Louis Armstrong once said “Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory.” I believe this to be even more true for most of the musicians who thrived during the bebop era. Musicians like Charlie Parker and Fletcher H. Henderson changed the way we hear and play jazz, but were plagued by man personal and racial problems throughout their lifetime. Swing uses large ensembles, complex arrangements of popular song structures and does encourage some jazz improvisation, but it limits musical expression while bebop encourages experimental techniques, speed and dissonant notes but was initially much …show more content…
It was then that Goodman gained access to some of the most talented musicians and put people like drummer Gene Krupa on the show and was able to help purchase many of Fletcher Henderson’s arrangements for the show. Initially, swing bands were separated into white and black swing bands, but none of that mattered to Goodman. He was instrumental in the racial integration of black and white jazz performers and even though he was pressed to separate his “white bands” from his “black bands”, he insisted the opposite. Goodman believed that the improvisation of black swing bands combined with the polished white swing bangs could be enjoyed by everyone. Then came …show more content…
A polyrhythm is when two or more different rhythms are played alongside each other creating a very complex sound of different patterns The drummers added fills all around and generally played very energetically. Another defining part of bebop drumming was the use of intense hits on the bass or snare drum in unison with crashing cymbals called bombs. The bebop drums gave the greatest change in feeling from swing to bebop, however all of the instruments were playing something quite new. The two biggest contributions to bebop revolution were saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
In 1938 Charlie Parker moved to New York to pursue a career in music. Parker’s first job in New York was at the Parisien Ballroom where he worked with many older musicians who he learned many techniques from. During their performances, they were all required to switch songs every minute after a buzzer rang, many of the songs Parker had never even heard. This required him to open up to new ideas and allowed him to master the saxophone and in 1943, when Parker joined the Earl Hines band, he met Dizzie Gillespie and the two began to practice together and introduced new speeds no one had ever thought were
Due to the fast chord progressions and sporadic nature of the songs in general, the sound range would be all over the place. Bebop is also very upbeat, which fits the mood of higher notes as it brings more energy to the song. The use of hitting a higher range of notes is used to express the adventurous nature of bebop. According to Eddie S. Meadows, author of Bebop to Cool, “bebop was without a doubt disjunct compared to cool jazz.” This meant there were a lot more jumps in range in consecutive notes, which is very different from cool jazz. Combined with less straight tone quality and more vibrato, bebop’s sound characteristics are very different from cool
Eventually in 1937, Dizzy Gillespie decided to head out to New York to carry out his dream of becoming a famous jazz player. During his time at New York he talked with many different bands and earned a job with Teddy Hill’s band. Hill was very impressed with Gillespie’s unique playing style. The group went on a tour from Great Britain to France shortly after Gillespie had joined the band. After getting back from the tour G...
The difference with Bebop and the Swing Era are with the melodies and how the bands are setup. Starting with bebop it his more of a complex tempo with a four to five piece band then what a swing era band would normally have about five Saxes players, three trombones players, four trumpets players and with a rhythm section playing a big dance hall unlike bebop the sound would be only heard in small jazz clubs. The music can be heard and seen played faster with the drummer keep the time for the whole band. You’re able to hear this in the tune “Tempus Fugue-It”, the piano can be heard playing solo sporadically as if it sounds out of control but the player is with in control as the drummer keeps the tempo going with a sound of a moving
In many different scenes, dances were created to capture how each character felt in the scene that they were in. For example, when the crow was being bullied while he was tied up on the cross, Fatima created a dance to show him finding his inner courage and no longer having fear of the birds. I loved when Dorothy and Scarecrow sang walking down the yellow brick road because the dance gave the sensibility of people uniquely living the spirit of expression. The dance looked fun and vibrant like many of the jazz dances we see today. One of the styles of jazz that were engaged in the film was bebop. Bebop is characterized during the 1940s as having a fast tempo and improvisation based on the structures of a situation that inspired the movement. I noticed that bebop was displayed well when Ne-Yo danced because of its complex technique, fast tempo, and improvisation while singing at the same time. This style of jazz was suitable for the presentation of the film because it kept me as an audience engaged in every dance that was choreographed. With the tempo being very fast, it allowed for the movement to be big and easily
Developed in the early 1940's, Bop had established itself as vogue by 1945. It's main innovators were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. In this stage in jazz, improvisation differed immensely. Bebop soloists engaged in harmonic improvisation, often avoiding the melody altogether after the first chorus. Usually under seven pieces, the soloist was free to explore improvised possibilities as long as they fit into the chord structure. Popular and influential jazz artists include: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, & Cannonball Adderley. Armstrong is most known for his involvement in hot jazz as a trumpeter, but is especially renowned for his improvisation capabilities. Louis Armstrong, born August 4, 1901 right in the beginning stages of the jazz movement, was originally from New Orleans. Armstrong was a bandleader, soloist, comedian/actor, and vocalist. Another famous, Miles Davis, is what some consider to be the best trumpeter of the era. Davis was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. One unique thing about Davis was that he was taught to play without vibrato, which was incredibly contrary to the popular way of
So, bop can be seen as a reaction to the eventual sterilization and ubiquity of swing music. The first bop records were made by in 1944 by Coleman Hawkins experimenting with his swing band. Several individuals were instrumental in the propagation of this new form, such as Charlie "Bird" Parker (alto sax), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Thelonious Monk (piano), Bud Powell (piano), Miles Davis (trumpet), and Charles Mingus (bass). The standard ensemble became a quintet, consisting of piano, bass, drums, reed instrument...
Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
“His relaxed phrasing was a major change from the staccato style of the early 20’s and helped to set the stage for the Swing Era” (“Life & Legacy”). And as such a prominent artist, and in particular, jazz artist, Armstrong did not only change the perception of jazz and swing, but the views on African Americans and their culture. Armstrong and the Harlem Renaissance reflected black history and culture, and it became popular, even in white communities and clubs. Jazz as a whole genre helped further society’s views through the universal language of music, where any ethnicity could partake in it. And the revolution of jazz was lead by the stylings of Louis Armstrong. The duration of the jazz and swing era, lasting decades past the 1920s, symbolized the civil rights movement directly through the lyrics, sounds, and artists
Beginning with Goodman’s monumental performance at Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, the Swing Era gained immense popularity that helped the jazz genre rise to the forefront of popular music in America in the 1930s to 1950s. Furthermore, Goodman’s performance at Carnegie Hall brought the jazz genre to new peaks as it gained acclaim high-class music. The highly popular music form, along with its newfound recognition as a sophisticated music genre at Carnegie Hall, inspired the next generation of jazz musicians and brought many opportunities for jazz musicians to launch their music careers. In addition, Goodman crossed racial barriers in jazz by making his mixed jazz bands mainstream, which normalized mixed jazz groups and brought together previously segregated musicians. Goodman significantly impacted jazz by popularizing the Swing Era, which launched the careers of future generations of jazz musicians, and by unifying musicians of different ethnic backgrounds through jazz
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
His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal You (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonist of jazz.
Jazz comprises of a wide range of music from the ragtime to the present music listened to by many people. The music evolution has taken roughly 100 years and jazz has been put in this particular evolution as one of the music styles today. In the definition of jazz, there is no actual definition of jazz because it a composition of very many music styles hence making it hard to get the required definition that would describe it fully. Attempts being made to define jazz have a basis of traditional music that have similar characteristics as jazz but not real jazz. Using the American or African music examples, the researchers argue that the definition is very broad and wide. Ernest Berendt one of the researchers says that jazz originated from America in the process of confronting Negros with Europeans in terms of music. This can then be termed as a tool of identity between the two groups of people due to the racist and discrimination aspects that faced America. This was now a tool that could identify the two groups to bring about national integration and understanding among the members of America. In America jazz has incorporated time as a special factor and is now referred to as swing. Swing means spontaneity and vitality of the production of music which has an improvisation role to play to the listeners. This particular jazz music contains a particular manner of phrasing which acts as a mirror to an individual and the personality of the musician performing that particular jazz music on stage. The early jazz musicians include Double Bassist Reggie Workman, saxophone player Pharaoh Sanders, and drummer Idris Muhammad who were performing in 1978 hence dating back to early jazz performance and presentation.
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...
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.”