Popular music history test 2

JAZZ DAY 1

Louis Armstrong → The first major jazz soloist; shifted jazz from collective improvisation to solo-focused jazz; known for scat singing and emotional delivery.
Scat Singing → Vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables, popularized by Louis Armstrong.
Collective Improvisation → Early jazz style where multiple instruments improvise at once, creating a polyphonic texture.
Big Band → Large jazz ensemble (15–18 players) requiring written arrangements; divided into brass, reeds, and rhythm sections.
Walking Bass → Bass technique playing one note per beat, creating a steady swing pulse.
Call and Response → Alternating musical phrases between instrument sections in big band arrangements.
Duke Ellington → Composer/bandleader known for sophisticated arrangements and writing music tailored to his musicians.
Ellington Effect → Writing specifically for the unique tone colors of individual band members.
AABA Form → Standard 32-bar Tin Pan Alley song structure: A–A–B–A.
“Take the A Train” → Ellington song in AABA form featuring clear call-and-response and big band orchestration.

JAZZ DAY 2 — BEBOP

Bebop → Fast, complex, non-danceable jazz style developed in 1940s as a reaction against commercial Swing.
Swing vs Bebop → Swing is danceable and simple; bebop is fast, irregular, and meant for concentrated listening.
Artistic Exclusivity → Bebop musicians intentionally made music difficult for mainstream audiences to access.
World War II Impact → Drafts + touring costs shrank big bands; encouraged small combos where bebop grew.
AFM Recording Ban → 1942–44 ban on instrumental recording; allowed bebop to develop privately off the commercial radar.
Civil Rights Link → Bebop asserted Black artistic identity and intellectualism during the 1940s.
Charlie Parker → Saxophonist who revolutionized jazz harmony using upper chord tones (9th, 11th, 13th).
Parker’s Innovations → Fast melodic lines, irregular phrasing, advanced harmonic extensions.
Jo Jones Cymbal Incident → Public humiliation that motivated Parker to intensively practice and develop bebop style.
Dizzy Gillespie → Trumpeter who codified bebop theory; known for complex solos and Afro-Cuban fusion.
Afro-Cuban Jazz → Fusion of bebop with Latin rhythms pioneered by Gillespie.
Contrafact → New melody written over existing chord changes (ex: “Anthropology”).
Ride Cymbal Timekeeping → Bebop drummers keep time on ride cymbal while dropping “bombs” on bass drum.
Comping → Sparse, rhythmic piano accompaniment typical in bebop.
“Koko” → Parker tune displaying extreme speed, irregular phrasing, and complex harmony using “Cherokee” chords.

EARLY COUNTRY MUSIC

Hillbilly Music → Early commercial label for rural Southern music; derogatory term later replaced by “country.”
1927 Bristol Sessions → Recording event that launched commercial country; included the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
Ralph Peer → Producer who recorded local Appalachian musicians during the Bristol Sessions.
Carter Family → Traditional country group known for harmonies, folk songs, and Maybelle’s Carter Scratch.
Carter Scratch → Guitar technique combining melody on low strings with rhythm on high strings.
Jimmie Rodgers → “Father of Country Music,” blended Appalachian folk with Blues; known for Blue Yodels.
Blue Yodel → Rodgers’ fusion of folk and Blues with yodel breaks.
Strophic Form → Repeating-verse form used in songs like “Wildwood Flower.”
12-Bar Blues → Blues structure used by Jimmie Rodgers in “Blue Yodel No. 1.”
Travel/Train Themes → Common in Rodgers’ songs due to his railroad background.

TIN PAN ALLEY — FIRST AMERICAN MUSIC CRAZE

Ragtime → Early syncopated piano style with steady left-hand beat and “ragged” right-hand melody.
Syncopation → Emphasis on off-beats; major feature of Ragtime.
Scott Joplin → “King of Ragtime,” insisted his works be treated as classical compositions.
Ragtime Form (AABBACCDD) → Sectional form with repeated parts and a contrasting Trio section.
AABA Form → Standardized 32-bar pop structure used in Tin Pan Alley songs.
“I Got Rhythm” → AABA-based hit whose chords later became the basis for countless jazz standards.
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” → AABA Tin Pan Alley song showing emotional contrast between A and B sections.

TIN PAN ALLEY — MUSIC BUSINESS

Tin Pan Alley → NYC music publishing district that industrialized American popular music.
Song Pluggers → Salesmen who performed songs in stores and theaters to boost sheet music sales.
Commercial Formula → Simple, catchy songs about common themes intended for mass sales.
Sheet Music Industry → Primary way Americans consumed music before radio and records.
Appropriation Issue → Tin Pan Alley often sanitized Black musical styles for white audiences.
Professionalization → Allowed songwriters to earn steady income by writing full-time.
“Hello! Ma Baby” → Early hit blending Ragtime with novelty themes about telephone technology.

COOL JAZZ

Cool Jazz → Relaxed, lyrical jazz style emphasizing soft dynamics and controlled tone; reaction to bebop.
Mood Difference (Bebop vs Cool) → Cool Jazz uses soft tone, slower tempos, and gentle dynamics to create calm mood.
Post-War Conformity → Cold War culture favored restraint; Cool Jazz matched this emotion-controlled environment.
West Coast Jazz → Relaxed California-centered branch of Cool Jazz associated with studio musicians.
Academic Acceptance → Jazz became part of college culture thanks to musicians like Dave Brubeck.
Controlled Dynamics → Key Cool Jazz trait: playing softly (often pianissimo) with precision.
Group Arrangement → Focus on written arrangements and ensemble sound rather than intense soloing.
Timbre in Cool Jazz → Use of mutes, French horn, and tuba to create warm, blended textures.

Bebop vs Cool (Tempo) → Bebop is extremely fast; Cool Jazz is relaxed or moderate.
Bebop vs Cool (Tone) → Bebop is sharp and aggressive; Cool Jazz is mellow and light.
Bebop vs Cool (Soloing) → Bebop solos are fast and complex; Cool Jazz solos are lyrical and restrained.
Bebop vs Cool (Rhythm) → Bebop uses tense 4/4; Cool Jazz often uses unusual meters like 5/4 or 9/8.

Miles Davis → Led the Birth of the Cool; major architect of Cool and Modal Jazz.
Gerry Mulligan → Baritone saxophonist known for airy, piano-less quartet sound.
Dave Brubeck → Pianist famous for accessible complex rhythms like 5/4 (“Take Five”).
Paul Desmond → Alto saxophonist with light “dry martini” tone; key melodic Cool Jazz voice.

“Boplicity” → Cool Jazz piece from Birth of the Cool; arranged by Gil Evans using orchestral textures.
Birth of the Cool (Nonet) → Nine-piece band blending jazz and classical instruments.
Gil Evans → Arranger for Birth of the Cool; central to Cool Jazz orchestration.

“Take Five” → Dave Brubeck Quartet hit in 5/4 meter featuring Paul Desmond’s smooth alto solo.
5/4 Time Signature → Unusual meter counted “1-2-3-4-5.”
Cool Jazz Drumming → Light textures and steady patterns to support complex meters.

“Blue in Green” → Modal/Cool Jazz ballad from Kind of Blue emphasizing space and minimalism.
Modal Jazz → Style based on scales rather than fast chord changes; focuses on mood and openness.
Brush Drumming → Soft drumming technique using brushes for a gentle, textured sound.