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The origins of jazz

African influences on rythm


In african music there is a static sub-structure (fixed tempo, groove), and rhythm
variations above (sometimes asymmetrical). This leaves place to improvise rhythmically
above. Jazz inherited that except that the music came in symetrical divisions.
Syncopations are also remnant of the asymetrical africn music.
The ternary division of african music led to swing in jazz.
African influences on melody
African music is rooted in spoken language, the voice isnt perfected as in western
music. There is this vocal influence in jazz (swallowing notes, raw sounds, )
There is no leading tone in african music, so in jazz the leading tone was lowered down
which led to blue notes. The 3rd and seven are lowered, giving this blues melancholic
feeling.
African influences on structure
Call and response. This dates back to african-american lithurgy when the crowd repeats
the priests sentences or approves them.
African influences on structure
African music likes to be exposed to the audience criticisme, and this is what leads to
reactions, comments in jazz and more importantly, applauding after a solo.
Western influence on instruments
The slaves quickly learned to play on western instruments : guitar and harmonica in the
blues, piano for ragtime, and banjo which was invented by afro-americans (ressembles
an african harp called kora, and the western guitar)
After 1865, the instruments used were those of the army corps band (cf new orleans)

Western influence on rhythm


2/4 and 4/4 from marching band inspired afro-americans because it was like their
constant timeline.
Western influence on melody
The pentatonic scale comes frim Iris hand scottish folk and later led to the creation of the
blues cale.
Western influence on form
March and AABA form
Western influence on harmony
Jazz adopted western tonal gradation and functionnal harmony

Earliest types of afro-american music


Singing during plantation labor : work songs and hollers
Work song :
-simple
-largely improvised
-a capella
-call and response
-lyrics contain humor, criticism and hostiliy
Hollers :
-short
-improvised

-performed by one person


- field hollers when in plantation, street hollers later in the city
Singing during liturgy
The negro spiritual arose on protestant plantation where the liturgy was sung in English
vernacular. singing sermon by the pastor was answered by the congregation. The
shouting sound relates to african trance
In the concert-spiritual, there is no call and response
Gospel may have resulted of negro spiritual but its based either on New testament or on
regligious themes in general, instead of biblical subjects.

Secular african-american music : country blues


Country Blues
The blues evolves from work songs and fields hollers at the end of the 19th century in
the southern US.
After the abolition of slavery, blues became a tool used by the individual american black
to tell stories about everyday life.
The blues is the secular equivalent for the gospel in religion.
Blues was only recorded since 1920s and often censured when there were explicit
references.
Blues characteristics :
-call and response (instrument answers to singer)
-blue notes
-blue scale
Blues has various stages in its evolution. (country blues, then classic blues, etc)
On of them is Country blues (or southern blues, folk blues )
Country blues characteristics :
-usually performed by only one singer/musician
-use of guitar or banjo, sometimes harmonica

-12 bar blues gains importance


-great liberty in the execution, except the text.
Important musicians in country blues:
- Papa Charlie Jackson (1890-1938) played the 6 strings Banjo. Born in New
Orleans, he mainly worked in the vaudeville circuit. He also was sideman in Kid Ory and
Freddie Keppards New Orleans band.
- Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1929) played guitar. Hes a blues legend. Made more
than 90 blues recordings.
-Huddie leadbelly Ledbetter (1888-1949) born in a share cropping family on a
plantation in Louisiana. Played 12 strings guitar. In 1917 he was imprisonned for murder.
But he wrote a song to the governor who let him free.
-Big Bill Bronzy (1893-1958) He is the link between pre-war country blues and chicago
blues.
-Robert Johnson (1911-1939) King of Delta blues.

Ragtime (or jig piano)


ragged time = torn time
After slavery was abolished, pianos, organs and harmonium became popular in AfricanAmerican families.
The characteristics of ragtime
-composed music without improvisation
-right hand plays syncopated melody, left hand plays a stride-piano accompaniment
thats not syncopated.
-chords change every measure (european influence)
-form close to march or quadrille : succession of sections of 6 or 8 mesures.
-moderate pace

-2/4 time
Ragtime songs
They were vocal versions of ragtime. Originally coon songs were without syncopation.
Ragtime songs featured a non syncopated piano accompaniment and a light ly
syncopated melody.
Instrumental ragtime
It refers to many things. Coon songs, arrangements of coon songs for instrumental
ensembles, dance music, marches..
Important names in Classical Ragtime
-Scott Joplin (1868-1917) piano player. He was taught for free by a german music
teacher who thought he was talented. Most famous composition Maple leaf rag was
a model of classical ragtime. He wrote operas. He received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize
for his contribution to AMerican music.
Mapple leaf rag form : AABBACCDD
-Tom Turpin (1873-1908) published his first rag Harlem rag , the first instrumental rag
published by an African-american composer, in 1897.
-James Hubert Eubie Blake (1883-1983) was ragtimes leading figure on the East
coast.
-James Scott (1886-1938). His music is close to Scott Joplins. He was published by
Scott Joplins publisher, John Stark.
-Joseph Lamb (1887-1960) was white. Before he met Scott Joplin he was unfamiliar with
black cuture. He borrowed themes and compositions liberally from others.
Ragtime was so popular that it became wordly known and influenced classical
composers like Debussy, Stravinskywho composed their own ragtimes.
The Minstrel Show

It featured afor-american music but was played by whites. It was inspired by the song
jumpin jim crow about a physically disabled black slave. (Jim crow gave its name to
the law about segregation) Its a type of music-theatre mocking black people.
Stephen Foster was a great minstrel show composer (he was more respectful than
others)
This genre arrose because of the interest of white people in the african-american music.
From 1880, appeared black minstrel shows : black mimicking whites mimicking blacks.

New Orleans (1900-1917)


Different cultures were melted. With the law on segregation in 1894, the Creole (who had
a western music education) had to live with the blacks, who had a more rough way of
playing. So both cultures mixed musically.
The red light district called story ville was a legal prositution district that gave jobs to
many musicians because brothels needed bands.
4 types of bands :
-street bands
-tonky bands
-society bands
-New Orleans dance bands
-white orchestras
Characteristics of New Orleans style :
-emphasis on 2 and 4
-importance of snare drum
-cornet plays the lead
-other blowers play around melody
-rythm section : tuba, doublebass, guitar/piano, banjo
-collective impro

Collective impro organised :


-groove
-polyphony (clarinet up, cornet middle, trombone low)
-call & response
-riffs and breaks
3 kings :
-Buddy Bolden (1868-1931) cornet. Popular, played loud.
-Freddie Keppard (1890-1933) cornet. Refused to record because of copy cats.
-King Oliver (1885-1938) cornet. His own band : Creole Jazz band. With 2nd cornet
Louis Armstrong.
The white bands :
Papa Jack Laine (1873-1966). Drummer, band leader
Original Dixieland Jazzband. Band leader : Nick La Rocca, cornet. They made the 1st
jazz recordings in New York January 1917.
First Soloists :
-Sidney Bechet (1897-1959), clarinet and soprano sax. Employed double time feeling.
-Louis Armstrong (1900-1971) cornet and trumpet. "Founder of jazz". Satchmo. Louis
Armstrong and his hot five/ hot seven
Louis Armstrong style :
-solo improvisation
-refined the rythmical aspect of jazz (8th note patterns, syncopes) relaxed feeling
-architectural solo building
-scat singing, influenced young singers as Billie Holiday

1920-1930 Chicago : The jazz Age, the Golden Age


Chicago style : mix of different styles
Blacks immigrated to the north, and the red light district in N. Orleans was closed.
Jazz music becomes widespread over the states : More interest for black culture.

Families can play records at home, it stimulates their interest.


Dance hall and cabaret are born.
New orleans style :
Musicians from N.O. like King Oliver and his creole band, Louis Armstrong, also white
bands come to Chicago and play their own style.
Boogie Woogie :
Typical piano style with accented bass figures in eight notes
Blues
Chicago style :
White chicagoans that admire black culture, play music. The style is different from
black music : use of a lot of arrangements, successive solos, A saxophone was
added.
Guitar replace the banjo.
More solo improvising rather than collective
2,4 beat instead of 1,3

The important musicians of Chicago style :


-Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931), cornet. Has his own band, and then is taken in the
symphonic jazz orchestra from Paul Whiteman. Recorded with Frank Trumbauer.
Technique from Louis Armstrong but intimate atmosephere.
- Frank Trumbauer (1901-1956), melody sax. Precursor of cool jazz.

The swing period (1930-1940)


Caracteristics :
-use of arrangements for big bands (riffs, call and response, harmonized solos )
-sax takes over from clarinet
-importance of hi hat
-collective impro becomes rare

-musicians with great technique


Preambles of the swing period :
-Paul Whiteman (1890-1967), violin, called himself king of jazz , conducted his band
with 40 musicians. His music sounds like cleaned up jazz.
-Fletcher Henderson (1898-1952), piano, bandleader. Studied maths and chemistry.
Invited improvising musicians like Louis Armstrong to cheer up his music. His band
werent successfull, he was too tolerant with his drunken musicians. Sold his scores to
Benny Goodman who had success.
Important band leaders
New York, Harlem :
-Duke Ellington (1899-1974), piano, bandleader.
1st : Plays with Washingtonians, in N.Y.
2nd : Cotton club in Harlem in 1929. Jungle style, dirty brass, wah wah, growl effects.
3rd : 1930 Mood style, slow tempi, long notes, impressionnisme inspired by Ravel,
Debussy. Use of human voice as instrument.
4th : 1940 Blanton-Webster period. 1939, Billy Strayhorn came to arrange and
compose.
5th : from 1940, some important soloists leave the band, Blanton dies, Webster leaves,
Hodges
6th : from 1950, Duke composes larger tunes. At the end of his life, he writes sacred
music.
-Chick Webb (1909-1939), drummer, bandleader. Dance orchestra. In 1934, Ella
Fitzgerald comes in his band.
-Cab Calloway, vocalist, bandleader. In 1933, sucessor of Duke at the Cotton Club.
-Jimmy Lunceford (1902-1947), bandleader, multi instrumentalist. One of the best
orchestra from the swing period. Succeeded Calloway at the Cotton club in 1934.
New York, others :

-Benny Goodman (1907-1986) clarinet, bandleader. Was called King of the swing .
Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson and him (his trio)
-Jimmy Dorsey, clarinet, alto sax, bandleader.
-Tommy Dorsey, trombone. They had the Dorsey Brother Orchestra.
-Artie Shaw (1910-2004), clarinetiste, composer, bandleader. Signed Billie Holiday as his
band vocalist in 1938 (first white band with a black singer). He was called King of
clarinet

Kansas City :
Style of Kansas city music :
-vocal blues
-riffs
-soloists get an important role
-simple arrangements compared to Duke
-strong rhythmical impulse, swing feel
-preference for tenor sax
-lot of contrasts with dynamics
Bandleaders in Kansas city :
-Bennie Moten (1894-1935) pianist and band leader, developped riffing style that would
define many of the 1930 big bands. In 1929 he recruited Count Basie, and Walter Page
(bass). It became the basie sound
-Count Basie (1904-1984) piano, conductor. When Moten died in 1935, the band shortly
continued, then Basie organised a group the Barons of rhythm (with Jo Jones, Lester
Young) that became later the count Basie orchestra, a leading band of the era. They
became internationally famous by the end of the 30s. Than after reduction of the group
because of financial considerations in 1950, the big band was reorganised in 1952 and
made many tours and recordings. Various singers (Sinatra) worked with the band.After
Basies death, the band continued with Thad Jones, and Franck Foster.
Solists of the swing period :

-Coleman Hawkins, Bean (1904-1969), tenor sax. He developed the sax to its full
value. 1922 he started playing in the band of Fletcher Henderson, on clarinet and bass
saxophone. He developed his phrasing under the influence of Louis Armstrong : sound
and control of the full tessitura, use of highest registers, improvised in the chords,
passing chords, double time. He is the founder of the ballad style.
1934 went to europ for six years and played with Django and Benny Carter.
1939 went back to USA and recorded the famous Body and Soul, became best tenor
player in down beat.
-Lester young prez 1909-1959, tenor sax. Plays with an alto sax, influenced by the
blues. Light tone, soft attack, almost no vibrato. Light and relaxed jazz. From 1933 plays
in the bands of Bennie Moten, King Oliver and Fletcher Henderson. Also Count Basie.
Played in smaller bands and recorded with Billie Holiday
-Johnny Hodges, (1907-1970), jeep , rabbit alto sax. Prominent member of Duke
Ellingtons orchesra : Duke wrote for him ( Hodge Podge etc). Pure tone, economy
of melody, wide vibrato, sliding and slurring. Was admired by Ben Webster, John
Coltrane. Had his own orchestra in 1950.
-Ben Webster, frog or the brute , (1909-1973), tenor sax. Plays with Young Family
band, and joins Bennie Motens band. Plays with Duke and becomes his 1st major tenor
soloist.
-Benny Carter (1907-2003), alto sax, arranger, composer, conductor. Works with
Fletcher Henderson, Chick Webb. Has his own band in 1932. Leaves europe and
conducts the BBC dance orchestra. Makes arrangements for singers like Sarah
Vaughan, Ella, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong
-Cootie Williams (1911-1985) trumpet. Began with the Young family, played with Chick
Webb and Fletcher Henderson. Prominent member of Dukes orchestra. Then in 1940,
plays with Benny Goodman. He then had his own orchestra (emplyed Charlie Parker)
and rejoined Ellington in 1962. Growling jungle style , inspired Marsalis with his
plunger mute.
-Roy Eldridge, little jazz (1911-1989) trulmpet. Played in various bands in the early
30s. Has the rhythmic power to swing a band. Quick playing, high registers as well.

Heavy influence on Dizzy Gillespie.


-Buck Clayton (1911-1991) trumpet. Leader of the Harlem gentlemen in Shanghai in
1934. Brings the chinese music scale into american scale. Played with Count Basie.
-Lionel Hampton (1909-2002) Vibes. Was encouraged to play vibes by Louis Armstrong.
Made some historical recordings with Hawkins, Webster, Hodges. Conducted his own
band by 1940.
-Art Tatum (1910-1956), Piano. Blind piano player with great virtuosity. Made his first
recording in 1933. Uses chromaticism, and bitonality. He knew classical music well.
-Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) Guitar. French gipsy who had a peculiar style of
playing.Played with Stephane Grapelli and inspired Charlie Christian. Brings a fusion of
three styles : european, gipsy, afro-american style.
-Charlie Christian (1919-1942), One of the first guitarists who amplified his instruments
to be on the same sound level as the sax. His influence was enormous for the bebop
players.
-Billie Holiday (1915-1959). In 1930 she began to sing in a small pub in Brooklyn. In
1933 she made a recording with Benny Goodman. She sings with Count Basie in 1937
and Artie Shawin 1938 (first black singer in a white band). In 1939 she was engaged at
the caf society and recorded strange fruit . She plays with Lester Young.

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