Jazz 50B Midterm

African American history

Jazz emerged from African American traditions like spirituals, work songs, and the blues, blending African rhythms with European harmonies​. New Orleans was key due to its diverse culture and Congo Square gatherings​.

Jazz became a form of resistance and expression, influencing the Civil Rights Movement and breaking racial barriers despite segregation​. Styles like bebop and hard bop reflected Black identity and social struggles​.

Ring shouts, call-and-response

• Ring Shouts: A religious ritual with African roots where participants move in a circle, clap, and sing. Used in spirituals and early jazz, emphasizing rhythm and communal expression​.

• Call-and-Response: A musical conversation where a leader sings/plays a phrase (call) and others respond. Found in work songs, gospel, blues, and jazz improvisation, shaping jazz's interactive style​

male-dominated?

Jazz has historically been male-dominated due to social expectations, exclusion from networks, and sexism in the industry. Women were often pushed into singing roles while instrumentalists faced discrimination​.

Key Barriers:

• Women were excluded from jam sessions, big bands, and leadership roles.

• Instruments like brass and drums were seen as "masculine."

• The industry favored men, making it harder for women to get gigs and recognition​.

Notable Women in Jazz:

• Blanche Calloway – Early female bandleader.

• Mary Lou Williams – Pianist and composer.

• Melba Liston – Trombonist and arranger.

• Dorothy Ashby – Jazz harpist.

• Esperanza Spalding – Contemporary bassist/vocalist​.

Current Issues & Progress:

• Women remain underrepresented in jazz bands and festivals.

• More scholarships and mentorships now support women in jazz​

hybrid

Jazz is a cultural hybrid, blending African, European, and Indigenous musical traditions​. It combines African rhythms, call-and-response, and polyrhythms with European harmonies and instrumentation​.

This mix evolved through syncretism (merging traditions) and reinterpretation (giving new meaning to old elements)​. Jazz styles like Latin jazz and modal jazz also integrate influences from Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Indian music​.

The Black Atlantic

The Black Atlantic refers to the cultural exchange between Africa, the Americas, and Europe due to the Transatlantic slave trade​. Enslaved Africans carried musical traditions like polyrhythm, call-and-response, and ring shouts, which later shaped spirituals, blues, and jazz​.

Jazz reflects this hybrid identity, blending African rhythms, European harmonies, and Indigenous influences, evolving into a uniquely African American art form​

Aesthetics / Dr. Olly Wilson’s heterogeneous sound ideal and the anti-blend ideal

Aesthetics in Jazz: Jazz values improvisation, emotional expression, and individual sound over uniformity​.

Dr. Olly Wilson’s Heterogeneous Sound Ideal: A concept where jazz embraces diverse timbres, textures, and contrasting sounds rather than blending them smoothly​.

Anti-Blend Ideal: Instead of uniformity, jazz highlights distinct instrumental voices (e.g., growls, vibrato, blue notes) to create a rich, layered sound

Heterophony

Heterophony is a musical texture where multiple musicians play different variations of the same melody at the same time​.

In jazz, this happens in New Orleans jazz when instruments like trumpet, clarinet, and trombone improvise around the melody, creating a rich, layered sound​

Syncopation

Syncopation is the off-beat emphasis in music, where unexpected accents occur between regular beats​.

In jazz, it creates a swinging, unpredictable rhythm, heard in ragtime, bebop, and funk-influenced jazz

Polyrhythm

Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more contrasting rhythms, a key element from African music that shaped jazz​.

In jazz, it appears in swing, bebop, hard bop, and Latin jazz, where drums, bass, and melody instruments play layered, interlocking rhythms​

Culture

Jazz is deeply tied to African American culture, reflecting history, identity, and social struggles​.

It evolved from spirituals, blues, and work songs, blending African, European, and Indigenous influences into a unique musical tradition​.

Jazz also shapes and is shaped by community, resistance, and global cultural exchange, influencing civil rights, literature, and other music genres​.

Retention

Retention in jazz refers to the preservation of African musical elements in African American music despite slavery and cultural oppression​.

Key retained features include:

• Call-and-response singing

• Polyrhythms and syncopation

• Blue notes and improvisation

These elements shaped spirituals, blues, and later jazz, keeping African traditions alive in new forms​.

Syncretism

Syncretism is the blending of different cultural elements into a unified tradition​.

In jazz, it refers to the fusion of African rhythms, European harmonies, and Indigenous influences, creating a unique musical style​.

Examples include Latin jazz (Afro-Cuban + jazz) and spirituals evolving into blues and jazz​

Reinterpretation

Reinterpretation is the process of assigning new meaning to existing musical elements​.

In jazz, this happens when musicians transform old songs, styles, or techniques into something new, like:

• Jazz standards reworked through improvisation.

• Blues elements reshaped into bebop and swing.

• Signifyin’ (playfully referencing past music in new ways)​

Pre-Jazz Origins

• What were the FOUR immediate precursors to jazz?

  • Field Hollers – Solo, improvised calls with highly expressive melodies, often used by enslaved people to communicate across distances​.

  • Work Songs – Rhythmic songs used to coordinate labor, featuring call-and-response and steady beats​.

  • Spirituals – Religious songs blending African musical elements with Christian hymns, often expressing hope and resistance​.

  • Blues – Secular music with personal storytelling, blue notes, and emotional depth, serving as a bridge between folk traditions and jazz

  • Ring shout

• A Ring Shout is a sacred, African-derived ritual where participants move in a circle while singing, clapping, and stomping rhythms​.

Key Features:

• Call-and-response singing

• Polyrhythms and handclapping

• Intense spiritual expression

• It influenced spirituals, gospel, blues, and jazz, preserving African musical traditions in African American culture​.

• Spirituals and hymns, and the blues share many similar musical elements, but are very different ideologically and theologically. What and how?

• While spirituals, hymns, and blues share call-and-response, syncopation, and emotional delivery, they differ in ideology and theology:

• Spirituals → Focused on faith, salvation, and overcoming suffering, often with hidden messages of resistance and escape​.

• Hymns → Rooted in European church traditions, with structured melodies and harmonies emphasizing doctrine​.

• Blues → Secular, personal, and self-expressive, reflecting everyday struggles, joy, and sorrow without religious constraints​.

New Orleans Cultural Melting Pot

• Why New Orleans?

  • New Orleans was uniquely positioned as a major port city with a diverse cultural mix of African, Caribbean, Indigenous, French, and Spanish influences​. This allowed for a rich musical environment where different traditions blended freely.

• How is it that jazz became associated with New Orleans?

  • Brass bands, blues, ragtime, and Creole music merged to form early jazz.

  • Dance halls, parades, and street performances encouraged improvisation and ensemble playing.

  • The city’s strong African rhythmic traditions remained intact due to cultural retention​

• What was it about New Orleans that made it unique?

  • Geographic location → A crossroads for cultural exchange.

  • Caribbean influence → Retained African rhythmic complexity.

  • Creole culture → Mixed African and European musical traditions.

  • Congo Square → A gathering place for African music and dance, where enslaved and free Black people performed on Sundays​

• What created the circumstances for all the elements that make up jazz to coalesce?

  • French and Spanish rule before U.S. acquisition allowed for more racial mixing and musical diversity than other Southern cities.

  • The end of Reconstruction forced Black musicians into new spaces, shaping the sound of early jazz.

  • The marching band tradition contributed to jazz’s brass-heavy instrumentation​

• Indigenous Nations and Mardi Gras culture

  • Indigenous Nations like the Houma, Chitimacha, and Tunica influenced local traditions​.

  • Mardi Gras Indians (Black masking Indians) preserved African drumming traditions and created unique music that influenced jazz rhythms​

• Congo Square

  • Allowed Africans to perform traditional music and dance, keeping African polyrhythms alive.

  • It became a space for cultural cross-pollination, where African, Creole, and Caribbean music intertwined​

• Rhythmic ingenuity flourishes through retention of African musical memory and cross-pollination

  • Bamboula = "to remember"

  • Bamboula, three-beat, tresillo, habanera, clave, "Spanish Tinge“ or "Latin Tinge“

  • Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people

Pre-Jazz Foundations

• Work songs from slavery - respite, solidarity, resistance through call-and-response

• Field hollers - solitary outcries channeling despair, resilience

• Ring shouts/spirituals - encoded escape yearnings, subversive hope

• Blues - emotionally resonant reactions to injustice

• Brass bands/ragtime - impulse for rhythmic movement

Swing Era

• Artists/pioneers

  • Duke Ellington – Led one of the most innovative big bands, incorporating rich harmonies and extended compositions​.

  • Count Basie – Master of swing rhythm, known for his Kansas City-style riff-based band​.

  • Benny Goodman – “King of Swing,” one of the first bandleaders to integrate Black and white musicians​.

  • Fletcher Henderson – Developed early big band arrangements that became the blueprint for swing​.

  • Chick Webb – Led the Savoy Ballroom house band, featuring a young Ella Fitzgerald​

• Characteristics

  • Standardized big band instrumentation – Sections of trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and rhythm section​.

  • Swing rhythm – Uneven “swung” eighth notes that created a sense of momentum​.

  • Call-and-response – Horn sections interacted with each other, echoing jazz’s roots​.

  • Extended arrangements – More structured than early jazz, but still allowed room for solos​.

  • Danceable – The music was designed for ballrooms and social dancing​.

• Tunes

  • “Take the ‘A’ Train” – Duke Ellington​.

  • “Sing, Sing, Sing” – Benny Goodman​.

  • “One O’Clock Jump” – Count Basie​.

  • “In the Mood” – Glenn Miller​

• Mass frenzy for big bands supplying dance music, escape, entertainment

• Racial segregation persists, hampering opportunities for musicians of color

• Exceptional female vocalists confront compounded gender obstacles

• Why we use the end of WWII as a marker?

  • Economic Struggles – The war led to rationing, club closures, and high taxes on dance halls, making big bands too expensive to maintain​.

  • Musician’s Union Strike (1942-1944) – A recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians limited new swing recordings, pushing musicians toward smaller bebop combos​.

  • Changing Tastes – After WWII, audiences turned to bebop and rhythm & blues, marking a shift away from swing’s mass popularity​.

Proto-Bop

• Artists/pioneers

  • Charlie Parker – Saxophonist, a key innovator who experimented with complex harmonies and fast improvisation​.

  • Dizzy Gillespie – Trumpeter, known for his virtuosic playing and early development of bebop ideas​.

  • Thelonious Monk – Pianist, contributed unique, angular harmonies and rhythms​.

  • Kenny Clarke – Drummer who pioneered the ride cymbal-based timekeeping, freeing the bass drum for accents​.

  • Tadd Dameron – Pianist/composer, introduced more intricate harmonic structures​.

• Characteristics

  • Small group format – Moved away from big bands, focusing on quintets and sextets​.

  • Faster tempos & complex harmonies – Swing structure was expanded with extended chords and reharmonization​.

  • Greater emphasis on improvisation – Solos became longer and more expressive​.

  • More rhythmic freedom – Drummers like Kenny Clarke used syncopation and ride cymbals instead of the standard swing beat​.

• Tunes

  • “Salt Peanuts” – Dizzy Gillespie​.

  • “Shaw ‘Nuff” – Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie​.

  • “Epistrophy” – Thelonious Monk​.

• Swing bands start to shift direction

  • As the Swing Era declined, some musicians in big bands began exploring more harmonically and rhythmically complex music​.

  • Duke Ellington and Count Basie encouraged soloist-driven improvisation, paving the way for smaller bebop groups​.

  • Many musicians from swing bands formed smaller experimental groups after hours​.

• Younger generation eager for change

• Small group experiments at after-hours jam sessions

• Minton's Playhouse laboratory in Harlem

  • Harlem nightclub where musicians experimented with new ideas.

  • Hosted after-hours jam sessions with pioneers like Parker, Monk, Clarke, and Gillespie​.

  • Relaxed rules allowed musicians to develop and refine bebop’s complexity​.

• other bands that were an incubator/platform for ideas

  • Earl Hines Orchestra – Employed Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, fostering new improvisational ideas​.

  • Billy Eckstine’s Band – One of the first big bands to fully embrace bebop, featuring Parker, Gillespie, and other bebop pioneers​.

  • Jay McShann Orchestra – Early home for Charlie Parker, where he started developing his signature style​.

Bebop "Revolution"

• Artists/pioneers

  • Charlie Parker (saxophone) – Key figure in bebop’s development, revolutionized phrasing and harmonic ideas​.

  • Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) – Pioneered bebop’s fast tempos and complex chord substitutions​.

  • Thelonious Monk (piano) – Known for his unique harmonies and angular playing style​.

  • Max Roach (drums) – Helped establish bebop drumming, shifting rhythm emphasis to the ride cymbal​.

  • Bud Powell (piano) – Influential pianist who adapted bebop’s complexity to the keyboard​.

  • Clora Bryant (trumpet) – A rare female bebop musician who defied racial and gender barriers​.

• Characteristics

  • Fast tempos and complex harmonies – Music became less danceable and more focused on virtuosity​.

  • Small group format – Typically a quintet or sextet, shifting away from big bands​.

  • Daring harmonic surprises – Use of extended chords, rapid key changes, and reharmonization​.

  • Rhythmic inventiveness – Drummers used the ride cymbal for timekeeping, while the bass drum added unpredictable accents​.

  • Contrafacture – New bebop compositions were built on the chord progressions of older songs, creating fresh melodies over familiar harmonies​.

• Tunes

  • "Ko-Ko" – Charlie Parker (built on the chord changes of Cherokee)​.

  • "A Night in Tunisia" – Dizzy Gillespie (Afro-Cuban rhythmic influences)​.

  • "Ornithology" – Charlie Parker (contrafact of How High the Moon)​.

  • "Round Midnight" – Thelonious Monk (moody, harmonically rich ballad)​.

• Daring harmonic surprises and rhythmic inventiveness

• Clora Bryant defiantly transcends race and gender constraints

  • One of the few female bebop trumpeters, proving that women could thrive in bebop despite sexism​.

  • Faced racial barriers as a Black woman but still performed with jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie​.

• Contrafacture

  • Definition: Composing a new melody over an existing chord progression​.

  • Why? Avoided paying royalties for old melodies while keeping familiar harmonic structures​.

  • Examples:

    • "Ornithology" (based on How High the Moon)

    • "Donna Lee" (based on Back Home Again in Indiana)

Latin Jazz

• Artists/pioneers

  • Mario Bauzá – Cuban musician who helped introduce Afro-Cuban rhythms to jazz, worked with Chico O’Farrill​.

  • Dizzy Gillespie & Chano Pozo – Integrated Afro-Cuban percussion (congas) into bebop, creating the foundation for Latin jazz​.

  • Machito & His Afro-Cubans – Pioneers of big band Latin jazz, merging jazz harmony with Afro-Cuban rhythms​.

  • Tito Puente – "King of Mambo," a master of timbales and Cuban rhythms in jazz​.

  • Cal Tjader – A key figure in Latin jazz vibraphone, blending jazz with mambo and salsa​.

  • Antonio Carlos Jobim & João Gilberto – Brazilian musicians who helped develop bossa nova, blending samba with jazz​.

• Characteristics

  • Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with jazz harmony – Strong syncopation and polyrhythms alongside jazz improvisation​.

  • Clave pattern vs. swing rhythm – The 2-3 or 3-2 clave is central to Latin jazz and contrasts with swing’s triplet feel​.

  • Expanded percussion section – Includes congas, timbales, bongos, güiro, and maracas, adding distinct Latin rhythmic textures​.

  • Habanera/"Spanish Tinge" – A syncopated rhythm from Cuban music that early jazz incorporated (Jelly Roll Morton’s influence)​.

  • Danceable grooves – Mambo, cha-cha-cha, and samba rhythms provide infectious movement​.

• Tunes

  • "Manteca" – Dizzy Gillespie & Chano Pozo (first major Afro-Cuban jazz composition)​.

  • "Tanga" – Machito & His Afro-Cubans (credited as the first Latin jazz piece)​.

  • "Oye Como Va" – Tito Puente (later popularized by Santana)​.

  • "Desafinado" – Antonio Carlos Jobim (early bossa nova classic)​.

  • "Spain" – Chick Corea (a modern jazz-Latin fusion piece)​.

• Habanera, "Spanish Tinge“ or "Latin Tinge“

• Afro-Cuban rhythms merge with jazz harmony

• Congas, timbales, and other instruments join jazz instrumentation

• Clave pattern contrasts swing rhythm

World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, in 1884

• Clarinetists

• The Tio family, Clarinets

  • The Tio family (Lorenzo, Lorenzo Jr., and Louis Tio) were influential Creole clarinetists in early jazz.

  • They blended European classical training with Caribbean and Latin phrasing, shaping the New Orleans jazz clarinet sound​.

  • Their techniques influenced jazz clarinetists like Sidney Bechet and Johnny Dodds​

• "Mexican band"

  • Brought musicians from around the world, exposing local artists to new sounds​.

  • "Mexican Band" – A military-style band from Mexico, introduced syncopated rhythms and clarinet techniques that influenced early jazz​.

  • The event helped cross-pollinate Caribbean, Latin, and European musical styles, enriching New Orleans' musical landscape​.

Cool Jazz

• Artists/pioneers

  • Miles Davis – Birth of the Cool (1949) defined the genre, emphasizing relaxed phrasing and softer dynamics​.

  • Lester Young – His smooth, lyrical saxophone style influenced cool jazz aesthetics​.

  • Gerry Mulligan – Baritone saxophonist, known for his piano-less quartets and light, melodic playing​.

  • Dave Brubeck – Experimented with odd time signatures (Take Five) and classical influences​.

  • Chet Baker – Trumpeter and vocalist, known for his soft, intimate tone​.

  • Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) – Blended jazz with chamber music, emphasizing refinement​.

• Characteristics

  • Relaxed, smooth phrasing – A contrast to the fast, intense energy of bebop​.

  • More structured arrangements – Often incorporated classical music influences​.

  • Subdued dynamics and soft timbres – Instruments played at lower volumes with lighter articulation​.

  • Emphasis on melody and counterpoint – Less aggressive improvisation, more interplay between musicians​.

  • West Coast Jazz – A subgenre associated with California musicians like Mulligan and Brubeck​.

• Tunes

  • "Boplicity" – Miles Davis (Birth of the Cool)​.

  • "Take Five" – Dave Brubeck Quartet (Time Out, 1959)​.

  • "My Funny Valentine" – Chet Baker (signature ballad)​.

  • "Bernie’s Tune" – Gerry Mulligan Quartet​.

  • "Django" – Modern Jazz Quartet (chamber jazz influence)​.

Bossa Nova

• Artists/pioneers

  • Antônio Carlos Jobim – "Father of Bossa Nova," composer of classics like The Girl from Ipanema​.

  • João Gilberto – Developed soft, syncopated guitar rhythms and whispered vocal delivery​.

  • Astrud Gilberto – Popularized Bossa Nova internationally with her smooth, breathy singing​.

  • Vinícius de Moraes – Lyricist behind many of Jobim’s compositions, blending poetry with Brazilian rhythms​.

• Characteristics

  • Relaxed, syncopated rhythm – Derived from samba but with a softer, more intimate feel​.

  • Clave and bass vamp influence – Rooted in Afro-Brazilian rhythmic patterns​.

  • Melodic and harmonic sophistication – Uses jazz chords, extended harmonies, and subtle dynamics​.

  • Soft vocal delivery – A signature of João and Astrud Gilberto, contrasting with jazz's more forceful vocal style​.

• Tunes

  • "The Girl from Ipanema" – Jobim/Astrud Gilberto (most famous Bossa Nova song)​.

  • "Desafinado" – Jobim (blending dissonance with Brazilian groove)​.

  • "Corcovado" – Jobim (lyrical, romantic melody)​.

  • "Chega de Saudade" – João Gilberto (considered the first Bossa Nova recording)​.

• North American devotees

  • Stan Getz – Saxophonist who helped popularize Bossa Nova in the U.S. with Getz/Gilberto (1964)​.

  • Charlie Byrd – Guitarist who introduced Bossa Nova’s rhythmic and harmonic style to American jazz​.

  • Herbie Mann – Flutist who fused jazz and Bossa Nova, expanding its reach​.

  • Frank Sinatra – Recorded Bossa Nova albums with Jobim, bringing the genre into the mainstream​.

Modal Jazz

• Artists/pioneers

  • Miles Davis – Pioneered modal jazz with Kind of Blue (1959), emphasizing scales over chord changes​.

  • John Coltrane – Expanded modal jazz concepts in My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme​.

  • Bill Evans – Pianist who shaped modal harmonies with his introspective, impressionistic style​.

  • Gil Evans – Arranger and collaborator, contributed innovative harmonic textures​.

  • McCoy Tyner – Pianist in Coltrane’s quartet, used quartal harmony to reinforce modal exploration​.

  • George Russell – Developed The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, which influenced modal jazz​.

• Characteristics

  • Exploration of musical modes and scales – Improvisation based on modes (Dorian, Lydian) rather than rapid chord changes​.

  • Sparse chords – Harmonic simplicity allows for greater melodic and rhythmic freedom​.

  • Relaxed, open sound – Contrasts with bebop’s fast, complex chord progressions​.

  • Indian & Middle Eastern influences – Emphasis on drone-like harmonies, sustained notes, and spiritual themes​.

• Tunes

  • "So What" – Miles Davis (Kind of Blue), based on Dorian mode​.

  • "Impressions" – John Coltrane, built on the same structure as So What​.

  • "My Favorite Things" – Coltrane’s modal rework of the Broadway tune​.

  • "Flamenco Sketches" – Miles Davis, improvisation over a sequence of modal scales​.

• Exploration of musical modes and scales

• Sparse chords

• Davis pioneers with "Kind of Blue" (1959)

• Gil Evans contributes innovative piano style

• Indian/Middle Eastern musical/spiritual influences

• The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization

  • Developed by George Russell in 1953, this theory shifted jazz focus from chord-based progressions to scale-based improvisation​.

  • The Lydian scale (major scale with a raised 4th) became a central tool in modal jazz​.

  • Miles Davis and John Coltrane applied these ideas, influencing jazz’s harmonic and improvisational direction​.

Jazz Diplomacy

• What is it?

  • A U.S. government initiative that sent jazz musicians abroad during the Cold War to promote American culture, democracy, and racial harmony​.

  • Used jazz as a “secret sonic weapon” to counter anti-American propaganda and showcase artistic freedom​.

  • Ironically, while jazz symbolized freedom abroad, many of these musicians faced racial discrimination at home​.

• Artists

  • Duke Ellington – Toured internationally as a cultural ambassador, balancing patriotism with critiques of racism​.

  • Louis Armstrong – Sent to Africa and Asia but criticized racial injustice in the U.S., famously delaying a planned tour over the Little Rock Nine crisis​.

  • Dizzy Gillespie – Participated in early State Department tours, emphasizing jazz’s multicultural roots​.

  • Dave Brubeck – His 1958 tour behind the Iron Curtain demonstrated jazz’s power against Soviet propaganda​.

  • Benny Goodman – One of the first jazz musicians sent to the Soviet Union to soften Cold War tensions​.

Hard Bop Resurgence

• Artists/pioneers

  • Art Blakey – Drummer and leader of The Jazz Messengers, a key mentor for young hard bop musicians​.

  • Horace Silver – Pianist known for his bluesy, gospel-infused compositions​.

  • Lee Morgan – Trumpeter whose work reflected soulful, blues-based hard bop​.

  • Sonny Rollins – Tenor saxophonist with a powerful, rhythmically inventive style​.

  • Cannonball Adderley – Saxophonist blending hard bop with soul jazz, known for an expressive, blues-driven sound​.

• Characteristics

  • Blues and gospel influences – Stronger connection to Black musical traditions than bebop​.

  • Direct emotionalism – A response to racial and social struggles, expressing raw intensity​.

  • Soul jazz elements – A reaction to the turbulent civil rights era, incorporating groove-heavy, accessible melodies​.

  • Driving rhythms and energy – More forceful drumming and aggressive improvisation than cool jazz​.

• Tunes

  • "Moanin’" – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (hard bop anthem)​.

  • "Doodlin’" – Horace Silver (gospel-influenced piano groove)​.

  • "The Sidewinder" – Lee Morgan (soul jazz classic, funky and bluesy)​.

  • "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" – Cannonball Adderley (soul jazz hit with church-like call-and-response)​.

• Soul jazz reaction to turbulent era

• Art Blakey, mentors younger players

• Direct emotionalism channels frustrations

Local/SoCal Scenes

• The Lighthouse

  • A key venue for West Coast jazz, hosting Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, and Art Pepper​.

  • Known for Lighthouse All-Stars, featuring musicians like Howard Rumsey​.

  • Played a major role in the cool jazz movement, emphasizing a more relaxed, melodic approach​.

• Central Avenue, L.A.'s 'Little Harlem'

  • The heart of L.A.’s Black jazz scene from the 1920s-1950s, paralleling Harlem​.

  • Hosted legendary clubs like Club Alabam and the Dunbar Hotel, featuring Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, and Eric Dolphy​.

  • Central to the bebop and hard bop evolution on the West Coast​.

• Shelly’s Manne-hole

  • Owned by drummer Shelly Manne, it became a major spot for modern jazz in the 1950s-60s​.

  • Hosted top artists like Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and John Coltrane​.

  • Helped bridge East Coast and West Coast jazz styles​.

Contextual Factors/"Big Ideas"

• The Harlem Renaissance

  • A cultural explosion of Black art, music, and literature (1920s-30s) centered in Harlem, NYC​.

  • Jazz flourished as a symbol of racial pride and artistic innovation, with Duke Ellington and Fletcher Hendersonleading major bands​.

• V-DISCS

  • “Victory Discs” were recordings distributed to U.S. troops during WWII, keeping jazz and big band music alive despite industry disruptions​.

  • Featured major jazz artists like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie​.

• Great Migration

  • Millions of African Americans moved from the South to Northern and Western cities (1910s-1970s)​.

  • Helped spread blues and jazz to cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, shaping urban jazz scenes​.

• World Wars disrupt music industry dynamics

  • WWI & WWII caused musician shortages, venue closures, and rationing of materials like shellac for records​.

  • Big bands declined post-WWII as wartime economics made large ensembles financially unsustainable​.

• Segregation & racism hinder diversity and opportunity

  • ​​Black musicians faced racial barriers in clubs, recording contracts, and mainstream recognition​.

  • Benny Goodman helped break color barriers by hiring Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton in the 1930s​.

  • Women in jazz, like Clora Bryant and Mary Lou Williams, struggled against both racial and gender bias​.

• Cold War spreads US culture and ideology abroad

• Anti-nostalgia influences new innovations

Women in Jazz

• Reasons for the lack of women in jazz historiography

Musicians

• Ada Leonard: Bandleader of an all-female swing band during WWII, breaking gender barriers​

• Adelaide Hall: Influential jazz and swing vocalist, worked with Duke Ellington and helped shape early scat singing​

• Art Blakey: Drummer and leader of The Jazz Messengers, a key mentor in hard bop​.

• Astrud Gilberto: Brazilian singer who popularized bossa nova with The Girl from Ipanema​.

• Gil Evans: Pianist/arranger, key collaborator with Miles Davis (Birth of the Cool)​

• Billie Holiday: Iconic jazz singer known for her emotive phrasing and political songs like Strange Fruit​.

• Charlie Parker: Bebop pioneer, transformed jazz with fast tempos, complex harmonies, and virtuosic saxophone playing (Ko-Ko, Ornithology)

• Clora Bryant: Trumpeter who defied gender and racial barriers, played bebop with top musicians​.

• Coleman Hawkins: The first major tenor saxophonist, introduced complex harmonies to jazz soloing​.

• Dave Brubeck: Pianist, famous for odd time signatures, led Take Five (1959)​.

• Dizzy Gillespie: Bebop and Latin jazz pioneer, co-created Afro-Cuban jazz with Chano Pozo​.

• Duke Ellington: Led one of jazz’s most innovative big bands, blending swing, composition, and improvisation​.

• Ella Fitzgerald: “First Lady of Song”, famous for scat singing and swing vocals​.

• Gerry Mulligan: West Coast jazz baritone saxophonist, led a piano-less quartet​.

• Horace Silver: Pianist and composer, fused gospel and blues into hard bop​.

• Jelly Roll Morton: Early jazz pianist and composer, credited with New Orleans jazz innovations​.

• João Gilberto: Brazilian guitarist/singer, developed bossa nova's whispery vocal style​.

• Lester Young: Cool jazz pioneer, famous for smooth, lyrical tenor sax phrasing​.

• Miles Davis: Revolutionized jazz multiple times (Cool jazz, Modal jazz, Fusion)​.

• Milt Jackson: Vibraphonist, key member of Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ)​.

• Stan Getz: Saxophonist who helped popularize bossa nova in the U.S. (Getz/Gilberto)​.

• Thelonious Monk: Bebop pianist, known for angular harmonies and unique improvisation​

• Tito Puente: “King of Mambo”, integrated Latin percussion into jazz​.

• Vic Couslen: Early bebop musician, contributed to the development of bebop trumpet techniques​.