Section 1 Flashcards
Meter (Time)
- Organizes the rhythmic “feel”
- Helps musicians stay in sync with each other
- Helps listeners by adding predictability to music
Melody
A rhythmic of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole; sequence of notes; can stand on its own
Motif
Small building block of a melody
Rythm
The systematic arrangement of musical sounds, principally according to duration and periodic stress
Harmony
Harmony is the combination of separate but related parts in a way that uses their similarities to bring unity; combining two or more notes (chords)
Form
The constructive or organizing element in music
Song form
A musical form with two contrasting themes (sections are typically notated by letter)
Blues form
Usually 12 bars (there are not contrasting themes)
Back-beat
Beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time, particularly when they are strongly accented
Chord
The harmony at a given moment (loosely a group of 3 or more notes played together)
Chorus
One complete cycle of a tune, one time through from top to bottom
Improvisation
The process of spontaneously creating fresh melodies over continuously repeating cycle chord changes of a tune (improviser may depend on the contours of the original tune, or solely on the possibilities of the chords’ harmonies)
Head
The first (and last) chorus of a tune, in which the song or melody is stated without improvisation or with minimal improvisation
Horn
A wind instrument; or any instrument
Interlude
An additional section in tune, especially one between one person’s solo and another’s
Introduction
A composed section at the beginning of a tune, heard only once
Modes
Major and minor (feeling that it sounds like)
Texture
The combination of instruments that are in the music and the way they’re being performed (instruments, volume, tempo)
Polyphony
Music with two or more melodies blended together
Rhythm section
Any combination of piano, guitar, bass, and drums (provide rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment for a melody); stand alone or in an ensemble
Joseph “King” Oliver
- Born in New Orleans
- Started playing in New Orleans Clubs by 1907
- Mentored Louis Armstrong
- Moved to Chicago in 1918
- 1922: King Oliver’s Creole Jazz band secures a residency at Lincoln Gardens
- 1922: Louis Armstrong joins Oliver’s band in Chicago
- First recording for Gennett Records in 1923
“Snake Rag”
Joseph “King” Oliver continued
- 1935: could no longer play he had ill health
- Moved to Savannah, GA and worked as a janitor
- Highly influential to young players
“Livery Stable Blues”
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)
- Born in New Orleans
- Working by age seven for a rag and bone business, delivering coal to brothels, and blowing a tin horn to announce the cart’s arrival
- Sang on street corners
- Sent to the New Orleans Colored Waif’s Home for boys at age 12
- Given musical instruments by the bandmaster of the home
- Apprenticed with king Oliver (errands in exchange for lessons)
Mississippi Riverboats (Streckfus Steamboat Line)
- Pivotal gig
- Got his reading chops together
Learned new material, outside of the N.O. repertoire - Traveling was eye-opening
- Experienced exclusively white audiences
S.S. Capitol Orchestra (Fate Marable, Director)
- Sought-after gig
- Replacement gig for Storyville musicians
- $35 per week room and board, $45 without
- Strictly medium tempo dance music
- All arranged… no improvised solos
- Wanted to expand his role but was refused
“Frankie and Johnny”
Armstrong Relocates
- Armstrong moved to Chicago to play second cornet in King Oliver’s band
- His playing was an instant hit
- Met his second wife (Lil Hardin – pianist of the group)
- Convinced him to leave the band and broaden his horizons
“Sweet Lovin’ Man”
Armstrong RE-relocates
- Joined Fletcher Henderson’s band in New York in 1924
- The level of the band was raised
- They embraced the blues and played longer solos
- Henderson didn’t want him to sing either
“Everybody Loves My Baby”
Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven
- Armstrong went back to Chicago in 1925
- Made a living playing in a pit orchestra for silent movies
- About a year after being back in Chicago was able to get a record deal
- He got his old band mates Kid Ory, Johnny Dodds, along with his wife, Lil and formed the Hot Five
- Existed only to record
“West End Blues”
Armstrong’s Influence
- Earl (Fatha’) Hines (1903-1983)
- He had a style similar to Armstrong
- Earned the nickname “Fatha” due to the new and distinct style of his playing
- Played and recorded with Armstrong for a few years
- Went on to lead his own groups for the next twenty years
- Welcomed young upstarts into his band like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
“There Will Never Be Another You”
New Orleans
- Port that was easily accessible for trade
- Cultural melting pot
- Incredibly diverse city (melting pot)
Spanish Rule
- Freed many slaves
- Interracial marriage was accepted (Creoles)
- Mixture of French and African or French and Spanish
Timeline
- Louisiana was given back to France, then sold to the U.S. in 1803
- 1861-1865: Civil War and Reconstruction Period
- 1917: United States involved in WW1
- New Orleans musicians developed Dixieland Jazz
Polyphonic
Different melodies at the same time
Cyclic
The overall structure of the song is repetitive
New Orleans Style Jazz
- Polyphonic & cyclic
- Has a steady beat
- Collective improvisation (improvising at the same time)
- Texture changes (varying section of sound within the song)
- Front line (melodic instruments – cornet, trumpet, trombone, and clarinet)
- Second line (parade followers)
Buddy Bolden (1877-1931)
- First important jazz musician
- Cornet
- Large black and creole following
- Able to play many styles
- 6 person configuration band (“2 cornet” inspired King Oliver)
- Alcohol induced psychosis (diagnosed with schizophrenia)
Freddie Keppard (1890-1933)
- “King of the Cornet”
- First major jazz figure to travel extensively
- Took a New Orleans band to Chicago and Los Angeles
- 1914-1918: Keppard tourned the Vaudeville circuit (introduced northern jazz to N.O. jazz)
- Wasn’t eager to share his musical ideas
- Missed opportunity to record with the Victor Talking Machine Company
Original Dixieland Jazz Band
- Led by cornetist Nick Larocca
- Originally from N.O.
- Group moved to New York in 1916
- Gained popularity and caught the attention of Victor Records
- Recorded “Livery Stable Blues” (1917)
“Livery Stable Blues” (1917)
- Record sold about a million copies
- Off the strength of the record sales the band toured all around the U.S. and Europe
- The band took a break when dance and jazz fell out of fashion
- Re-emerged in 1936 (short-lived)
- LaRocca received criticism for claiming he invented jazz
“Tiger Rag”
Ferdinand Joseph Lamonthe (Jelly Roll Morton)
- One of many self-proclaimed inventor of jazz
- As a teenager, he worked in the “Storyville” district of New Orleans
- Brothel accompanist
- Pool hustler, pimp, dealer, etc.
- Kicked out of the house
- N.O. was his base, but he moved between Chicago, Texas, Memphis and New York
“Big Foot Ham” (1926)
Jelly Roll Morton & his Red Hot Peppers (1926)
- Chicago based
- Developed as the Victor Talking Machine Co. went from acoustic to electrical recording
- All members well-versed in New Orleans jazz & were familiar with Morton’s music
“Dead man’s blues” (12 bar cycle)
Tough Times
- Constant struggles with royalties
- Drifted into obscurities in 1930s
- Moved to Washington DC & managed jazz club
- Alan Lomax interviews
