Chapter 4 - Early Jazz Flashcards
How did early jazz musicians begin to improvise?
By embellishing the melodies of pop tunes.
These embellishments later became more important than the tunes themselves.
What were some others ways to refer to improvisation?
- riffing
- jassing
- jazzing up
Ways in which early jazz differs from ragtime, blues and brass:
- Much of each performance was improvised
- Rhythmic feeling was looser and more relaxed, thus anticipating jazz swing feeling
- It generated much of its own repertory of compositions
- Collective improvisation created a more complex musical product than was typical in ragtime, blues or marching band music
What and where were some of the earlistest jazz forms recorded?
- Collective Improvisation (all group members playing at the same time)
- Chicago
Instruments tended to fulfill set musical roles similar to those established in what?
Brass bands
Who made the first New Orleans recordings in Chicago and New York?
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
- cornet
- clarinet
- trombone
- piano
- drums
Where was the centre for a very active jazz scene during the 1920s?
Chicago
What three main categories could musicians be described by?
- The transplanted New Orleans African American musicians
- Their white New Orleans counterparts
- Young white Chicagoans who imitated the older players, also called “The Chicago School”
What style did early jazz styles evolve from?
Ragtime, which it did not always necessitate reading or memorizing written music.
What is stride style?
A jazz piano style with its roots in ragtime.
What instruments were common for the front line (musicians appearing directly in front of the audience)?
- trumpet
- clarinet
- trombone
- occasional saxophone
What instruments typically made up the rhythm section?
- guitar
- banjo
- tuba
- bass saxophone
- string bass
- piano
- drums
No bands had all these instruments, rather just combinations of them.
Was it unusual for early jazz to be without string bass or drums?
No.
Why were early jazz drummers poorly heard on recordings?
Early studio equipment was not well-suited to record drums.
How were records made?
By playing into acoustic recording horns, but the loud blow of the drum could knock off the needle of the cutting surface. See p. 39 for more details.
When listening to old recordings, are we able to hear any drumming?
Yes, but it is extremely limited. We were only left with a clickety clicking sound of the drumsticks since most other equipment was omitted for recordings.
Who is known as “Pops”, “Dippermouth Blues”, “Satchmo” and “The Father of Jazz”?
Louis Armstrong
T or F: The music that Armstrong played in his dramatic solo style recordings became a model for the swing era that followed.
True.
How many movies did Armstrong appear in?
Fifty and sang most of his performances.
With the song “Hello, Dolly”, who did he get ahead on the popularity charts?
The Beatles. The song remained #1 for a whole week on the charts of popularity.
T or F: Most people knew Armstrong as an innovative jazz improviser rather than as an entertainer. Why?
False. Most people are not aware of his monumental contributions to the history of jazz.
T or F: Armstrong was the most widely imitated jazz improviser prior to the later appearance of Charlie Parker.
True.
What two instruments is Armstrong known to play?
Trumpet & cornet.
How did Armstrong show that the New Orleans technique of collective simultaneous improvisation was not the only approach to jazz horn work?
He intelligently developed solos that could be effectively improvised apart from the lines of other band members.
In other words, Armstrong was one of the first great soloists in jazz history.
