has two parts: the rhythm section and the front line.

THE FRONT LINE
Front-line instruments are the ones that play solos during a jazz piece. They are given this name because the players usually stand in front of the rhythm section. Front-line instruments include the clarinet, trombone and the right-hand side of a piano.

THE RHYTHM SECTION
The rhythm section is a part that keeps a steady pulse. It also plays harmonies for the front-line instrument to improvise over. Rhythm section instruments include the bass guitar, double bass, drums, and the left-hand side of the piano.

RHYTHM AND SYNCOPATION
Most rhythms have a regular pulse or beat. Normally the stress, or accent, comes on the first beat, in a measure. In Jazz, the stress sometimes comes on the second beat, or in between the main beats. This is called syncopation. A tension is created between the steady pulse and the syncopated rhythm.

JAM SESSIONS
When musicians get together without an audience and experiment with tunes, it is known as a jam session. It is during sessions like these that most Jazz evolves.

COMPOSING JAZZ
Although jazz involves lots of improvisation, there are some fixed elements in a piece. Instead of writing down every note, jazz composers provide a rough outline, usually consisting of a tune and the chords that go with it. Chords are two or more notes played or sung together. They are usually written as chord symbols, which tell the musician which chords accompany a tune. The musicians improvise around this hotline. Most jazz composers base their work on music they come up with during jam sessions.

By: Diana Rogers

Jazz Pants Are a Great Addition to Your Wardrobe

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:07:42 +0000

If you want to take dancing seriously and give it your best shot, it can be beneficial to wear the clothing that is associated and created for your dance style. If you are just starting out or practising, it is easy enough to try out in a set of comfortable clothing but for those that want to progress to a higher level, taking it seriously can involve moving up to the recommended style of clothing for that particular dance style. Each discipline has its own range of clothes and jazz is no different. Compared to some dance styles, jazz is seen as a maverick style of dancing and the same can be said about the range of clothing worn by those who take part in it. Jazz pants are an integral part of any jazz dancer’s kit and they are becoming a must have item.

Of course, jazz pants are also becoming part of many people’s everyday wardrobe as the style icons and fashion designers look to new areas for inspiration and influence. They may not be the item for everyone to wear but if you have the body to carry it off and are confident about yourself, these pants are a fantastic addition to any fashionista that wants to cause a scene. With the height of fashion changing at a rapid rate, it is vital for people to keep innovating and trying new ideas and taking from the world of jazz is a great place to start. Even if you have never danced a step in your life but want to remain fashionable, these pants could be worth checking out.

However, it for the serious jazz dancer that these jazz pants will offer the most benefit, allowing them to have a confidence in what they are wearing. Although talent is very important for any dancer, confidence and belief are also vital and the right style of clothing can play a huge role. Whether it is knowing that you look great or the fact that you will be properly supported through all the intricate moves and time changes associated with jazz music, the dancer can dance with confidence. In a dance competition, the outfit and presentation will play a large part in the overall score or impression of the crowd so being able to look great whilst dancing should never be under-estimated.

No matter if you are a solo jazz dancer or part of an ensemble; it is possible to find jazz pants that suit your mood or group perfectly. Having a co-ordinated style is hugely important in creating the overall effect of performance and a stylised fashion is integral to many great performances. If you wish to put on a show for the world, putting forward a collective front is a great way of informing an audience that you are a team and jazz pants are a tremendous way of pulling this look together. If you want the biggest impact possible, think about your wardrobe and determine how you can best shine for all the world to see.

By: Treak Eric