First of all, there are various differences between the styles of bebop, cool, hard bop, free jazz, and fusion. Bebop seems to be the most intricate with its erratic tempos, while cool is the most soothing and relaxing. On the other hand, hard bop is the most brassy and dynamic with its horns, trumpets, and rhythm section, while free jazz is the less restricted. Free jazz exhibits no boundaries, no form, and no newly established rules. Fusion is a combination between jazz and rock, in other words, fusion exhibits extreme electronic use, effects, and synthesizers, in addition to jazz elements.
Bebop transformed jazz from fashionable dance music to creative art music. In the early 1940s, bebop seemed to have emerged all of a sudden, but it had
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Boplicity contains hardly any blues influence or any dynamic contrasts. Unlike bebop, Boplicity is much more relaxed and comforting. The solos are significantly expressive and vivid. The tempos of a typical cool/west coast style are moderate with a sedative attitude. The horn section in Boplicity is nimble and soft, not like the brassiness of a hard bop recording. At :59, a contrast from delicate ensembles of the horn moves to a tone that is a bit more adequate from the saxophone; the baritone saxophone exhibits a poignant sound. The melody and arrangement of Boplicity is moderately intricate. The horn ensemble is rich and heavy in texture. Boplicity exhibits an improvised sound, although its significance is on the arrangements. At 1:36, Davis trumpet solos with clarity. The overall tone and melody of Boplicity is light and uplifting, not at all volatile and explosive. Boplicity is the most soothing of them …show more content…
Unlike the other styles, free jazz exhibits atonality, dissonance, collective improvisations like that of New Orleans jazz, and no form, in the case of blues abandonment. Free Jazz contains rich-texture, great energy, and untraditional playing. Two impressive free jazz recordings are "Civilization Day" recorded by the Ornette Coleman Quarter and "Hat and Beard" recorded by the Eric Dolphy Quintet. The recording, Civilization Day, is extremely energetic, amusing, and fast-paced. Coleman exhibits passion and enthusiasm in his playing of the alto saxophone. Nearly all the instruments utilized in Civilization Day plays in a hasty manner and not very swing-like. At :24, there is unaccompanied collective improvisation from the alto sax and trumpet, generating an expressive sound. The alto sax and trumpet seems to be communicating with each other in squall-like sound. More significantly, the alto sax and trumpet play in wail-like, unusual manner. At :27, Cherry plays his trumpet with expressiveness and eccentricity. The rhythm section sounds twinkling especially because of the constant crisp ride cymbals generated from the drums. The cymbals are persistent throughout producing an ostentatious-like sound. At 1:20, the drums halt playing for a moment, while the alto sax plays improvised solos with accompaniment from
Cool jazz and Bebop are two very different types of music, but they are under the same umbrella of jazz. Bebop was developed somewhere in the 1940s, and was characterized by very fast tempos, complex and very quick chord progressions, as well as heavy improvisation. Due to the high difficulty, bebop musicians tended to be virtuosic in their instrument. Cool jazz was also developed somewhere in the 1940s, but was applied the name “cool jazz” in the 1950s. This new style was an antithesis in a way to bebop, as it was characterized by slower, more “cool” tempos, smooth melodies that were not sporadic, and an overall sense of smooth motion and a feeling of flowing. While these two styles were developed around the same time period, they are both very different to each other in a lot of ways.
Jazz as a general genre reached its peak in the thirties. Jazz was incredibly popular with both the Black community, and the white community; however, Jazz reached the adolescents the most. Jazz music was associated with the African American culture during this time of increible racial tension, subsequently the ‘teens’ of this generation began to tune into this genre for its rebelistic qualities. Popular forms of jazz music often included, Dixieland/’hot’ jazz, classical jazz, and bebop. The defining artist of hot jazz was Louis Armstrong. This music was characterized by collective improvised solos, around melodic structure, that ideally built up to an emotional and "Hot" climax. The rhythm section, which typically consists of percussion, bass, banjo, or guitar helps to support this crescendo, many times in the style of a
Swing, the predecessor of bop, was big, sweet, and hot. The performers were big bands, fronted by a charismatic bandleader, yet the success of a piece depended mostly on the unity of the ensemble as a whole, rather than on the showcasing of prodigious individuals. The requisite instrument was the saxophone, which was often smooth and mellifluous. Songs were old favorites, or simple jazz standards, that had been arranged to suit a large ensemble. Swing bands played in large venues, such as ballrooms, and to large audiences, who seized the opportunity to not just tap their toes, but to "jump, jive, and wail." The swing era became the most popular form of jazz, as it catered to audiences as a form of social and interactive entertainment.
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
Miles Davis was a key player in the evolution of modern jazz. In the 1940’s he participated in the bebop craze, then initiated the cool jazz era in the 1950’s. Bebop involved a higher register and note fueled playing while Miles favored the middle register, with longer and less frequency of notes, and a
In summary, Dippermouth Blues by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band is a jazz piece presenting key features, such as harmonic progression, strophic form, syncopation, and emphasis on brass instruments and percussion, from all of jazz’s predecessors: blues, ragtime, and brass band
There was quite a difference between cool jazz and hard bop. Although sprouted from the bebop era and bebop music, the two shared more differences than similarities. First, cool jazz usually had a slower tempo while hard bop was more upbeat. Smooth jazz had a smoother feel to it while hard bop was rawer and more intense. This is probably due to the fact that cool jazz generally had a greater amount of structure than hard bop which had a greater amount of improvisation by musicians. Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan were some of the pioneers of cool jazz and recorded Davis’ “Birth of the Cool” with Capitol Records in Los Angeles. Clifford Brown was a key innovator of hard bop, along with Art Blakey. Both Brown and Blakey recorded on the East Coast
Bebop is a type of jazz originating in the 1940s and characterized by its complex harmony and rhythms. It is associated particularly with Charlie Parker, thelonious monk, and dizzy Gillespie. Bebop was an offspring of big band jazz.
Though Jazz has changed, the background behind it still inspires those today. Even though each artist has their particular style or expression, they all can agree that music is art. They can all agree that Music is emotions and feelings. Through the years, just as all things do, Jazz and Bebop have grown and flourished across America and the World. All in all Jazz for African Americans opened the doors in America, jazz alone opened doors and ears all across the Earth.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
Jazz and “boogie-woogie” of the Thirties moved popular music away from the light entertainment of the publishing houses toward a more exciting and dance oriented style that made the swing era a golden age. As the bigger bands died out and the star singers again grabbed the spot light the songwriters again found their services in demand. Without jazz driving it and Americans rebuilding their lives and starting baby booms people were too busy to waste time dancing. Popular music turned back to light sentimental songs and cute novelty music song by polished voices and backed by sweetly generic instrumentals.
Cool jazz refers to a modern jazz music defined by formal arrangements and featuring some aspects of classic music. It is a type of jazz that originated in the United States during the world war. It was referred to as cool because the instruments used had a soft and cool sound. Its main features are relaxed tempos and lighter tone (Ake, 2012). It incorporates formal arrangements and elements of classical music. The music is a bit mellower and more lyrical. It has more interest in composition and arrangement than improvisation. The tone colors in cool jazz are tended towards pastels and the vibratos are slow or sometimes do not exist. The drums played softly and were less interactive compared to bop and hard bop jazz styles (Ake, 2012). The music also has a considerable variety of emotional range, instrumentation, and level of intricacy. The original cool
This recording follows the standard form of Jazz music. After the first chorus, the second chorus starts when the band members begin improvising. Although I can still hear a little similarity as the previous sections, the performers are mainly improvising
Now a days, many believe that jazz is not that important of music genre, but with our history, jazz plays a big role. “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but it is a gift that America has given to the world.”, quoted by Ahmad Alaadeen. Jazz in the 1920’s opened the eyes of whites and invited them into African American culture; it evolved Americans to where we are today since it brought a change to the music scene, an acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles.
Andrews, John. (1998). What bebop meant to jazz history. A review of Scott Deveux’ book “The Birth of the Bebop: A Social and musical history.”