Jazz Appreciation: Test 3

In the 1950s, Jazz went into many different directions. What was this called?

The Fragmentation of Jazz

Miles Davis played what instrument?

trumpet

Who defined the style Cool Jazz?

Miles Davis

Miles Davis' early years

-came from a rich family

-came to NY to Juliard

-wants to meet Charlie Parker

-meets him and begins to play with and record with Parker

Miles Davis begins in what style?

Bebop *important because he ends up coming out of this and doing many other things

What song does Miles Davis record with Charlie Parker before his transition into Cool Jazz?

Now's the Time

Who was the first prominent musician to back away from Bebop? Why did he do this?

Miles Davis / He realized Jazz needed another set of expectations, Bop had to go in different directions

How long did Bebop survive?

Only about 10 years

Miles Davis' reaction to bebop was culminated in what album?

Birth of the Cool

How many people were in Miles' ensemble for the album?

Nine: nonet (paired low and high)

Miles admired the arrangements of who?

Claude Thornhill band

Who did the majority of the arrangements for Birth of the Cool?

Gill Evans (piano)

What is important about Gill Evans' arrangements?

-They are not all about virtuosity and technique

-There is counterpoint

What is counterpoint?

Different melodies going on at once that are interdependent

What happens in 1948?

Miles Davis assembles his nonet/ Plays in Royal Roost (alternating with Count Basie) and the listeners don't like it.

What happens in 1949?

The nonet goes in studio and records for over 15 months/ 12 compositions/

When was "Birth of the Cool" released?

1957/ But the tracks were getting out before then... the people liked this new sound

What was the emphasis on in cool jazz?

Composition/ rather than bebop like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

Why is Cool Jazz often called West Coast Jazz?

The reaction to the fast-paced nature of bebop attracted a lot of musicians on the West Coast/ They didn't feel like they had to play like Charlie or Dizzy anymore/ It is more relaxed and less stressed

What elements did Cool Jazz incorporate?

Counterpoint*/ More lyricism/ Shorter Solos/ Focus on the best ideas and compositions/ All ideas were written down

Who did Cool Jazz Saxophonists look back to?

Lester Young

Who did Cool Jazz Trumpet players look back to?

Miles Davis

Who was the key Baritone Sax player in the Cool Jazz era?

Jerry Mulligan/ made it a solo instrument

Who are 2 key figures associated with West Coast Jazz?

Jerry Mulligan (Baritone Sax)

Chett Baker (Trumpet)

What instruments were a part of the West Coast Jazz quartet?

trumpet, baritone sax, bass, and drums (no piano)/ relied on counterpoint and call and response to make up for the lack of piano

What is East Coast Cool Jazz?

modern Jazz quartet/ play a European classical chamber Jazz in a Jazz quartet form/ original players from Dizzy's first band/ polished performances/ lose stigma associated with jazz/wanted to establish jazz/ concerned with structure and classical techniques

What is Third Stream Music?

A blend of jazz and European concert music/ Composers created concert works that allow for improvisation with larger-scale structures influenced by both jazz and concert music

Who is a key pianist and composer associated with West Coast Jazz?

Dave Brubek/ Most famous band was with Paul Desmond/ Most famous album=Time Out

What is Bossa nova jazz?

Latin Jazz style that developed from Brazilian music in the late 1950s

Who is the key artist associated with Bossa Nova Jazz?

Stan Getz (sax player)

What caused the split to Hard Bop in the 1950s?

A revolt by black musicians. White musicians were getting all the jobs and black musicians were not. They wanted to take back Jazz by going back to the roots

What is the different between Hard Bop and Cool Jazz?

Cool Jazz went in a completely different direction & hard bop went back to the roots of Jazz (with an added new element of funk)

What key instrument emerged in the mid 50s that gave the funk sound to hard bop?

B3 Organ

Who is the key drummer of the Hard Bop era?

Art Blakey/ played a loud, aggressive, and high energy style/ bass drum contributes to funk sound/ created "First Jazz Messengers" as kind of a school for up and coming jazz players

Who is the key pianist of the Hard Bop era?

Horace Silver/ He is said to be responsible for bringing the funk to jazz

Who is the key organist of the Hard Bop era?

Jimmy Smith

Who is the key trumpet player of the Hard Bop era?

Clifford Brown/ very clean guy who never got caught up in the drug scene/ had perfect, difficult solos/ able to negotiate very fast tempos eloquently/ had one album that flirted with Cool Jazz/ influenced any trumpet player that ever came after him/ recorded mostly with Max Roach

All of the leftover bebop players by default became __________ players.

hard bop

Who was the key tenor saxophone player of the Hard Bop era?

Sonny Rollins/ took sabbaticals- began playing with Clifford Brown and Max Roach

What song did Sonny Rollins play that is used as an example of thematic improvisation?

Blue Seven

Who is the key french horn player (also a composer) of the Hard Bop era?

Gunther Schüler/ did the analysis of "Blue Seven" praising Sonny for thematic improv

Who is the key upright string bass player of the Hard Bop era?

Charles Mingus/ also a composer/ used lots of collective improvisation/ Aggresive

Where did most of the Hard Bop era happen?

Hackasack, NJ

Who was the key recording studio owner of the Hard Bop era?

Rudy Van Gelder/ Optometrist by day, recording studio by night/ would use foldable mics in different ways/ real clarity of instrumentation and sound

What was the key difference between Miles Davis' style and John Coltrane's style?

Davis- each note was special/ emphasized space

Coltrane-flurry of notes/ sheets of sound

What instrument did John Coltrane play?

Tenor Saxophone

In what year was Coltrane picked up by Miles Davis?

1955

What happened between Davis and Coltrane in 1957?

Heroine addict and Miles fired him/ Coltrane played with Monk for a while

What is described as the "perfect album" and is John Coltrane's first big hit?

Blue Train (with Blue Note records)

What happened between Davis and Coltrane in 1959?

Davis invites him back and they play modal Jazz/ they record "Kind of Blue" / Miles was simplifying and Coltrane was making more complex (Giant Steps)

What is a Coltrane Change?

cramming a lot of notes into one chord

What does Coltrane Record in 1960?

My Favorite Things/ Takes up the Soprano Sax and gets a whole different sound

Who does Coltrane sign with after he finished recording with Atlantic Records?

Bob Thiel- Impulse/ Atlantic was trying to control Coltrane, but Thiel just lets Coltrane do whatever he wants

What album does Coltrane describe as his "Gift to God" and is a division in his career?

"A Love Supreme" - 1964

What were the four parts of "A Love Supreme"?

-Acknowledgment

-Resolution

-Pursuance

-Psalm

In 1965, Coltrane creates an album that many describe as his "great album" that freed him from what Jazz has been up until this point?

-Ascension

-brought in a lot of musicians

-Beginning of Free Jazz

What did Miles Davis use that created a "haunting quality"?

Harmon mute

What happened in 1955 that is described as the Great Comeback of Miles Davis?

Played using the harmon mute at the Newport Jazz Festival/ after this he creates his first great jazz quintet

What did Davis' quintet record in 1956?

Records four albums

Relaxin, Steamin, Workin, Cookin

Who does Davis bring in that moves his ensemble from five to six people?

Julian Adderley (Cannonball)

What is the Best Selling, Most Influential Jazz Album in history?

Kind of Blue (1959) Miles Davis

What is significant about the album "Kind of Blue"?

Moves Miles into a new direction/ Modal Jazz- based on modes/ each tune will just have a few chords

What is the goal of Free Jazz?

freeing from confines/ boundaries place by other musicians

What is going on culturally/historically at the time of Free Jazz?

1960s/ Racial tension, class tension/ 1968 MLK assassinated/ looked like society was falling apart/

What is the premise of Free Jazz?

Each musician in the group will find his own path through improvisation and everything will come together in the end

What is the effect of Free Jazz on Jazz?

DEVASTATING/ rejects what Jazz originated as: primal celebratory music become purely intellectual

Who is the key alto-saxophone player associated with Free Jazz?

Ornett Coleman-because he came earlier than anyone else/ "The Shape of Jazz to Come"

Who is the key pianist/composer associated with Free Jazz?

Cecil Taylor

Who is the key pianist who also had the most famous Free Jazz Group?

Sun Ra/ Myth Science Colar Orchestra "Space is the Place"

What is modal jazz?

A body of music that makes use of one or more of the following characteristics: modal scales for improvisation, slow harmonic rhythm, pedal points, and the absence or suppression of functional harmonic relationships (Kind of Blue-Miles Davis)