Chapter 8 - Hard Bop Flashcards
A number of jazz styles emerged during the 1950s and 60s. Most of them, including many of the “cool” styles, were variants of ________.
Bebop.
Was “cool” jazz a new style, or did it fall under bebop?
Musicians considered it bebop. Journalists and publicists coined new names such as hard bop, funky jazz, mainstream, post-bop and soul jazz.
Which name was attached to most earthy, blues-drenched, gospelish pieces that were played by musicians such as Horace Silver and others?
Funky Jazz.
T or F: Music called funky jazz was more popular than almost any other segment of modern jazz.
True.
Did the styles that coexisted with “funky jazz” have a single accepted name?
No. Although, for simplicity, the book uses Hard Bop.
Did Hard Bop differ much from bebop?
No.
What are some differences between Hard Bop and Bebop? (6)
- Drummers play with more activity
- Tone colours are darker, weightier and rougher
- Chord progressions in the accompaniment are less frequently identical to those of pop tunes
- There is somewhat less of the start-and-stop quality that leaves the listener off balance
- There is a hard-driving feeling that pushes relentlessly, with an emphasis on consistent swinging
- Piano comping has more variety in rhythms and chord voicings
Were the sound of Hard Bop limited tone geographic region?
No. Los Angelos, New York, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Detroit contributed many vital players.
Which men are considered the first wave of Hard Bop players?
Art Blakey, Clifford Brown and Horace Silver.
Were the second wave of Hard Bop players more creative with Hard Bop streams of styles?
Yes. These players made their mark in the 1960s and derived their approaches even less directly from bebop than did the first wave players. Most of their influence came from outside of Hard Bop
Horace Silver is one of the biggest names in hard bop. Where did his reputation derive from?
Mostly from his work as a composer and bandleader. But he also developed an original and substantial piano style.
T or F: Silver had replaced bebops’ emphasis on long, bobbing lines with his own brief, catchy phrases.
True. Virtuosity is not essential to Silver’s Style. He almost never plays fast for long stretches. Compactness and clarity are far higher priorities in his playing than speed and agility.
Did Silver considerably use silence?
Yes, he was very clever in timing the starting and stopping points of his phrases.
Are Silver’s tunes and solos easy to remember?
Yes.
Are Silver’s melodic statements played in a forceful, percussive way?
Yes. It is as though, while improvising, he keeps on composing at the same level of creativity and clarity that he maintains in his writing.
As an accompanist, did Silver draw from bebop style?
Yes. However, he eventually perfected a new style of accompaniment.
What did Silver’s accompaniment patterns sound like?
Structured setups for his soloists. This differed from the normal practice of spontaneous chording that responded to the twists and turns of solo improvisations.
In which way were the soloists in Silver’s band supported by backgrounds similar to those in big bands?
The structured setups without any spontaneous chording that responded to the twists and turns. This gave Silver’s music more continuity than was common in most modern groups.
Although the accompaniments provided continuity, did they have any restrictions?
Yes, they limited the range of moods an improvising soloist could create. But it gave listeners something easier to hear, and this may account for his greater popularity.
Who was Hard Bop’s most prolific composer?
Horace Silver. For the Blue Note record company alone, he composed almost all the tunes on over twenty-five years’ worth of his bands’ album.
T or F: Silver put together arrangements that were generally more elaborate than those of other hard bop groups.
True. They often contained written melodies in the middle of a piece, as well as Latin American rhythms and hints of gospel music. He often assigned notes to trumpet and tenor saxophone, creating harmony that made it sound as though is quintet contained more than five musicians.
Did Silver often write bass figures and play them on the piano in unison with his bassist?
Yes. These figures had an engaging quality that expanded the limited scope of bebop bass lines.
T or F: Silver’s quintet performances were consistently swinging and polished and they featured many of the best musicians of the 50s and 60s.
True.
When did Silver continue on to tour and record in his original style?
2003, when he retired.
