History of Jazz - Short Answer

What was Scott Joplin’s first published rag (in 1899)?

Maple Leaf Rag

What’s the form of a typical rag (using letters to label phrases)?

A A B B A C C D D

Where (from what other type of music) did the form of rags originate?

Work songs, spirituals, African instruments like banjos, Creole influence

What’s the historical importance of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band?

A White New Orleans Jazz band that recorded the first Jazz record

What’s the historical importance of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band?

Brought New Orleans Jazz out of New Orleans to the rest of the country up north. Founded by King Oliver and including Lil Hardin and Louis Armstrong. Oliver mentored Armstrong.

How many measures are in a typical chorus of a blues?

12 bars

What’s the instrumentation of a typical Dixieland/New Orleans jazz combo? What are the front line instruments and what might be the rhythm section instruments?

Front line: Cornet/Trumpet, Clarinet, Trombone | Rhythm Section: string bass or tuba, acoustic guitar, piano, drums

(Unlikely) What’s the instrumentation of a typical 1930s big band?

trumpets, trombones, saxophones, string bass, acoustic guitar, piano,

drums

What’s the importance of Don Redman to the big band tradition (what was his job)?

Arranger who’s work was used mostly for big bands

What are “breaks” in jazz songs

short two- or four-bar episodes where the band abruptly stops to let a single musician play a monophonic passage

What is “stop time”

a technique in which a band plays a series of short chords a fi xed distance apart (e.g., a measure), creating spaces for an instrument to fi ll with monophonic improvisation; often used in early jazz

(Unlikely) In what ways does stride differ from ragtime?

Stride piano introduced swing, featured improvisation, and started in Harlem, NY. Compositions were memorized and were more complex than rag.

What is “walking bass”? In what era/style did it start to be used?

a bass line featuring four equal beats per bar, usually used as a rhythmic foundation in jazz

(Unlikely) What’s the social importance of Benny Goodman’s trio from the mid-1930s?

one of the first prominent, public racially integrated jazz ensembles

What’s the importance of Prohibition on the popularization of jazz?

Speakeasies opened that employed jazz musicians to play constantly, the sound became the backdrop of the period

Name 2-3 early big bands that helped shape the swing era (not Basie or Goodman)

Henderson, Moton