Chapter 4 Origins of Jazz -originated from pop music styles of the 1800s -blended to satisfy social dancers 3 trends caused the birth of jazz: 1) Improvisation -liberties with melodies & accompaniment of tunes 2) Liberties with tone qualities -cultivate rough & raspy sound to collection of smooth tone qualities 3) Ragtime & blues Ragtime -provided jazz repertory -syncopated rhythms The blues -provided jazz repertory -toy with a melody tone s pitch to produce soulful effect -manipulate starting times for sung notes & phrases -delay known as rhythmic displacement -Africans lived in the New World as slaves -could not bring their musical instruments -not grouped with members of the same language community -hard to perpetuate musical customs -expected to learn music of their masters -seemed like African musical tastes & performance practices could have died out -overpowered by European musical tastes of performance practices of majority culture -but, African traditions were robust -new forms of music were developed -creative alteration of European music -modified European church hymns, folk songs & dance music to suit own tastes & traditions Ways in which African tastes & traditions were retained 1) Children s games -highly rhythmic & physical -used player s body as drum -highly syncopated song -interaction that cultivated juggling of complicated rhythm 2) African American church music -modification of European church hymns -spice them up by altering rhythms -add pitch bends & new tone qualities
-make bland, non-swinging phrases more rhythmically emphatic 3) Idiosyncrasies of speech patterns -did not assimilate Anglo-American model -rhythmic aspects reflect African retention emphasis on syllables of the weak beat -fused words together that were normally kept separate -imaginative flexibility of pitch -common in work song -field hollers were devised by workers for communicating in the fields 4) Undiluted African music performed in public -participated in Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans 5) Blues singing 6) Music from Latin America & Caribbean -fused Spanish music with African music Why Did Jazz Originate in New Orleans? -focus history of ethnic diversity in New Orleans Ethnic Diversity and Creoles of Colour -Spanish freed many slaves, increasing number of free blacks -free people of colour had a status closer to that of whites -marriage between different ethnic groups -more white men than white women at that time -mixing of African& European traditions Creoles of Colour -ancestry was part African & part French -not referred to as Negro -1791 to 1804, slave revolt in Haiti -free people moved to New Orleans -became largest ethnic group -white population feared about having minority status -introduced black codes -separation between two groups of people with African ancestry -Negroes lived in uptown -worked as house servants & unskilled labourers -Creoles lived in downtown -well-educated, successful people, worked as businessmen, physicians, landowners, skilled craftsmen -received high quality musical training
-maintained resident symphony orchestra -supported opera house -New Orleans became intensely musical -had three opera houses -took pleasures of music & dance more seriously The Blues -music of uptown included African American work songs -religious music was combination of European church music & African vocal style -cry of street vendor is a type of black vocal music expressive variations in pitch & voice quality -first an unaccompanied solo vocal style, later used guitar or banjo as accompaniment -chords were incidental to melodic line -progression of chords was simple -two/ three different chords were used in the entire song -lyrics & melody lines were simple brief pauses between phrases & much repetition -known as blues Creoles of Colour -favoured European music -French wind band & European concert traditions Negroes -retained African musical practices -received musical training in European styles as well less refined than that of Creoles -included improvisation The Need for Live Music -an age without electronic devices -there must be live music -sponsorship was provided for local bands Brass Bands -band was present at social activity -most took place outdoor -dancing was the main social activity -large brass band, for music to be heard in outdoor setting -cornet, trombone, drum, cymbal -also clarinet & saxophone String band -used indoor -cornet, violin, guitar, bass, piano
Civil War -regimental band played for military ceremonies -concerts of patriotic & popular music Ragtime -end of 1800s, ragtime was popular Rag -music that was put together like a military march -rhythms borrowed from African American banjo music -loud accents fell in between the beats known as syncopation Ragtime -written piano music first appeared in 1890s -Scott Joplin was a famous composer -was considered by some as first jazz style -was not a jazz style in strict sense -had limited improvisation -lacked jazz swing feeling -forerunner of jazz -popularized using accents before & after beat instead of always directly on it Combining Influences Band in 1890s -combined march music & ragtime -Mexican band music influenced styles of New Orleans trumpet players Two step -popular dance in march-like music -themes in ragtime follows pattern found in marches -role of instrument from marching band were transferred to jazz band -flute & piccolo parts from march arrangements were imitated by jazz clarinetist -heavy emphasis on beats two & four Party Atmosphere -center of commerce -located near the mouth of Mississippi River -maintained an international party atmosphere -numerous taverns & dance halls -entertainment included prostitution district -great demand for live music -continuous need for fresh material -caused musicians to stretch styles
-blended & revised odd assortments of approaches & material Dance Music -earliest jazz was intended for dancing -improvisation was not main interest -responded more to rhythm -accompanied dance such as mazurka, schottische, quadrille & one-step String band -violin, guitar, bass viol, 1 or 2 wind instrument -outgrowth of treatments for many kinds of music being played on demand of dancers -music was called New Orleans jazz or Dixieland -syncopation, lending rhythmic vitality -small bands performed music originally written for large bands -Dixieland style & instrumentation -fill out sound -more activity for each player -resulted in improvisation Why jazz originated in New Orleans -city was highly musical -ragtime & blues were popular -brass bands were at their peak of popularity -publicly performed African music -Mardi Gras -social organization that kept African music alive Shy Did Jazz Emerge Near the Beginning of the Twentieth Century? 1) Intensity of musical activity in New Orleans 2) Zenith of popularity for brass concert band 3) Fertile time of music a) more demand for musician b) many bands c) motivation to play varied styles d) interaction between musicians 4) Popularity of ragtime style -improvising syncopation 5) Popularity of blues -encourage musicians to play in bluesy way An African Heritage of Musical Tastes -some believed rhythmic talent came with race -but, musical preferences are learned rather than genetic
-passed down by imitation & instruction -African also learned European music -no racial unconsciousness What is African and What is European about Jazz? Improvisation -spontaneously varying individual parts -characterizes some African music & much jazz Drum ensemble -lead drummer gives signals -more variable than others part -also happened in leader-and-chorus West African singing & African American blues singing -improvisation does not consist of inventing elaborate melody lines -altered sound of a single sustained tone -vary timing, pitch & timbre at beginning & ending -toy with rhythms of melodies -tones start a bit earlier/ later -tone is repeated several times in succession instead of being sung once softened, followed by abrupt increase in volume Rhythmic displacement -whole phrases are placed differently in relation to underlying beat -imitation of singing style influenced jazz Heterophony -start notes whenever they feel like it instead of singing precisely in unison with other -sound like ensemble sloppiness Preluding -French & German keyboard tradition for improvisation Improvisation among New Orleans musician -piecing together band routines -stacks are skeletons for routines provided by published arrangements -freshly improvised new melodies in performance were limited -striving for personalization & individualization Reasons of Great Extent of Improvisation 1) Boredom with fixed routines 2) Need to learn new material without recourse to sheet music 3) Increased interest in bravura solo excursions & emergence of star system of players
4) Continuation of European/ African tradition for spontaneous alteration 5) Unbridled creativity 6) Longer dances -solo plays while hornmen rest their lips 7) Combination of reasons above Syncopation -accents that do not occur on a main beat -derived from African American banjo music & ragtime -stem from heterophony -preferences of rhythmic contrast Harmony -chord progressions in jazz are not common to native African music -European music provided chord progression in jazz Instruments -used brass band instrumentation -trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, tuba -played marches & pop tunes -drum of West Africa was found in modern jazz group -drum in earliest jazz was from European-Style brass band -use of wood block & cowbell -way of playing the ride cymbal is similar to atoke/ kavinyan -stringed instruments include banjo, guitar, bass viol Role of Percussion -provide continuous time-keeping sounds -generate musical excitement -in jazz, melodic instruments are played in highly rhythmic/ percussive ways -known as rhythmization Roughenings, Buzzes, and Ringings -key chain is placed on top of ride cymbal to create sustained hiss/ ringing sound -insert rivets in cymbal to create sizzle sound -rasping tone quality of saxophone -wide range of sound qualities 1) smooth to guttural 2) full to shrieking -raw tone of piano -gruff tone of saxophone -rough growl style in trumpet & trombone -use of tone-altering potential of mutes
Repetition of Brief Patterns -ostinato: brief, repetitive pattern -ride rhythm -bass figures in jazz/ rock fusion -riffs is repetition of short phrases -came from accompaniment rhythms in folk music & march music -ragtime & military drumming -contribute to swing feeling -swing feeling is an African or African American contribution to jazz -taste of swing feeling was retained in the culture Polyrhythms -practice of sounding different rhythms at the same time -three pulses vs. two pulses -create swing feeling & rhythmic excitement -create tension within listener -came from combinations of rhythms in ragtime -also found in European folk music & concert music -had a partly African ancestry -ragtime has roots in African American banjo tradition & Cuban dance music -reflect tradition retained from African preference for rhythmic contrast The Ways Tones are Decorated -preference for rough timbres Ways to alter tone 1) Duration 2) Intensity 3) Pitch (vibrato is a steady alternation of pitch) 4) Quality (roughness) 5) Attach (how a note begins) 6) Decay (how a note ends) Vibrato -oscillation of tone -alternately higher & lower -gradually increase vibrato rate -expressive device Blue Notes -intonation -common in jazz horn playing -off-key or out of tune -esthetic of pitch flexibility -imitation of vocal idioms, such as Negro field holler, work song, cries of street vendors
Call-and-Response -offer musical phrase vs. follow it with new phrases -West African music, sound of call is still present when response begins -two parts overlap -call begins before response is done -result in rhythmic conflict & provocative effect -overlapping call & response -responsorial singing is a trait of African music