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
Though many associate the birth of jazz music with the city of New Orleans, its origin may be a bit more ambiguous. Like many other musical forms, jazz evolved over a period of years. Many believe its evolution took place over decades. It’s widely agreed, however, that jazz music as we know it today was born in the southern United States. It is also accepted that it developed from a variety of different influences, culminating in a style that became its own genre.
Jazz’s major influence probably came from African slaves brought to the United States in the 1800s. In fact, African music influenced many styles of music, including rock and roll. The form that evolved into jazz consisted specifically of call-and-response singing, syncopation and improvisation. Ragtime, which may be considered a precursor to modern jazz, drew upon many of these elements.
Ragtime music originated after the emancipation of African slaves. The newfound freedom of slaves was bittersweet. Though freedom was deserved and appreciated, there were few job opportunities for freed slaves. Many had no means of self-support, and some simply stayed on with their former owners. Others supported themselves through musical performance. Often, this meant performing in dubious locations, like brothels and minstrel shows.
It was these types of venues that gave rise to ragtime, which enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the late 19th and early 20th century. Talented ragtime musicians like Scott Joplin were generally recognized much later for their contributions to modern jazz.
Though ragtime only graced the music scene for a few years, it influenced what would become referred to in 1915 as jazz music. While the actual origin of the term is uncertain, the name stuck. Cities like New Orleans have since become synonymous with jazz. This is not necessarily because it originated there, but because its musicians have added a distinct flavor to jazz music. Dixieland jazz bands still largely dominate the musical culture of New Orleans. Thanks to modern artists like Louis Armstrong, Winton Marsalis and Miles Davis, Dixieland-style jazz continues to enjoy mainstream popularity.
Once jazz music became labeled as such, more variations developed. Swing was one of those, which saw its height in the 1930s. Swing greats like Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller are still covered by today’s musicians. Although swing isn’t the genre it once was, it still has a big following today.
Because of its early association with brothels and speakeasies, jazz music had a stigma to overcome in its early years of development. Eventually, jazz became an accepted art form. Today jazz is embraced and taught as its own branch of music.
Jazz music is most distinguished from other musical forms for its reliance upon improvisation. The best jazz musicians have gained notoriety for their ability to play without the aid of written music.
They are able to make up music on the spot and off-the-cuff. It’s entirely possible for a song to be different every time it’s performed. This may be one reason that jazz fans believe that the most talented of the world’s musicians are not classical musicians, but purveyors of jazz.
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