Periods of Jazz History

Periods of Jazz History

1. Early Jazz/New Orleans & Chicago style Dixieland (1920-1930)

   • Characteristics
     • Use of collective improvisation (polyphony)
     • Frontline of Trumpet/Cornet, Clarinet, Trombone
       • Chicago Style also typically adds saxophone to the front line.
     • New Orleans style typically included banjo and tuba, later replaced by guitar and string bass in Chicago Style.
     • Use of flat four in New Orleans Style, later replaced by lighter two beat feel in Chicago Style.
     • Modern drum set emerges when New Orleans musicians begin to consolidate the drum section (bass, snare, cymbals) commonly found in early New Orleans brass bands.
   • Important Musicians
     • Louis Armstrong (cornet,trumpet)
     • Jelly Roll Morton (piano/composer)
     • Sidney Bechet (soprano sax, clarinet)

2. Swing/Big Band Era (1930-1945)

   • Characteristics
     • Most popular period in jazz history. Large ensembles, less improvisation, more emphasis on written arrangements.
     • Emphasis on showmanship (band uniforms, theme songs, logos on stands, choreography, singers).
     • Development of sections (saxes, trumpets, trombones, rhythm) based on the early model of the front line in New Orleans/Chicago Style Dixieland.
     • Smoother swing feel (steady 4/4 time with emphasis on 2 & 4, walking bass, ride cymbal.
   • Important Musicians
     • Duke Ellington (piano/composer)
     • Count Basie (piano/bandleader)
     • Lester Young (tenor sax)

3. Bebop (1940-1955)

   • Characteristics
     • Bebop was primarily played by small groups (combos)
     • Focus on improvisation rather than on complex arrangements. Rarely written down.
     • Bebop, developed through jam sessions - informal, non-rehearsed gatherings of musicians where they play together, challenge each other (who can “outplay” whom), and learn from each other.
       • Bebop was and still is the music most played at jazz jam sessions because all the musicians need to know are the head and chord progression
     • More musically complex than swing, faster tempos, extended chords. Bebop requires musical virtuosity and artistry to play it
   • Important Musicians
     • Charlie Parker (alto sax)
     • Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet)
     • Thelonious Monk (piano/composer)

4. Cool Jazz (1949-1955)

   • Characteristics
     • Thinner textures, softer dynamics, smoother melodic phrasing.
     • Use of Classical” instruments such as flute, French horn, tuba, and vibraphone (vibes)
     • Wider variety of size and instrumentation
     • often included counterpoint - two or more melodic lines occurring at the same time
     • Whereas bebop was “hot,” i.e., loud, exciting, and loose, cool jazz was “cool,” i.e., soft, more reserved, and controlled
     • Usually arranged (written) ahead of time; unlike Bebop, both the arrangement and the improvised solos were important.
   • Important Musicians
     • Miles Davis (trumpet)
     • Dave Brubeck (piano/composer)
     • Stan Getz (tenor sax)

5. Hard Bop (1951-1960)

   • Characteristics
     • A reaction to cool jazz, musicians thought the music had become too classical, too European. Hard bop was a return to music that was more Afro-centric, more blues based
     • Primarily black musicians from New York City, Detroit and Philadelphia
     • The most important hard bop group was the Miles Davis Quintet of the mid 1950s.
     • The size and instrumentation of hard bop combos was similar to that of its bebop forbearer: usually two or three horns plus rhythm section
     • Raw, hard driving style with an emotional emphasis
   • Important Musicians
     • Art Blakey (drums) & The Jazz Messengers
     • Cannonball Adderley (alto sax)
     • Charles Mingus (bass/composer)

6. Free Jazz/Avant Garde (1960s)

   • Characteristics
     • Open or free forms; tunes often complete improvisations. Collective improvisation of a more dissonant, atonal nature.
     • Experimental instruments & instrumentations. Ensembles omit use of a piano or chord instrument.
     • Use of unorthodox sounds (squeaks, screams, noise, etc.) and extended techniques (altissimo register, multiphonics, etc.)
     • Interest in non-western musical concepts (world music) and 20th century classical composers such as Cage and Stockhausen.
   • Important Musicians
     • Ornette Coleman (alto sax/composer)
     • Cecil Taylor (piano/composer)
     • Anthony Braxton (saxophones/composer)

7. Fusion/Jazz Rock (1970s)

   • Charcteristics
     • Extensive use of electronic instruments e.g. Fender Rhodes
     • Focus of attention on the rhythm section, studio recording technology and the process of recording
     • More emphasis on straight eight note feel (rock) than swing.
     • Pieces range from simple melodies with vamps and open forms to complex through-composed, sectionalized compositions.
   • Important Musicians
     • Miles Davis (trumpet/bandleader: In A Silent Way)
     • Chick Corea (keyboards/leader)
     • Weather Report (group)

8. Eclecticism (1980s & 1990s)

   • Characteristics
     • No single dominant stylistic trend has emerged in the 1980s or 1990s. Instead, a continuation of previous styles, crossovers, and new styles derived from various sources are common.
     • Some notable trends within this eclecticism seem to be:
       • 1) a further sophistication of electronic jazz through the use of computers
       • 2) a resurgent neo-bop and neo-traditionalist movement (Neo-Classicism)
       • 3) expanded instrumental & vocal techniques
       • 4) a greater involvement of women
       • 5) the growth of European and "world music" jazz styles.
   • Important Musicians
     • Pat Metheny Group (fusion band)
     • Wynton Marsalis (trumpet/composer: associated with Neo-Classic movement)
     • Michael Brecker (tenor sax: also founding member of fusion group Steps Ahead)