The Jazz

It is a type of music difficult to define, since in most cases its theoretical study has been approached from the principles of classical music by musicologists and the European jazz resists being addressed from outside its own universe. Jazz, like many other arts explains itself, and only the experience of your hearing allows you understand it.

Geographically, the jazz arises in the state of Louisiana, specifically in the area of influence of new Orleans, where large numbers of immigrants were arriving ramesas of black slaves, mainly from the western region of Africa.

Origin

Jazz is the fruit of the encounter of the musical tradition African and European, in a scenario must be, the United States, as a result of the arrival of the black slaves since the early seventeenth century. Both Europeans and Africans travelled to America with its musical traditions.

ü  Both Europeans and Africans travelled to America with its musical traditions.

ü  Traveled from Africa tribal dances and songs.

During the following four centuries, musical traditions evolve European and African in the hands of the african-american slaves to create in the nineteenth century two types of music American gennuinamente ragtime and the Blues.

Ø  The ragtine: is the evolution of the European Music where African Americans by imitating the piano and band marches adapted to the syncopated rhythms was created by African ragtime

Ø  The blues: is the evolution of African music in where their musical traditions subjected to the dominant European culture gave rise to the first 3 songs that are the spiritual religious chants the second the worksong that are songs of work and finally the blues which are songs of lamentation accompanied by instruments that expressed their problems.

The jazz was destined to be born in New Orleans since it was a city in which in the nineteenth century lived more cultures; this thanks in large part by owning the port more importable north America. It was in the suburdios of this city , where to IDRL) of the twentieth century jazz was born to mezcalrce the syncopated rhythms of ragtime and the notes, the structure and the feeling of the blues.

Period

Ø  The jazz in 1910

New Orleans was one of the most cosmopolitan cities and music of the country, an important sea port, received an influx of bourgeois and aristocratic old continent by creating a city with a great cultural level of the mixture of the black music tradition and the white European jazz was born. In addition to the ragtime in this decade were the important jazz bands that paraded or tacabanluicre air. Later they started playing in closed premises; one of the usual instruments in these bands was the clarinet.

Ø   The jazz in 1920 “Chicago”

The closure in 1917 of the Storyville district caused the exodus of many musicians in search of opportunities to other cities such as Chicago, kansascity, New York. Chicago , an important center of old recording, will become the new Mecca of jazz. During the years 20, development is the tendency to form jazz bands ever more numerous, they needed a higher level of organization. The soloists and their improvisations take importance and the saxophone is the outstanding tool.

 Ø  The jazz in 1930 “New York”

In 1930 there was a great depression on the population, but the music of the jazz was resistant, were formed the big band swing calls which attracted a large crowd of people. New york happened because Chicago musical center in those times was a city that had become dangerous because of the "dry law”.

Ø   The jazz in 1940

At the end of the 30 's, began in some major cities the closure of halls and clubs, in 1941 the law was promulgated in Jackson that forced blacks to leave the streets before eleven o'clock in the night; from this act , There is a movement of criticism on the part of the black musicians that it considered an important moment of the big orchestras such as the liquidation of jazz, since whites had abused the jazz music business by creating a stereotypical, And why they felt that it was time to create something new that revitalizes the jazz: the lamb-bop.

Ø  The jazz in 1950  “thecool jazz”

Arises in opposition to the be bop, as many musicians fled from the explosiveness of bop giving rise to a type of jazz with a slower pace and unrushed looking sounds more more security and stability in the music. The starting point was a series of singles on capitol records in 1949 and 1950 for a time led by trumpeter miles Davis. the cool jazz later was identified strongly with the essence of the jazz on the west coast, but also had a special resonance in Europe.

Ø   The jazz in 1960 “free jazz”

The early years of the decade 1960 are very similar to the 1950s, musically. But with an increase in the popularity of the Beatles and television becoming the main form of entertainment, the jazz clubs began to close, and left many musicians without work. Looking for the free jazz rhythmic, melodic and harmonic freedom. It has influences of contemporary music and is intended to surprise the listener.

 Ø  The jazz in 1970 “fusion”

The decade of the 70s most well recognized as the era of the merger, when many of the jazziest integrated aspects of the rock, R & B and pop music with its own music. Miles Davis established patterns of the fusion when grabbo" In a silent way" and "bitches brew" began to form groups which combined improvisation and musicality of jazz with the force and rhythms of the ROK.

Characteristics

ü  Personal sound: want to create a personal sound with a sense of rhythm and with its own style of execution. The musicians are using some rhythms that are characterized by the use of the constant syncopations.

ü  The pace: it is based on the overlap of regulars and irregular rhythms, using notes to against time.

ü  Notes: "blues" is to interpret a semitone more serious notes in the third, fifth and seventh in a diatonic scale.

ü  Instrumentation: is characterized by the peculiar form of interpreting in the instruments imitating the singing vocal, the revaluation of the wind instruments-metal, the incorporation of the saxophone and the use of mutes) and.

ü  Improvisation: is one of the essential elements of jazz. Is componeer the music at the same time that it interprets, but does not start from scratch, be improvised on melodies, harmonies and rhythms that are known in advance.

Principal Exponents

  George Lewis

 Was born in the French neighborhood new Orleans of Senegalese family. Lewis played clarinet professional in 1917, at the age of 17 years, working with buddy petit and Chris Kelly regularly, as well as the trombonist kid ory and other leaders. During the great depression he had to work as a longshoreman. Years later, it was rediscovered as a musician and has toured the world playing his clarinet. The jazz bands imitated by whites. Of the original dixieland jazz band is retained the first recording of jazz.

 Louis Armstrong

 (1901-1971) came to Chicago with 22 years of age he became the first great soloist of the jazz, and one of the most important innovators of the genre, their recordings between 1925-1928, will be converted to mythical within the history of jazz. It was the first musician who left the collective improvisation to place in a prominent place the figure as a soloist. His style of playing the trumpet influenced all the contemporary musicians.

 

 Miles Davis

Was one of the most influential musicians and innovators of the twentieth century Trumpeter, composer and band leader. He played in some of the important and early recordings of be bop and made the first of cool. Was partially responsible for the evolution of jazz modaal and the jazz-fusion emerged from the work you did with other musicians in the last 60 and 70 first that the career is characterized by the constant evolution and the search for new paths. The sound of his trumpet is absolutely typical.

John Coltrane

Was one of those few men, in art or in other things, that are capable of making revolution. With his saxophone became one of the most important creators of the entire history of jazz. Coltrane, had begun to play saxophone while still a teenager and in 1943, his family moved to Philadelphia where he won a scholarship to study music.

Chick Corea

Is a very peculiar style, rhythmic at the same time melodic. Its interpretation is filled with a colored lyricism with a predominance of agreements and a great use of chromatic and diminished. It is a great improviser. Interpreted essentially items on its composition and you don't like redo what has already been done before

Jazz Styles

ü  Ragtime: even if it is not really jazz, as it has no improvisations or approach to the blues influenced all the first styles of jazz that arose later.

ü  Swing: when the jazz folk tales was made in the 20s and the demand for dance band grew it was necessary that these assemblages were passed to the staff.

ü  Bebop: the difference between the swing and bebop is that in the latter the soloists used chords, rather than the melody, to make their improvisations, often discarding the melody after the first chorus.

ü  Free jazz: it is a totally radical style. The music is no longer a free form continues, but the musicians enjoy complete freedom in his solos to create any sound that they deem appropriate.

ü  Fusion: is a term used in such a manner in the past 25 years that almost has no meaning. Originally it was a mixture of the improvisations of jazz rhythms with the power of rock.

The Jazz Today

ü  Groupings and interpreters

*The bearded woman, the big band of here. Duo Olivera-Luquez.

ü  Interpreters

*B B King. Tete Montoliu. Chick Corea. Bobby Mcferrin. Louis Armstrong.

ü  Festival

*Vitoria Jazz festival, Festival of Jazz of real City.

*Festival of jazz of Montreux, Festival de jazz of Park City.

Instruments

It is essentially divided into two classes: those who set the pace (rhythmic) and those that play the melody (MELODY).

Rhythmic

ü  Battery.

ü  Piano.

ü  Doublebass.

Melody

ü  Piano.

ü  Trumpet.

ü  Saxophone.

ü   Banjo. 

Main Jazz Bands

In the instrumental jazz groupings are very varied, can go from a solo instrument to large bands of up to 50 musicians.

The most common are:

ü  TRIO: Usually two rhythm instruments (drum and bass) and melodic one, which is usually the piano or the guitar.

ü  QUARTET: Grouping is perhaps the most characteristic, consists in adding to the previous one wind instrument, trumpet or saxophone.

ü  BIG BANG: The most common have a rhythm section (piano, bass, drums and guitar) and another wind of wind (saxophones, trumpets and trombones).

Socio-Political  Background

ü  When he was born the bebop was the voice of black America. Black Americans demanded free and jazz expressed much better than words. Charlie "Bird" Parker played Now's the Time insisting that the time had come for social change. Charles Mingus composed Fable of Faubus (1959) in response to the racism of governor of Arkansas, OrvalFaubus. John Coltrane recorded Alabama after four black girls dieing to explode a bomb in a church in Birmingham, When Martin Luther King began his campaign in favor of civil rights, the entire community of jazz, black and white, the unfailing support.

ü  The white elite us it didn´t take long to realize that jazz would endanger his hegemony and the jazz and the USA were opposing ideologies. Whiletraditionally the distinctive character of this country is usually presented as a celebration of civil liberty, the jazz in the late fifties brought to light the profound flaws of the American dream. Not only exposed the fundamental injustice within the capitalist system, but I also appreciate the beauty above the money, which was contrary to the American way of thinking.

ü  For the bourgeois white, jazz was a problem that needed solving. Had that crush their political and philosophical message. The best way to defeat a rival resentful is integrating it into the system, and the jazz became the "Voice of America", black Americans became ordinary citizens and the jazz ceased to be subversive.

IMPACT

Jazz music has been given the opportunity and the motivation to many women to go beyond the traditional role assigned to each gender by the society. Jazz was a driving force for Women s Liberation Movement in the United States.

Likewise, the jazz also helped to get jobs for women within the music industry, especially as singers. Prior to 1920, virtually all popular music was interpreted exclusively by male musicians.

Throughout the twentieth century, jazz has proved to be a universal language heard in all the continents, being influenced and influencing at the same time other types of music, to become cultural element of miscegenation universal and open to everyone, without distinction of race, religion or nationality.

Jazz instruments

Video

Louis Armstrong " Whe The Saints Go Marching"

Chick Corea "Got a Match"