20 th Century Jazz

1. 20th Century Jazz Jazz Music in America

2. Jazz artists and their dates • Bessie Smith:1894–1937  Singer • Duke Ellington:1899–1974  Singer; pianist; bandleader • Louis Armstrong:1901–1971  Singer; trumpeter; bandleader • Dizzie Gillespie:1917–1993 Trumpeter; “Be-bop”, swollen cheeks • Ella Fitzgerald:1917–1996 Singer; First Lady of Song;13 grammies • Charlie Parker:1920–1955  Alto Saxophone • Miles Davis:1926–1991  Trumpeter; R&B; Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame • David Brubeck:1920–2012  Piano; singer • http://www.davebrubeck.com/live/

3. I’ve got the ‘Blues’ • The blues have been traced back to the Deep South as it’s point of origin • Small towns, Mississippi Delta plantations, industries demanding heavy labor • African practices were preserved orally and continued in these isolated surroundings • African songs were mostly about social units vs. blues which dealt with the individual • The combination of their African traditions and American experiences birthed the blues • Blues tradition is full of confrontation and improvisation • Pitch: blue third and seventh scale degrees in Major • Rasping: bottleneck or knife was used along the guitar strings • Call and response: exchange between voice and instrumentalist

4. Early Swing – a style of Jazz • Flourished in the early 1930’s. • Became extremely popular in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. • Popular among teenagers and young adults.

5. Popular Band Leaders • Count Basie • Benny Goodman • Duke Ellington • Bob Crosby • Chick Webb • Tommy Dorsey • Louis Armstrong* • Earl Hines

6. Popular Vocalists • Ella Fitzgerald (Chick Webb) • Frank Sinatra* (Tommy Dorsey) • Billie Holiday (Count Basie) • Doris Day (Les Brown)

7. The Decline of Swing • Many big bands began featuring instrumental soloists more prominently. • These soloists would often play an early form of “Bebop”. • Bebop was less danceable than the swing music that listeners had grown accustomed to. As a result, many of the big bands broke up as tastes changed.