JazzA true American Art Form

Beginnings

• Originated in the late 1800s & early 1900s

• Slaves from Africa began to play instruments and sing

• First form was called “Ragtime”

• African American musicians began to provide music for entertainment

Dixieland• Small bands formed from marching bands in the

south• Travelled throughout the south to play jazz music

in black communities• Used clarinet, trombone, trumpet, & string bass• Artists – Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Jelly

Roll Morton

Swing Music

• “Big Bands” became popular in the 1930s

• Broadcast live over radio• Became dance music• Expanded instrumentation• Artists – Benny Goodman,

Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie

Bebop• Named for the sound the

music made• Fast tempos – no longer

dance music• “Musicians’ Music”• 1940s-1950s• Used more dissonance• Artists – Dizzy Gillespie,

Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Bud Powell

Cool Jazz

• Early 1950s• Calm and smooth• Less dissonance &

slower tempos• Artists – Miles Davis,

Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Stan Getz

Modal Jazz

• Late 1950s• Music based on modes• Fewer chord changes• Artists – Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans

Free Jazz

• Early 1960s• Meter, beat, &

tonality begin to disappear

• Controversial at first• Artists – John

Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy

Post Bop

• 1960s – 1970s• Blended elements

of bebop, modal jazz, & free jazz

• Artists – Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Lee Morgan

Fusion• Late 1960s – early

1970s• Influenced by

“electric” music• Blend of rock & jazz• Often used complex

chords, beat, & melodies

• Artists – Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Weather Report