Trad Jazz and Cool Jazz

The Fragmentation of Jazz Styles: Trad Jazz and Cool Jazz

Challenges to Bebop

• Bebop's radical nature incited diverse responses from various factions within the jazz community.

Reactions to Bebop

• Swing Era veterans launched counterattacks against bebop which was expected.

• A rebirth of traditional jazz emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s, seeking to diminish bebop's influence; this was unexpected.

• The rise of "cool" jazz, promoted as a new aesthetic for modern jazz and other alternative styles like hard bop, West Coast jazz, soul jazz, modal jazz, Third Stream jazz, and free jazz emerged during the 1950s.

Jazz Press and Fan Divisions

• Jazz publications featured debates on the validity of different improvised music forms.

• A common rebuttal was to dismiss opposing music as not "real jazz."

• Fans became divided into factions during the Cold War era.

• Jazz transitioned into a subculture as the general public shifted attention to other trends like rock and roll.

Debates on the Future of Jazz

• Jazz writers pondered the future of jazz, questioning its direction (hot or cool, East or West).

• Fans debated whether to maintain tonality or embrace freedom from chord structures.

• Reactionary fans rejected the focus on the future, advocating for a return to the past.

Traditional Jazz Revival

• Older jazz styles gained popularity under names like traditional, trad, New Orleans, Chicago jazz, and Dixieland.

• Early signs of a traditional jazz revival appeared in the late 1930s, gaining momentum a decade later.

• Growing opposition to bebop fueled the return to traditional jazz.

• Trad jazz fans aimed to promote their music as a model and oppose other jazz camps, similar to bebop's revolutionary ideology.

• The jazz press intensified factionalism, and booking agents organized "battles" between boppers and traditional jazz players.

• Charlie Parker praised earlier styles, while most others felt compelled to choose sides.

Chronology of the Trad Jazz Revival

• The resurgence began with Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet in the late 1930s.

• Jazz historians rediscovered trumpeter Bunk Johnson, who gained fame in the 1940s for his New Orleans connection.

• Despite historical inaccuracies and musical limitations, Johnson's celebrity indicated the revival's strength.

• George Lewis, a former musician, gained opportunities after a 1942 session with Johnson.

• Kid Ory returned to playing in 1942 after working in other fields, enjoying a successful career revival.

Veteran Trad Jazz Players

• Early jazz musicians were venerated as historical figures, unlike their past experiences.

• New Orleans revivalists joined veteran trad jazz players, embracing older sounds.

• Lu Watters founded the Yerba Buena Jazz Band in 1940, gaining a wide following.

• Turk Murphy, a Watters bandmate, formed his traditional jazz group in 1947, achieving significant popularity.

• Bobby Hackett led a band at Nick’s, a Greenwich Village nightclub, showcasing melodic improvisation.

• Eddie Condon, with deeper historical ties, built a following at Nick’s and his nightclub.

• Other seasoned players like Pee Wee Russell and others flourished in the traditional jazz revival.

Critique and Merits of Revival Music

• Much of the revival music tended toward banality and some critics said it was as if jazz existed in mid-Victorian times.

• At its best, the movement produced vibrant performances, exemplified by Wild Bill Davison’s 1943 sessions and Muggsy Spanier’s 1939 tracks.

• Bunk Johnson’s recordings are now enjoyed for their verve and interplay rather than for polemical purposes.

• These efforts demonstrated that jazz did not require progression to be enjoyable.

International Spread of Trad Jazz Revival

• Trad jazz revival spread overseas, influencing local tastes and talent, especially in England with players like Humphrey Lyttelton and others.

• Claude Luter in France and trad players in Stockholm and Rome kept New Orleans jazz alive on the Continent.

• Approximately half of European jazz clubs specialized in traditional jazz styles.

• The appeal of early jazz extended from Melbourne to Buenos Aires.

Louis Armstrong's Return to Traditional Jazz

• In 1947, Louis Armstrong returned to the traditional New Orleans style, abandoning the big band format.

• Armstrong recognized the commercial potential of the revival movement.

• Earl Hines followed Armstrong in 1948, joining Armstrong’s combo.

• Jack Teagarden also returned to Dixieland, joining Armstrong in 1947 and forming his combo in 1951.

• Jazz modernists disparaged these pioneers and their fans with the term "moldy fig."

• The return to tradition revitalized the music of Armstrong, Teagarden, Hines, and Bechet.

• This shift was viewed as a return to core values in an age of rapid progress.