Jazz Final

Congo Square

Located in New Orleans. Important gathering place where enslaved and free Black people performed music and dance. Preserved African musical traditions that became foundational to jazz. Established in 1817 and effectively closed in 1839.

Great Migration (1916)

Push Factors: Racism and segregation in the South. Limited economic opportunities. Pull Factors: Factory jobs in northern cities. Better opportunities and living conditions. Impact on Jazz: Helped spread jazz from New Orleans to cities like Chicago and New York.

The Jazz Singer (1927)

First successful feature film with synchronized sound ('talkie'). Marked the transition from silent films to sound films.

Impact of Movies on Jazz Musicians

Reduced employment for theater musicians who previously played live music during silent films. Created new opportunities for musicians through film appearances and movie soundtracks. Helped spread jazz to larger audiences nationwide.

Duke Ellington's Black and Tan (1929)

Short film featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Demonstrated jazz's growing importance in popular culture. Helped bring jazz into film and visual media.

Stock Market Crash

Occurred in 1929. Triggered the Great Depression.

Effects on Jazz

Financial hardships for musicians. Increased public desire for affordable entertainment. Created nostalgia for earlier styles of jazz. Inspired preservation efforts and revival movements.

Benny Goodman

Born in Chicago (1909). Clarinetist. Became known as the 'King of Swing.'

Let's Dance Radio Program

NBC radio show beginning in 1934. Sponsored by Nabisco. Made Goodman nationally famous.

Palomar Ballroom (1935)

Located in Los Angeles. Considered a major moment in launching the Swing Era. Audience reacted enthusiastically when Goodman switched from 'sweet' arrangements to 'hot' Fletcher Henderson arrangements.

John Hammond

One of the first major bandleaders to promote racial integration. Worked with Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Christian, and others.

Benny Goodman Quartet

Members included: Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa. Importance: Smaller ensemble. Highlighted virtuoso soloists. Helped move jazz toward listening-focused music.

Big Bands

Standard Rhythm Section: Piano, Bass, Guitar, Drums.

Changes from Earlier Jazz

Old: Tuba, Banjo. New: Acoustic bass, Guitar.

Swing Feel

Walking bass line. Emphasis on all four beats. Ride cymbal maintains pulse. Hi-hat provides backbeat.

Standard Big Band Format

Saxophone Section: 2 Alto saxophones, 2 Tenor saxophones, 1 Baritone saxophone. Trumpet Section: 4 Trumpets. Trombone Section: Usually 4 trombones, 3 tenor trombones, 1 bass trombone.

Kansas City Jazz

Major jazz center during the 1930s. Thrived during the Great Depression.

Tom Pendergast

Political boss of Kansas City. Ignored Prohibition laws. Allowed gambling and liquor sales.

'Paris of the Plains'

Nickname for Kansas City. Clubs often operated 24 hours a day.

Characteristics of Kansas City Jazz

Blues influence. Relaxed swing feel. Improvisation. Head arrangements.

Collapse

Pendergast imprisoned for tax evasion in 1939. New government shut down clubs. Many musicians moved to New York and Los Angeles.

Count Basie Orchestra

Characteristics: Relaxed walking swing feel. Heavy blues influence. Head arrangements rather than written charts. Strong improvisation.

All-American Rhythm Section

Count Basie (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums).

Vocalists in Jazz

Billie Holiday: One of jazz's most influential singers. Helped define jazz vocal style. Ella Fitzgerald: Nickname 'First Lady of Song'. Career breakthrough joined Chick Webb's band. Became famous with 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket'. Importance: Exceptional technique.

European Jazz

Center of European Jazz: Paris. Hot Club of France: Major European jazz group. Key members: Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli.

American Musicians in Europe

Many African-American musicians moved to Europe because: Less segregation. Better opportunities. Escape from Depression-era hardships.

Mary Lou Williams

Nickname 'The Lady Who Swings the Band'. Importance: Architect of the Kansas City Sound. Major arranger and composer.

Jazz Tree of Life

Think of jazz as a family tree: African Musical Traditions → Blues + Ragtime → New Orleans Jazz → Chicago & Harlem Styles → Swing Era (Big Bands) → Kansas City Swing → Bebop → Modern Jazz.

Jam Sessions

Allowed musicians to practice and compete. Helped musicians network. Spread jazz styles between regions.

Crossover Music

Big Joe Turner: 'Boss of the Blues.' Connected blues and popular music. Early crossover artist.

Coleman Hawkins

Nickname: Father of the Tenor Saxophone. Why Important: Developed sophisticated harmonic improvisation. Major influence on Charlie Parker.

International Sweethearts of Rhythm

Integrated all-female big band. Included African-American, White, and Latina musicians. Active from 1937-1949.

Jazz Managers

Secure bookings, handled transportation, and navigated a segregated America.

Recording Ban (1942-1944)

American Federation of Musicians strike. Musicians believed recordings were replacing live jobs.

Revival Music & New Orleans Revival

Why It Happened: Many people believed Swing had become too commercial, too polished, too far from jazz roots.

Jelly Roll Morton Sessions (1938)

Recorded by Alan Lomax. Importance: Preserved jazz history. Documented jazz origins.

John & Alan Lomax

Father-son folklorists and field recordists, traveled across America. Recorded folk, blues, and early jazz musicians.

Great Depression & Nostalgia

Why Nostalgia Increased: By the 1930s, jazz was about 30 years old. People began romanticizing earlier styles.

Birth of Bebop

Early 1940s, Harlem, New York. Important clubs: Minton's Playhouse, Monroe's Uptown House.

Major Founders of Bebop

Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk.

Definitive Bebop Recording

Ko Ko (1945).