EXPLORATION OF MUSIC FINAL

New Orleans style or Dixieland Jazz

1900-1920s

Arranged how?

A front-line

Front Line

Clarinet, trombone, trumpet

Rhythm

piano, tuba, banjo, and/or drums

Collective Improvisation

When melodic instruments would improvise all the same time (they are all doing their solos at the same time)

Improvisation

Reggae, go with the flow, chill

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

A Dixieland player, but later on a jazz player, cultural icon, known for singing as well, he was hated on for being black but he was a happy ole guy

1925-1929

VERY productive years in Armstrongs life

What did armstrong do in 1925-1929

Made a series of recordings with his band, these recordings with the band are essential because he changes it up and does more individual improvisations rather than groups.

Armstrong’s band name

“The Hot 5” later “the Hot 7”

The Legacy of Armstrong

Took the trumpet and made it a serious Jazz instrument

THE SWING ERA

1935-1945, BIG bands were all the rage, lots of Jitterbug dancing

Jitterbug dance

Ladies were thrown into the air with lifts, dips, etc. Lots of “air-time”

Who is known as the swing king?

BENNY GOODMAN

BENNY GOODMAN

Clarient Player, composer

Where was Benny Born?

Chicago

What year forms Benny’s most famous band?

1935 (VERY IMPORTANT)

In janurary the band gets their big break, what happens?

Invited to play on a radio show

What is the name of the radio show Benny was invited on?

“Let’s Dance” in New York which is broadcasted nationwide.

Benny’s band toured in may 1935 and what happens

Eastern-coast (BOMBED) Mid-America (BOMBS)

Why did benny’s band keep failing?

The show was SO late

By August 19th 1935 people did what

Came in DROVES to Oakland, CA to see benny goodman and his big band

Benny Goodmans Legacy

Began the SWING ERA by bringing swing music to the masses (radio, recordings), Clarinet was now seen as a very important jazz instrument, elevated clarinet playing for Jazz.

THE BEBOP ERA

1940s

Characteristics of SWING that the BEBOPPERS do not like:

• Swing was a performance of the whole group, not solos

• Short solos, lack of individualism

• Too much classical structure (very structured)

• Melody of tune was WAY more important than improvised solos

• Swing was more music for the masses, the “pop” of its day

• Swing was singable and danceable

BEBOP characteristics

• Small groups of performers

• Melodic lines are very complex and angular

• Melodic lines perfromed at VERY fast tempos

• Hard to dance/sing to

• Way for harmonic strucutres

• Strong emphasis on virtuosity

• Improvised solo is way more important than TUNE

Bebop’s chord structure

more sophisticated

Were the audiences they drew in small or large?

SMALL - more after hours clubs most popular in New York’s Harlem district. The Melodic Lines ARE VERY COMPLEX AND ANGULAR, performed at very fast tempos.

2 most important Bebop performers:

Charlie (bird) Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

Charlie Parker

• He abused his body with alc, drugs, etc.

• Ditched his wife and kids for New York to make it big

• Born in Kansas City, Kansas

• AMAZING saxophonist (when he was not high)

Dizzy Gillespie

Did NOT do drugs or alcohol

married to the same woman for 53 years

Dizzy’s wife

Lorraine Gillespie

What all did Dizzy do

He was a trumpet player, and a politician. He ran for president as an independent

What was Dizzy’s calling card

he played the trunk of the trumpet facing upwards - someone sat on his trunpet at a birthday party, he played it and liked it.

Who was Dizzy born as?

John Burkes Gillespie in South Carolina

How did dizzy get this nickname?

Major Jokster, loved to have a great time even though there was a lot of racial hatred, he was able to keep on going

What is he known for?

His cheeks, he was quite comical. He would play with his cheeks then after so long of playing his cheeks were so stretched out.

During the 1940s Dizzy and Charlie did what

They played A LOT together in certain jazz bars in HARLEM.

What were the two main jazz bars they played at?

Clarke Monroes Uptown House and Mintons Playhouse (still open today)

COOL JAZZ ERA

1950s - people started to get tired of the fast paced bebop. Much SLOWER tempos

What is the cool jazz era about?

Being cool bro, it was more sophisticated than the bebopers.

Characteristics of COOL JAZZ

• GREATER emphasis on chords

• Deemphasis of the melody

• melody phrased very carefully

• Much less aggressive tone quailty (soft)

• WAY slower tempos

• Purposeful deemphasis on virtuosity

MILES DAVIS

• trumpet player

• Born in Illinois

• very young when he started

• Played with Charlie Parker

• (60s) went rock and roll. Combined trumpet with rock and roll sounds

THE MODERN JAZZ ERA

1960S to present

one of the greatest big band leaders ever

MAYNARD FERGUSON

Maynard Ferguson

Jazz trumpet player, big band leader, and composer.

Maynard’s calling card

Ability to play high notes on the trumpet well. Playing these types high notes is very hard.

Where was Maynard born?

Quebec, Canada

what age did maynard move to the US

Age 20

Maynard lands a full time job where after moving to the US?

Paramount studios (studio orchestra)

How many times did he play on movie soundtracks

46; including “The Ten Commandments”

What did maynard want to do?

He wanted to play jazz in a big band and NOT be confined by the Paramount Studios

Did Maynard leave Paramount Studios?

yes he did. He left in ‘56 and formed his OWN BAND

What was the name of the band Maynard formed??

“Birdland Dream Band”

What did Maynard do for the next 50 years?

plays trumpet and leads bands (until shortly before he passes away)

Did Maynard love his job?

YES you could tell by the way he was performing he truly loved what he did.

What was the high point in Maynards career?

70s. BIG HITS: ROCKY THEME “gonna fly now”

Maynard in the 80s

Still popular but old now, he implemented circular breathing - took in breath through one side of the mouth continuously, making it seamless. Very dramatic and dynamic

Maynard in the 90s

Still good but older

Maynard’s legacy

• Greatly promoted big band music

• released lots of albums and toured like crazy

• Combined big band music with rock and more popular music to bring big audiences.

HARRY CONNICK JR

• Judge on American Idol

• Pianist

• Big band and small group leader

• composer

• Actor (memphis belle)

• Really helped to start a revival of SWING music in the 90s and 2000s

• He is not so popular today.

T/F the bebopper were all about solos

TRUE

Did Bepoppers care if you could sing along?

NO, their music was not danceable or singable unlike Swing