w w w. p e r f o r m a n c e s .

o r g
All
about

Connie Kay

Percy Heath

Milt Jackson

John Lewis

Modern Jazz Quartet Front Cover:

Art Blakey

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Jazz music began The Jazz Age
about 100 years ago In 1918, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band released
in the southern part The first jazz was dance music.
a recording, now considered to be the first jazz
of the United States. It was not written down but
record. (Although the record player had been
It started in New was passed on by ear because Dizzy Gillespie
Orleans, Louisiana, invented around 1890, jazz was still emerging as
the musicians often did not
where people from a distinct musical form at that time.) By 1918 most
read music. Today, jazz remains
many different cul- middle class Americans could afford family record
tures traveled, an oral tradition, comparable
players, and the demand for recordings was high.
to storytelling. Most jazz musi-
and settled. Each The radical new sound of the Original Dixieland
cians start with a basic tune or
culture brought Jazz Bands release created such a sensation that
melody and then change and Bessie Smith
by the mid-1920s, the young, hip generation called
its own musical recreate it as they go along.
their era the jazz age.
traditions, and in This is called improvisation, and
As Dixieland music spread
it makes jazz different from
New Orleans, they classical and popular music. In
throughout the country to New
all came together. many ways, jazz is a musical language. York, Chicago and Kansas City,
mixed African Through improvisation, musi-
the music and its audience began
American musicians cians talk to each other while
to grow and change. Dance halls
in New Orleans cre- sprang up in every city as people
playing music. Early jazz bands played at dances, festi-
ated jazz by combin- clamored to dance to jazz. In
vals and even funerals. Dixieland jazz, as
ing African rhythms
it came to be known, flourished in and order to fill these venues with
and harmonies with elements
around New Orleans during the first part sound, jazz bands grew from a
of blues music, European
of the 20th century. These bands included dozen members to the size of
orchestral and band music,
a bass section, several brass instruments,
popular songs, and African whole orchestras. As the bands
banjos, and an occasional piano. Ragtime
American spirituals and work got bigger, the dancing grew
music, which was written for the piano
songs. The hybrid culture of freer and t h e b e a t p i c k e d up
and developed concurrently with jazz,
New Orleans was essential
to the development of jazz.
was very popular throughout the United
States, and the two emerging musical
and began to s w i n g .
European musical structures
genres influenced each other.
were combined with an
African approach to perform-
ance, which included more
flexible rhythm and the use
of the blues scale.

2 3

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

 A playing style known as bop evolved
out of swing and big band music.

Sw i ng
B Bop developed a new format involv-

Swing music continued to

and
Bo Max Roach ing smaller ensembles and whole

group improvisation. Songs were

Bop
Bo p
grow in popularity during
the 1930s. While the eco- designed to showcase solos, and

nomic hardships of the everyone in the band took a turn

Great Depression caused a
drop in record sales, radios op showing off as many notes, chord

p
became household objects changes and fast rhythms as possi-
and families could listen to
ble. These musicians told stories in
new swing music all the time
just by tuning in. The 1930s their music, but they were so fast
and 40s were the age of Big As the Sonny Rollins

Band music, and musicians popularity and hard that they were sometimes

such as singer Cab Calloway, of swing began to wane

difficult to hear.
pianist and composer Duke during the mid 1940s,
Clockwise from top:
Tommy Dorsey Ellington, trombonist Tommy some players from
the big bands began to

Tommy Poter
Duke Ellington Dorsey, and clarinetist Benny
Benny Goodman
Cab Calloway Goodman were the leading stand out and play
artists of the Big Band era.
solos that were Charlie Parker

faster, l o u d e r
and
Dizzy Gillespies
HARDER
big band than anything that had been
heard before. They filled their
solos with as many notes and
as much feeling as they could. Baby Dodds
Some of these upstarts included
4 saxophonist Charlie Parker, 5
trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and
drummer Max Roach, among
many others.

Thelonius Monk
 During the 1950s a new group
of musicians decided to slow
things down and mellow the
sound of jazz. These artists
preferred even smaller ensem-
bles of 4 to 6 musicians, and
they approached jazz at a slower pace,
with a laid back, cool feeling.
Known as cool jazz, these com-
positions were longer in dura-
tion than those of previous jazz
eras. The long playing record
became popular during the 50s,
and this coincided nicely with
the development of a longer,
more straightforward jazz style.
Gerry Mulligan
Sarah Vaughan
Chet Baker
The C oo l
Baritone saxophonist
School
Gerry Mulligan and trum-
peter Chet Baker were
the major proponents of
this mellow style, along
with the early work of
trumpeter Miles Davis.
Another style of jazz,
known as Third Stream,
emerged in the early
1960s. Finding inspira-
tion from European
classical music for form
and structure, Third
Stream composers and
musicians, such as the
Modern Jazz Quartet,
explored elements of
classical music and jazz
and then combined
them to create a
new music.
Billie Holliday
Miles Davis
 The Current Scene
r e e , lt a n e o
other
usly, an z back Today, jazz is more diverse than

F unk Simu
develop
ment to
oots, u s
ok jaz
in g Africa
n
nse
ever. Musicians play varia-

F h a ng
e the c place in jazz
e s in s t yle
to

pat
it

t
s

er
r

n s
n call a
America nd slow, dirge
a
nd r es

g
p

t
o

h
-
e m
tions of dixieland, swing,
bop, cool, funk, free and
and

ivin
Despit s and g r edge.

n e n a s ic e b lu e
d tak any b lik de

fu s i othat ha the 1950s, m the

thro u g h
ts had
elemen rmony and r ny
Ha
rema in e d
hythm
a
Funk p
b a s s is t
ted, har
an upda ers, such as
lay
Charles Blakey
Mingus
rt
fusion, or they bring
elements from several Uri Crane Regina Carter
same. tant in p play- mmer A olitical
a in e d cons h b o and dru d e d a p of these eras together T h e r h y t h m s e c t i o n i s l i k e
rem
n d alt houg ed w ith o ft en inclu
ir music.
piece,
a
o r e concern e e s sa g e in th e
in new compositions. t h e e n g i n e o f a j a z z e n s e m b l e .
re m som m
ers we han melody, ne Artists such as trumpeter The instruments in this group
t u 60s
ene r g y
o f a ba s ic t
e ir b y th e mid 19 Wynton Marsalis (who came collectively keep time and move
n c e
sembla l be traced in
th Fina ll y, peter
t il ia n s s u c h as trum from a jazz and classical music the music forward. Front-line
s music rge
could
r m a nces. a v is b eg an to me background) are largely respon- instruments have traditionally
per f o
he Miles D s of jazz
ra
hange
in t
from all e sible for the revived popularity been the main soloists in a
an to c group elements usic into
rms m
e g of
Charles Mingus

is b group. Standard front-line

All of
th
a n t garde o th e r fo of jazz in its many forms.
n av and sion.
late 50
s, as a d to pu
sh
k n o wn as Fu instruments have included
decide a hy b ri d and
nal
jazz, rock
ia n s
of mus
ic nvent io
n to The first jazz bands usually had woodwind and brass instru-
e of co ic In add it io sical
m lod from clas
o u t s id e ments, such as the clarinet,
music ic and m e n ts six members. Today, jazz groups
r hythm r n ed
blues, e le
n ic , n c e ican saxophone, trumpet, and
harmo
res. Th
ey wer
e co
s ic , A s ia n and Afr can be made up of many differ-
ication mu ce
structu
t comm
u n
ist e g a n to influen ent numbers and combinations trombone. However, a variety
ir e c e. Pian mus ic b
with d d alon al jazz of instruments. One person can of instruments, including violin,
h s o u n
il Taylo
r -tradition
throug ser Cec jazz. Non ing sitars play jazz equally as well as a big cello, guitar, flute and other
nts includ
o m p o t e
and c net
xopho
nist Or instrume d instru- band of 18 players. Most often percussion instruments have
and sa
were im
p o rtant
In d ia n stringe each group or line-up usually also found their way into the
(a n and
Cole m a n
is mov
ement
,
t) , fl u te s, organs has two parts: the rhythm sec- line-up throughout the evolu-
h me n ed to
were add
s in t
artist Jazz. iz e rs tion, usually a piano, drums tion of jazz.
as Free synth e s
mble mix
known ard ense and bass; and the front-line.
the stand e, piano,
f b ra s s , saxophon Like classical music, jazz has
o
drums. developed many styles over its
bass and short history. While new styles
have emerged, they have not
replaced older ones. All are still
played today, and all are equal-
ly important to the future of
jazz as it continues to evolve.

Don Cherry Ornette Coleman Wynton Marsalis Stefon Harris

Jazz Terms LIST OF RESOURCES
Avant garde Describes artists whose Harmony The sound created when Recommended Roy Eldridge Jelly Roll Morton The World of Swing
works can be characterized as experi- two or more notes are played or sung Recordings Little Jazz The Pearls by Stanley Dance.
mental or unorthodox. simultaneously. All listed recordings Columbia p. 1989 Bluebird p. 1998 Call number: 781.51
are available at CD 781.65 ELD CD 781.65 MOR D195w.
Blues scale A five-note scale of Improvisation To invent music while the San Francisco
African origin. The relationship playing, usually by experimenting with Public Library. Duke Ellington Original The World of Duke
between the notes gives jazz and the theme or form of written music. The Blanton- Mambo Kings Ellington by Stanley
blues melodies a sound that is uniquely Louis Armstrong Webster Band An Afro Cubop Dance. Call number:
different from melodies based on the Melody A series of notes that together Louis Armstrong and Bluebird p. 1986 Anthology 781.51 EL56d.
seven-note European scale. form a complete musical statement Duke Ellington CD 781.65 ELL Verve p. 1993
Roulette Jazz p. 1990 CD 781.657 ORI What Jazz is All
Blues Music which was a product of Polyrhythm Two or more rhythms CD 781.65 ARM Ella Fitzgerald About by Lillian
African American culture during the played at the same time. Ella Fitzgerald: Oscar Peterson Trio Erlich. Call number:
late 1800s. It often follows a particular Count Basie First Lady of Song Night Train j785.4 Er:2.
form and scale and uses elements of Spirituals African American religious April in Paris Verve p. 1993 Verve p. 1963
African music such as call and response music characterized by a singing style Verve Records p. 1955 CD 781.65 FIT CD 781.65 PET Bass Line by Milt
and instruments imitating the human in which the singer starts each line high CD 781.65 BAS Hinton. Call number:
voice. The blues is present in all styles and lets his or her voice fall to a low- Coleman Hawkins Bessie Smith 780.2 H597a
of jazz. pitched whisper. Sidney Bechet Body and Soul The Collection
The Best of Topaz Jazz p.1995 Columbia Jazz The New Grove
Blues form A form that usually con- Swing A feeling of forward momen- Sidney Bechet CD 781.65 HAW Masterworks p. 1989 Dictionary of Jazz
sists of 12 measures with a particular tum that's essential to all jazz. It's a Blue Note p. 1994 CD 781.65 SMI edited by Barry
pattern of chords. The measures are quality that's hard to describe and CD 781.65 BEC Joe Henderson Kernfeld. Call num-
most often divided into three sections which can't be written into the music. The Best of Art Tatum ber: 781.51 N42.
of four measures each and use three It just happens when musicians play John Coltrane Joe Henderson I Got Rhythm
different chords. well together, with a lot of energy and Live at the Blue Note p. 1991 GRP p 1993 The Eye of Jazz by
style. Swing also refers to style of jazz Village Vanguard CD 781.65 HEN CD 781.65 TAT Leonard Herman. Call
Call-and-response One player or which first appeared in the 30s. It's MCA Impulse p. 1962 number: 779 L552e.
section responds to another player used for dancing and makes use of big CD 781.65 COL Billie Holiday McCoy Tyner
or section. bands playing complex arrangements. Love Songs The Real McCoy The Story of Jazz by
John Coltrane Columbia/Legacy p. Blue Note p. 1987 Marshall W. Stearns
Chord A combination of three notes My Favorite Things 1996 CD 781.65 TYN Call number: 781.51
played together or one after another. Atlantic p. 1961 CD 781.65 HOL St31.
CD 781.65 COL Fats Waller
Marian McPartland Turn on the Heat The Collected Poems
Miles Davis Marian McPartland Bluebird p 1991 of Langston Hughes
Kind of Blue Plays Benny Carter CD 781.65 WAL edited by Arnold
Columbia p. 1984 Concord Jazz p. 1990 Rampersad. Call
CD 781.65 DAV CD 781.65 MCP Books number: 811.52
All listed books H874c
Miles Davis Modern Jazz Quartet are available at pp.35, 44, 50, 59, 60,
Round About Dedicated to Connie the San Francisco 65, 68, 70, 72, 76, 77,
Midnight Atlantic Jazz p. 1995 Public Library. 90, 91, 94, 126
Columbia p. 1987 CD 781.65 MOD contain blues and
CD 781.65 DAV jazz-inspired poems.

Art Blakey Sonny Rollins

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