Foundations of American Popular Music: Test 2 Review

break

relatively short passage during an interpretation in the accompaniment, usually lasting one two measures & maintaining the underlying rhythms and harmonies (or chords) of the piece (i.e. “Strutting with some Barbecue” [1927])

stop-chorus

a situation where an ensemble repeats a one- or two-measure pattern in unison consisting of sharp accents and rests while a soloist improvises. The meter & tempo remain consistent, only the sound and texture of the accompaniment changes (i.e. “Potato Head Blues” [1927])

scatting

a technique of jazz singing in which onomatopoeic or nonsense syllables are sung to improvised melodies (i.e. “Heebie Jeebies” [1926])

first ever jazz recording

“Livery Stable Blues” (1917) by the Original Dixieland Jass Band

Storyville

a thirty-eight block stretch along Canal Street in New Orleans housing brothels where prostitution was legal, major place of development for jazz music

Dixieland/New Orleans Traditional Jazz (“trad jazz”)

style of music developed in New Orleans in the early 20th century

elements of trad jazz or Dixieland jazz

developed out of ragtime, mostly learned aurally.

instruments: drums, guitar/banjo, double bass, sometimes piano, cornet, clarinet, trombone, violin.

melody = coronets, countermelody = clarinet, trombone = bassline

what is one difference between trad jazz and Dixieland jazz?

some historians say trad jazz was a term for black musicians and their groups; Dixieland jazz was a term used for white musicians and their groups

four major New Orleans innovators

Jelly Roll Morton, Joe “King” Oliver, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong

important Chicago innovators

Jelly Roll & Red Hot Peppers, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Louis Armstrong & his Hot Five + Hot Seven, Bix Beiderbecke

songs by Jelly Roll’s “The Red Hot Peppers”

“King Porter Stomp” (1923) & “Black Bottom Stomp” (1926)

rhythms borrowed from Spanish & Caribbean music

tresillo, habenera, cinquillo rhythms

collective improvisation (improvised polyphony)

Simultaneous improvisation by several or all members of a group, each contributing a line of equal importance to the others

some things Joe “King” Oliver was known for

was one of the first to showcase solo breaks; used random objects to cover the bell of his horn

important song to Joe “King” Oliver’s band

“Dippermouth Blues” (1923) by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band

some things Sidney Bechet was known for

soprano saxophonist; used a fast, wide vibrato; possibly first to utilize overdubbing; one of the first jazz musicians to be known internationally

important song to Sidney Bechet

“Wild Cat Blues” (1923)

some things Louis Armstrong is known for

started in New Orleans, studied under King Oliver; went back and forth between Chicago & NYC; had two bands, his Hot Five and Hot Seven; was virtuosic; his tone quality was full, hot, and brassy; had a wide range; improvisatory character was outgoing; used swinging rhythms; influenced by Chris Kelly, Buddy Petit, and Joe “King” Oliver; born in New Orleans

song with Bix Beiderbecke and saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer

“Singin’ The Blues” (1927)

song with Bix Beiderbecke and his “unwavering sound, restrained approach, and
lyrical improvisation”

“Davenport Blues” (1925)

song with Bix Beiderbecke as a pianist and composer

“In A Mist [Bixology]” (1927)

some things Bix Beiderbecke is known for

was a cornetist, pianist, and composer; was a solid player; tone quality was bell-like, warm, dry; had a moderate range; improvisatory character was reflective, played rhythmically closer to ragtime; influenced by Nick LaRocca, Emmett Hardy, ragtime music; born in Davenport, Iowa