Old School Jazz Music

A blog dedicated to Old School Jazz Music. Featuring artist interviews, concert reviews, and opinions on the state of the music industry.

The Birth of Jazz

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It emerged in the form of popular music in the early 20th century, with roots in Blues and Ragtime. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation.

The New Orleans Sound

In 1891, an African American band led by Fate Marable brought jazz to the Queen City of the Mississippi, New Orleans. TheQ city’s culture, a unique blend of French, Spanish, African, and American influences, was already rich with music. Louis Armstrong, one of the most famous and influential jazz musicians of all time, was born there in 1901.

By the early 1920s, the New Orleans sound had spread up the Mississippi River to Chicago and beyond. In Chicago, jazz took on a new energy and excitement. Young musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver “duked it out” on their trumpets to see who could play better. These “battles” inspired other greats such as Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman.

The Spread of Jazz

In the early years of the 20th century, jazz began to spread from its New Orleans birthplace. Jazz music rapidly increased in popularity, and by the 1920s, it was heard in every major US city. The first jazz recordings were made in 1917, and by the end of the 1920s, jazz was becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

While early jazz was largely a collective improvisation style, developed by bands playing together, by the 1920s, composers began to write pieces specifically for jazz ensembles. These pieces incorporated elements of blues and Ragtime music, but they were distinctively different from anything that had been heard before. The 1930s saw the rise of big band swing music, led by artists such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. This type of jazz was characterized by large ensembles playing arrangements of popular standards and show tunes.

During the 1940s, jazz began to evolve away from its swing roots towards a more complex style known as bebop. Bebop was developed by a small group of young musicians in New York City who were influenced by both African-American blues and European classical music. Bebop focused on improvisation and individual expression, rather than on the collective sound of the big band. This new style quickly spread across the US and Europe,and became hugely popular with both musicians and audiences.

In the 1950s and 1960s, jazz underwent another evolution, towards a style known as modal jazz. Modal jazz was based on ancient scales called modes, which were popular in European classical music. This type of jazz often features long improvised passages based on a few simple chords. artists such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane helped to develop this style of music.

Jazz has evolved significantly since its early beginnings in New Orleans over a century ago. Today, there are many different types and styles of jazz being played all over the world

The Big Bands

Big band jazz is a style of jazz music that is closely associated with the Swing Era. The Swing Era was a time in American history when big bands were very popular. Big bands typically had between 10 and 25 members and they played a variety of instruments, including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and drums.

The Swing Era

The Swing Era was the period of time when big band swing music was at its most popular in America. The Swing Era started in the late 1930s and ended in the mid 1940s. Some of the most famous bandleaders and musicians of the Swing Era include Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Glenn Miller.

The Bebop Era

The Bebop Era was a time when jazz music moved away from the mainstream and became more experimental. Musicians began to push the boundaries of what was possible, innovating with new harmonic and rhythmic ideas. This period is often seen as the birth of “modern” jazz.

One of the most important innovations of the Bebop Era was the use of extended chord progressions. Instead of using just a few chords, musicians began using progressions that were much longer and more complex. This made for a richer sound and allowed for more personal expression.

Other important innovations included “dissonance” (playing notes that didn’t quite fit together), “polyrhythms” (playing two or more rhythms at the same time), and “improvisation” (making up melodies on the spot).

All of these ideas were first explored by a group of young musicians in the 1940s who came to be known as the “bebop pioneers.” These pioneers included such legendary figures as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell.

The bebop style quickly spread throughout the jazz world and had a profound impact on all subsequent styles of jazz. If you listen closely, you can still hear the influence of bebop in today’s modern jazz!

The Modern Era

It is widely believed that jazz music originated in the early 20th century in the United States, however, its roots can be traced back to West African music. Jazz was created by African American musicians who blended African and Western musical traditions. The first jazz recordings were made in 1917 and the first jazz band to gain popularity was the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

The Avant-Garde

The Avant-Garde was a period of jazz music marked by experimentation and innovation. This period saw the development of new styles of jazz, such as free jazz and jazz-fusion. Musicians during this time were pushed to experiment with new sounds and ideas, often breaking away from the traditional conventions of jazz. This period was also marked by political and social upheaval, which often found its way into jazz music. The Avant-Garde was a time of great creativity in jazz, and many of the innovations made during this period are still being felt today.

The Free Jazz Movement

In the 1950s, a new form of jazz began to emerge, led by musicians such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Sonny Rollins. This new form of jazz, known as free jazz, was characterized by its freedom from the restrictive harmonies and overruling melodies of traditional jazz. Instead, free jazz musicians sought to create an improvisational sound that was based on the collective energy of the band.

While traditional jazz purists initially scoffed at this new form of music, free jazz quickly gained a following among young musicians who were looking for a more open and expressive form of expression. By the 1960s, free jazz had entered the mainstream, with artists such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis incorporating elements of the style into their own work.

Today, free jazz is still an active force in the world of jazz, with many young musicians drawn to its openness and creativity. While it may never achieve the popularity of its more traditional cousin, free jazz continues to dazzle and surprise listeners with its spontaneity and energy.

The Legacy of Jazz

Jazz music has been around for over a hundred years and it still has a large following today. Jazz was started by African Americans in the early 1900s and it quickly spread to other parts of the world. Jazz has had a huge influence on other genres of music and it has also been a major source of inspiration for many artists.

Jazz Today

Jazz has been called the purest expression of American democracy; a music built on individual and cooperative effort, on creativity and communication, on its ability to turn tragedy into triumph.The need for self-expression that jazz fulfills has always been more important than the commercial success it has occasionally achieved. Music lovers often say that they appreciate jazz because it is “honest” and expressive. But what does that mean?

Jazz is a dialogue, not only between band members but also between the composer and the performers, and between the performers and the audience. It is an improvised conversation in which ideas are stated, elaborated on, agreed with, disputed, expanded upon,and brought to some sort of resolution. Like any good conversation, it is dynamic, flexible, portable (you can take it with you), entertaining, informative (you can learn from it),and potentially transformative.