Jazz Midterm

What is the origin of the Blues music genre?

The Blues originated in the 20th century as a secular African American music genre from the Deep South, particularly the Mississippi Delta region.

What are 'blue notes' in Blues music?

'Blue notes' are the flattened 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes that characterize the sound of Blues music.

How did Blues music disseminate beyond the South?

Blues music spread through riverboats, levee construction, railroad workers, the Great Migration to northern cities, and vaudeville singers.

What is the harmonic structure of traditional Blues music?

Blues music typically follows a three-part, 12-bar harmonic structure based on I–IV–V chords.

Who was the greatest composer of Ragtime music?

Scott Joplin is known as the greatest Ragtime composer, renowned for pieces like 'Maple Leaf Rag' and 'The Entertainer'.

What period did minstrelsy cover, and what was its significance?

Minstrelsy lasted about 100 years, from the 1830s to 1900, as the most popular form of entertainment, influencing early 20th-century songwriters and musical styles.

What role did Storyville play in the development of Jazz?

Storyville was a legal prostitution zone where many jazz musicians performed, allowing the fusion of blues and ragtime with Caribbean rhythms, forming early jazz.

What is the significance of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB)?

ODJB recorded the first 'jass' record in 1917, popularizing jazz internationally despite being less improvisational than Black bands.

What innovative effects did Joe 'King' Oliver use in his cornet playing?

Joe 'King' Oliver was known for using mutes and growl effects to achieve an expressive tone in his cornet playing.

What was Jelly Roll Morton's contribution to jazz?

Jelly Roll Morton combined various musical styles, including ragtime, blues, and Caribbean rhythms, and advocated for the 'Spanish Tinge' as essential to jazz.

What defines New Orleans style jazz?

New Orleans style jazz is characterized by collective improvisation with a polyphonic texture featuring a front line of cornet/trumpet, clarinet, and trombone.

Who were the key figures in Harlem's Stride piano movement?

James P. Johnson, Willie 'The Lion' Smith, and Fats Waller were all pivotal figures in the development of Stride piano.

What was Duke Ellington's contribution to jazz and the Cotton Club?

Duke Ellington was a prolific composer and bandleader known for his jazz standards, and his band performed at the Cotton Club, an iconic venue for Black performers.

What cultural context led to the rise of Stride piano?

Stride piano evolved in Harlem during an explosion of African American culture amid Prohibition, vibrant nightlife, and the Harlem Renaissance.

How did Louis Armstrong change the jazz scene?

Louis Armstrong pioneered virtuosic solo improvisation and scat singing, introducing a new rhythmic 'swing' feel that transformed jazz performance.