The Evolution of Jazz

Transcription

1 Toledo Jazz Orchestra Study Guide The Evolution of Jazz 45 TO 60 MINUTE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM GEARED TOWARD ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS. DISCUSSION INCLUDES WHAT JAZZ IS, HOW IT DIFFERS FROM OTHER TYPES OF MUSIC, WHY JAZZ IS AMERICA S TRUE ART FORM, AND HOW AND WHY MUSIC IS CHANGING. PROGRAM OUTLINE 1) ENTRANCE MUSIC 2) THE FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF THE WORLD (ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.) 3) AS PEOPLE CHANGED, MUSIC CHANGED (LATE 1800S PERIOD MUSIC & LYRICS) 4) MUSIC OF THE SOUTH (SOUTHERN CHURCH INFLUENCE, NEW ORLEANS) 5) WHAT IS JAZZ (AFRICAN RHYTHMS AND EUROPEAN MELODIES BROUGHT TOGETHER- THROUGH PLANTATIONS AND SLAVERY) 6) A BIT ABOUT IMPROVISATION, COLORING A PICTURE OF A HOUSE, THE BLUES 7) STYLES OF JAZZ - DO A TUNE IN ONE STYLE THEN ANOTHER - PLAY AS SWING, BALLAD, SAMBA 8) SWING ENTERS THE 40S 9) INTRODUCTION OF MUSICIANS INCLUDING DEMONSTRATIONS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL IN- STRUMENT 10) STUDENT QUESTION AND ANSWER SEGMENT 11) FINALE ONE LAST SONG 12) DISMISSAL BAND PLAYS AN EXIT TUNE.

2 Beginnings of Jazz Jazz originated in the late-19th to early 20th century, as interpretations of American and European classical music entwined with African and slave folk songs and the influences of West African culture. Its composition and style have changed many times throughout the years with each performer's personal interpretation and improvisation, which is also one of the greatest appeals of the genre. Edward Gooch Toledo Jazz Orchestra New Orleans Jazz Louis Armstrong & Buddy Bolden 2 The earliest style of jazz, the music played in New Orleans from about the time that Buddy Bolden formed his first band in 1895 until Storyville was closed in 1917, went totally unrecorded, unfortunately. However, with the success of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, and the many performances documented in the 1920s, it became possible to hear what this music sounded like in later years. Ensemble-oriented with fairly strict roles for each instrument, New Orleans Jazz generally features a trumpet or cornet providing a melodic lead, harmonies from the trombone, countermelodies by the clarinet, and a steady rhythm stated by the rhythm section (which usually consists of piano, banjo or guitar, tuba, or bass and drums). This music is a direct descendant of brass marching bands and, although overlapping with Dixieland, tends to de-emphasize solos in favor of ensembles featuring everyone playing and improvising together. Due to its fairly basic harmonies and the pure joy of the ensembles, it is consistently the happiest and most accessible style of jazz.

3 Louis Armstrong Fun Facts Louis Armstrong 1) Satchmo became Armstrong's nickname after his 1932 Grand Tour of Europe. A London music magazine editor wrote "Satchmo" in an article probably because he could not read his garbled notes. Up until that time, Armstrong's nickname was Satchelmouth. 2) Armstrong was pictured on a 32 US commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of American Music series, issued September 1, ) He was nicknamed "Pops" because that is the name he addressed everyone by. 4) For most of his life, Louis Armstrong always gave July 4, 1900 as his birthdate, possibly because it was easy to remember. In all likelihood, he probably believed it himself. It wasn't until many years after his death that a birth record was found confirming the correct date as August 4, ) He refused to go a State Department-sponsored concert tour of the Soviet Union in 1959, because he felt the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower wasn't doing enough to promote civil rights legislation. 6) Embittered by the treatment of blacks in his hometown of New Orleans, he chose to be buried in New York City. 7) The slang terms "cat," meaning a man about town, and "chops " meaning a musician's playing ability, were first coined by him. 8) Louis Armstrong passed away on July 6, 1971, a month away from what would have been his 70th birthday on August 4. 9) He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8,

4 Duke Ellington Fun Facts Duke Ellington 1) He was pictured on a 22 US commemorative postage stamp in the Performing Arts series on the 97th anniversary of his birth. 2) Ellington was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity. 3) He was the father of trumpeter/band leader Mercer Ellington, who assumed leadership of the Ellington band at his father's death, and the grandfather of actress/singer/dancer Mercedes Ellington 4) He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in ) The poster for the film Black and Tan, which features Ellington in silhouette, made it onto a 42 USA commemorative postage stamp celebrating Vintage Black Cinema. 6) He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6535 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. 7) His image is part of the central design on the reverse of the District of Columbia 25 commemorative coin issued in 2009, as part of the USA's Statehood Quarters series. He is shown seated next to a piano, and the name "DUKE ELLINGTON" is engraved in the area above the piano keys. 8) Ellington was celebrated in Stevie Wonder's song "Sir Duke" (from "Songs in the Key of Life". 9) He is a second cousin to the artist Romare Bearden. 10) Ellington was inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in ) Duke Ellington passed away on May 24, 1974 in New York City. 4

5 Toledo Jazz Orchestra Education Programs Kevin Eikum Toledo Jazz Orchestra The Toledo Jazz Orchestra has a strong and growing education program. The orchestra sends groups to Defiance, Maumee, Toledo, Sylvania, Montpelier, Perrysburg, Holland, and more. These educational programs, and others that the jazz orchestra carries out, are of great importance to the organization. The goal is to educate young students in the performance and understanding of jazz. Without educational programs, there will be no audience for jazz in the future and no one to play it for them. Jazz is America s original art form and needs to be cultivated and sustained as a national treasure. The orchestra s educational offerings are provided at no cost to the students or the schools. As school music programs are being cut back, or even discontinued across the country, it is even more important that organizations like the T.J.O. fill the increasing void of opportunity in the arts for young people. If you have any questions about our programs, please send an to toledojazz@comcast.net or call (567)