Jazz After Swing Flashcards
What is BeBop?
during World War II, a number of economic conditions contributed to the decline of Big Bands. Jazz musicians in the 1940s adapted to these changes by playing in R&B groups (like the “honking” sax players), or starting a new style called Bebop.
Bebop is the beginning of jazz as more of an art form rather than dance music (entertainment). Bebop formed the musical language that is the foundation of (almost) every jazz style thereafter.
When did Bebop start?
It was a new style started by African American musicians from New York City (primarily Harlem) in the early 1940s. With the AFM recording ban and arguments about copyright with ASCAP and BMI (from the fall term),
Bebop wasn’t recorded until 1944. It was explosive. The new style had about 2–3 years to develop in late-night jam sessions, and its first recordings show a refined style that was a clear departure from popular Swing music.
How was BeBop performed?
Bebop was performed by small groups, usually piano, drums, and bass (a rhythm section) with one or two horns (mostly saxophone and trumpet).
The music had faster tempos (not for dancing), it was musically complex (chords and scales), and it focused on instrumental virtuosity. But like Big Band music, musicians would still play a sense of swing.
Like most jazz performances, you will hear a melody, followed by a number of solos, and an ending with the melody again. During the solos, the musicians are improvising by selecting their notes based on the chord changes.
What was cool jazz?
A new style called Cool jazz was popularized by 1954. It used the same small-group instrumentation, and complex chords and scales as Bebop.
On the other hand, it was more subdued: it had slower tempos, smoother timbres, a more relaxed swing groove, and the solos were less “notey” (fewer notes and in a smaller range—less extremes of high and low notes)
What were issues with the reception of cool jazz?
There were some problems with the reception of Cool jazz. It came from the West Coast and garnered much more recognition than Bebop at the time. This was partially due to race. Cool jazz had a larger number of white musicians (like Brubeck); Bebop was black music, and carried moral implications from its association with drugs and alcohol.
What was the response to cool jazz?
The response to this split between Bebop (black) and Cool (white) was a style of bop that demanded recognition of artistry, and amplified black musical characteristics like gospel and blues-like playing. It was later labelled Hard Bop.
Some jazz scholars simply refer to all of these as “Bop,” and just an articulation of musical difference. At the same time, there is some quality of how Bebop evolved to have a marked stance against discrimination, and that was different than “cool.”
What was latin jazz?
Uses a Latin-jazz groove. This is mostly due to the drum beat, and a mix between straight rhythms and swing rhythms on the other instruments.
Latin jazz had different names and was played in a range of sensibilities including Cool jazz, big band music, or simply guitar songs with vocals.
One of the main ideas of Latin jazz is that the basic groove comes from music of the Caribbean or Latin America (e.g., Brazil), and musicians play melodies and improvise in their own styles (Swing, Bebop, Cool, Hard Bop, and others).
What is Head—Solos—Head?
The composed section—usually at the beginning or following a short introduction—is called the “head.” But most of the music is improvised.
After the head, performers take turns improvising on the form and chord changes of the piece.
When the solos are over, the head is repeated in a similar fashion to the beginning.
