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DamienBoles
KellyDavenport
November2,2015
EnglishIVHonors

EvolutionofJazzMusic

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EvolutionofJazzMusic
ThesisStatement:
Jazzissignificantbecauseitwasanentirenewformofmusicthatinspired
andencouragedpeopleaswellaschangedthewaymusicwasheardandmadefromthenon.
2)

MainPoint1:JazzHistory
a)

Jazzstartedintheearly1900sinthesouthoftheUnitedStatesbuttherearemany
differentgenresofjazzthatcomefromallaroundtheworld.
i)
Jazzstartedduringthegreatdepressiontoencouragepeopleandlightentheir
moodsduringthehorribletimes.
ii)
Blues,SwingandLatinare3ofthebiggestjazzgenresintheworld.

b)
JazzisamixbetweenWestAfricanandEuropeanmusic.Whatweknowofjazz
musictodaycamefromtherhythmsandsyncopationfromAfricanfolkmusic.

i)
SyncopatedrhythmsinjazzcomesfromsongsslavesbroughttoAmerica

3)

MainPointAHybridSoundinJazzstartedtoform
a)
Thelistofgenrescreatedthroughthetimesismindboggling
i)
Startingwithblues,folk,marchesandragtimeinplacessuchasNew
Orleans,movedtoswingandKansasCityjazz.Theharmoniesofbebopinthe1940s

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combinedwithLatininfluencesintroducedbyCubanandBrazilianmusiciansinthe
1950sand1960s.Eventuallyjazzandrockfoundeachother,creatingwhatcommonlyis
knownasfusion.
b)
TodayHipHop,R&BandPopartistsusejazzintheirmusic
i)
Modernmusicuseshornlinessuchastheonesusedinjazzbandsalongwith
certainharmoniesandchordsusuallyheardinjazzmusic.

4)

MainPoint3:Jazzismorecomplexthananyotherstyleofmusic
a)
Jazzmusichasamoodalongwithit,itisn'tjustmusic
i)
Jazzhasalook,amoodandafeelalongwiththemusicthatisheard

ii)
Whenpeoplehearjazztheyoftenfeelupliftedandwanttodancebeingthat
jazzmusicwasmadeforthisfeeling.
b)
Improvisationisoneofthebiggestandmostcomplicatedpartsofplayingjazz
i)
Manyearlyjazzmusicianstaughtthemselveshowtoplaythegenrebecausenot
manypeoplewereteachingitbecauseitwasanewAmericaninventedgenrethatwasnt
widelyknown.

ii)
Toimproviseinjazzyouhavetoknowallscalesinmajor,minor,mixolydian,
diminishedandthedifferentchordchangestoknowwhatissupposedtobeplayedand
whereyouplayit.

5)

Conclusion:
Withoutjazzmusicnoneofthemusicheardtodaywouldbethesame

becausemostgenreshavebeeninfluencedbythedifferenttypesofjazz.

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JazzmusicintheUnitedStatesisoneofthebiggestformsofmusicthathaseverbeen
created.Intheearly1900s,Americawasnotwellandmusichelpedthattimeperiod.Jazzis
significantbecauseitwasanentirenewformofmusicthatinspiredandencouragedpeopleas
wellaschangedthewaymusicwasheardandmadefromthenon.
In1619,thefirstslaveswerebroughttoAmerica,thisdoesntseemlikeabigdealto
musicbutwithoutslavesjazzwouldhaveneverbeeninvented.After200yearsNewOrleans
establishesCongoSquareasaciteforslavestoplaymusicanddance.Whenslaverywas
endedintheUnitedStates,slaveshadrightstomakeandenjoytheirmusicwheneverthey
wanted.JazzmusicbegantobecreatedbytherhythmsoftheAfricanfolksongsandthe
syncopationoftheslavesongsbyusingEuropeanmadeinstruments.
Betweenthe1916andthelate1920salmost100,000southernersfledtothesouthof
Chicagoduetoracism,thiswascalledtheGreatMigration.Manyjazzbandsusedthe
MississippiRiverasaroadtothenorth.Themusicianswouldplaytheirinstrumentsontherafts
theywerefloatingonastheywentupnorth.WhenAfricanAmericansreachedthenorth,they
livedincommunitieswiththesameraceastheyare.Thesouthernersfoundjobopportunitiesand
thislettooverallsophisticationofAfricanAmericans.

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TheGreatMigrationimpactedjazzmusicgreatly.Sincemorepeoplehadjobs,more
wereabletolistentojazzmusic,thishelpedspreadjazzacrossthecountryevenmorenow.
Musiciansalsogotabettereducationthathelpedtheirmusicalabilities.TheCivilRights
MovementwasinfluencedbymusicsoAfricanAmericansstartedwritingandplayingsongs
aboutfreedom,thisinspiredpeopletofightfortheirrighttobefree.

Jazzspeaksforlife.The
bluestellthestoryoflifesdifficultiesand,ifyouthinkforamoment,yourealizethatthey
takethehardestrealitiesoflifeandputthemintomusic,onlytocomeoutwithsomenewhope
orsenseoftriumph.Thisistriumphantmusic.(MartinLutherKingJr.).Jazzimpactedlifeon
everyoneinAmericaduringthesetimesandmadethingsseemliketheyweren'tasbadasthey
were.ThetimesduringthejazzagewerehorribleforeveryonebutifyouwereAfrican
Americaneverythingwasworsebecauseofracismandnotbeingtreatedasequals.
The
migrationlettotheHarlemRenaissance.
JazzcreatedabetterlifeforAmerica.TheHarlemRenaissancepromotedanintellectual
sideofAfricanAmericansbyshowingthatafterslaveryAfricanAmericanscandomorethan
justbeingaslave.AfricansAmericanscanmakeartsuchasjazz.LangstonHugheswanted
AfricanAmericanstoforgetabouttheirformertitlesasslaves.Hugheslistenedtojazzat
nightclubsandwrotejazzpoemswithjazzcombos.JazzwasawayoflifeforHughes,heeven
wroteachildrensbookcalledTheFirstBookofJazz.
CottonClubwasabigjazzclubinHarlemthatlotsofjazzartistswenttoduringthe
HarlemRenaissance.ArtistssuchasLouisArmstrong,SidneyBechetandDukeEllingtonoften
playedattheclub.LotsofpeoplewenttothecluborlistenedontheradioforEllington's
performanceeveryweek.EllingtonmadeasongafterCottonClubcalledCottonClubStomp.

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TheclubhadaracepolicythattherewasafrustrationoftoomanyAfricanAmericansatone
time.
DuringtheRenaissanceanewstyleofjazzcamealong,suchastheHarlemstridestyle
whichisawayofplayingthepiano.TherenaissancewastoembracetheAfricanAmerican
heritageandtobegladtobelivinginAmerica.Therenaissancehadaninterestinalljazzmusic
includingwhitebands.WhentheGreatDepressionhittheHarlemRenaissanceendedgladlybut
noweveryoneinAmericawashavinghorribletimes.
Whenthestockmarketcrashedmillionsofmenandwomenwereoutofworkin
America.ThehardtimeshitAfricanAmericansthehardest.About6outofevery10African
Americanslosttheirjobs.ThiswashardforAfricanAmericansbecausetheHarlemRenaissance
wastohelpAfricanAmericanscomeupinsocietywithbetterlivesandthenitallgetstaken
fromthem.Musicbusinessescameclosetogoingoutofbusiness,recordcompaniessellswent
downby10timesorevenwentoutofbusiness.Jazzmusiccameascloseasithasbeentobeing
Americasmostpopularmusicduringthistime.
Swingjazzwasinventedduringthedepression.Swingsavedthemusicindustry,after2
yearsmillionsofrecordshavestartedtobesoldagain.Swingmusicwasmadeforpeopleto
danceandbehappyduringsuchbadtimes.ItwasrecognizedasAmerica'smusic.
Therearemanydifferentjazzinstruments,suchasthesaxophone,trombone,trumpet,
bass,piano,drumsandavocalist.Thesaxophonewasintroducedintojazzin1923byatenor
saxophonist,ColemanHawkins,thesaxophonewasthenembracedbyjazzbandsinChicago.
DukeEllingtonsorchestrawasasaxophonebasedbandthathadmanysolosbythesaxophone
section.ThetrumpetwasthefirstwindinstrumentsinbigbandsinNewOrleansduringtheearly

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20s.Trombonesarentusuallyheardassoloinstrumentsbutplayabigroleinjazzmusicby
havingdistinctivepartsthatstandoutinasong.
ThefirstjazzmusicpublishedwasbyTommyTurpin,apianist,asagenrecalled
ragtime.Afterthefirstragtimesongpublished,jazzmusicstartedtogetmorepopularin
Americaandmoresongsarebeingmade.Copiesofthemusicwerebeingsoldfrequentlyto
bandsforming,ScottJoplinsMapleLeafRagsoldover100,000copies.NewOrleansbegan
toopenmoreparksmadeforragtimeandotherearlyjazzperformances.WithJazz,beingcreated
byAfricans,risingintheUnitedStatesracismisbeginningtogethigherandsongsarebeginning
tohavedirectinsultstotheAfricanAmericanrace.
Inthe1910sdifferentformsofjazzarebeginningtogetmorepopularsuchastheblues.
BlueswasfirstoriginatedonAfricanplantationsasspirituals.Bluesismadeupofchord
progressionsandthecallandresponsepattern,oftenheardwhensoloistsareimprovisingwith
eachother.LouisArmstrongisoneofthemostwellknownartistsofthistimeforoneofhis
mostfamoussongsWhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn.BandsleftNewOrleansandtraveledto
ChicagoandNewYorktospreadthesoundofjazzupnorth.
Inthe1930sswingjazzwascreated,itisoneofthemostpopulargenresofjazzmusic.
Swingisunmusicalbecauseofitslackoftimeandthesyncopationsbutthatiswhythestylewas
sounique.TherearemanypopularbandsofswingjazzsuchasDukeEllington,CountBasieand
GlennMiller.Swingjazzspopularityhititspeakinthe1940sandstilllivestodaywithmany
famousbands.
Whileswingjazzwasjustgettingpopularanotherbigstyleofjazzwasinventedcalled
bebop.Thetermbebopisanonomatopoeiabecauseoftheaccidentalmelodiesthatsoundsimilar

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tothesoundbebop.Mostjazzstylesaremadefordancingbutbebopisafastpacedstylethatis
madeforyoutolisten.Improvisationplaysabigrollinbebopoverthefastbackgroundusing
harmonicstructures.CharlieParkerandDizzyGillespieweretwoofthemostfamousbebop
artists.
JazzisthemostpopulargenreinAmericainthe19401950snowwithmanydifferent
stylesbutotherplacesintheworlddidntfavorjazzmusic.WiththeriseofNazipartiesradio
stationsinBerlinbannedjazzbroadcasts.Jazzmusicisusedfrequentlytodayinmanypopular
genreslikeHipHop,R&BandPop.Sincejazzmusichelpedcreatethosegenresithas
influencedstylesandchordstructureinthesongsbeingmade.Moderngenresusesomeofthe
samechordsandharmoniesthatisheardinjazzmusic.
Jazzisacomplexgenre,itsoundssimplebutjazzismorethanjustthemusicheard.Jazz
hasalook,amoodandafeel.Everydifferentstyleofjazzsoundsdifferentandmakesyoufeela
differentway,somestylesmakeyouwanttodancewhileothersmakeyoulistenandfocus.
Playingjazzismorecomplicatedthananyothertypeofmusicbecauseoftheformofit.During
theearlyjazzagelotsofartiststaughtthemselfhowtoplayjazzbecauseithadjustbeencreated
andnotmanypeoplewereteachingit.

Jazzdoesnotbelongtooneraceorculture,butisagiftthatAmericahasgiventhe
world(Kelman).JazzisagreatAmericancreationthathashelpedeveryoneandnotjustcertain
races.LotsofpeoplethinkthatjazzisblackmusicbutitiscreatedandownedbyAmericans
notacertainrace.JazzissharedwiththeworldandthemostpopularAmericanmademusic.
Improvisationisoneofthebiggestpartsofjazzmusic.Hearingsoloistsimproviseis
amazingbecausetheyreusingnothingbutchordchangesandscalestocreateasolo.

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Improvisingisalsooneofthemostdifficultpartsinplayingjazzbecauseyoumustknowallof
youmajorscales.Chordchangesnotonlyhavemajorscalesbuttheyalsohaveminor,
diminishedandmixolydian.Jazzimprovisationisntonlyusedbyinstruments,thevocalistalso
improvisesbyusingpitchesbutnotwordsjustsounds,likehummingbutwiththeirmouthopen.
Improvisationhaschangedmultipletimes,MilesDavisusedformsinhissolosbutJohnColtrane
changedthatandsoloedwithoutusingforms.
Withoutchordchangesandharmonicstructuresimprovisationorevenjazzitself
wouldnthavebeencreated.Oneofthefirsttimeschordchangeswereusedwasinbluesmusic.
Thereare12majorscaleswithachordforeachscale.Therearealso3othertypesofscalesthat
gowiththemajorscales,theyareminor,mixolydiananddiminished.Scaleshaveeightnotesand
everynoteisnumberedinnumericalorder.Minorscaleshaveaflatthird,sixthandseventh.
Mixolydianscalesonlyhaveaflatseventhandtheyareusedfrequentlyinjazz,especiallyin
blues.Scalesalsohavestepsinbetweeneachnote,thediminishedscaleisformedas:half,
whole,half,whole,half,whole,half,whole.

Putitthisway:JazzisagoodbarometeroffreedomInitsbeginnings,theUnited
StatesofAmericaspawnedcertainidealsoffreedomandindependencethroughwhich,
eventually,jazzwasevolved,andthemusicissofreethatmanypeoplesayitistheonly
unhampered,unhinderedexpressionofcompletefreedomyetproducedinthiscountry(Duke
Ellington).DukeEllingtonwasoneofthegreatestjazzartistsofalltime.Dukewasapianistand
conductedhisownorchestraandcomposedmusicformanyotherbands.DukeEllingtonsmusic
isoneofthemostpopularjazzmusicboughttoday.Heconductedhisorchestrafrom1923until
hediedin1974.ThereisajazzcompetitionnownamedafterDuke,namedEssentiallyEllington

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thatisthebiggestcompetitionforHighSchooljazzbandsinAmerica.AtEssentiallyEllington
jazzbandscanonlyplayselectedsongscreatedbyDukeEllington.
JazzisstillapopulargenreallacrosstheUnitedStatesinhighschools,colleges,
universities,andprofessionalbands.OneofthebiggestjazzbandistheJazzatLincolnCenter
ledbyWyntonMarsalis.WyntonMarsalisisajazztrumpetplayer,possiblyoneofthegreatest
ever.Wyntonistheonlytrumpetplayerthathaswonagrammyinjazzandclassicalmusic.
Betweenthe6070srockandrollovercamejazzmusicandbecamethemostpopular
musicinAmerica,becauseofthejazzwasntverybigatthetimeandwasthoughttodisappear
forgood.Thenjazzcamebackandchangedinthe80s.Thegenrefusedwithrockandelectronic
musictoformastylecalledfusion.Therearedifferentversionsoffusionjazz,oneofthemost
popularisacidjazz.Anotherverypopularstyleoffusionjazzissmoothjazz.KennyGisthe
mostpopularsmoothjazzartist,heisasopranosaxophoneplayer.
Foralmosthalfofthetwentiethcenturyjazzwasthemostpopulardancemusicin
America.Thereweremanybandsthatmadedancemusicbutdidnotplayjazz.Jazzmusic
helpedpushpeoplethroughtheCivilRightsMovement.Whileitwasaverysadandhardtime
formanyAfricanAmericans,theydancedandsungoverjazzmusictohelpthroughthetimes.
Onethingthatisntpopularinjazzmusicisjazzguitarists.Especiallyinoldjazzbands,
therewasonlyabassist,adrummer,apianistandthewindsection.Anotherthingthatwasnt
verypopularisfemalejazzmusicians.Therewerefewfemalejazzsingersusedeveryonceanda
whilebuttherewasntmanyintheactualband.
JazzisbyfarthemostinfluentialgenremadeinAmerica.Jazzhashelpedpeoplethrough
theworstoftimesandhasbroughtallofAmericaupwhenitwasdown.Thegenrehas

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influencedmusicallaroundtheworldandsomeofthemoderndaygenres,suchasR&B,Hip
HopandPop,wouldntbeinventedtodaybecauseithasbeeninfluencedbyjazz.Jazzhas
especiallyinfluencedlifeonAfricanAmericansbyhelpingthemattimessuchasTheGreat
Migration,TheHarlemRenaissanceandTheGreatDepression.Withoutjazzmusicnothing
aboutAmericatodaywouldbethesame.

WorkCited
Christian,Margena.CoollikeThat.EbonyJune2014:n.pag.EBSCOeBookCollection.Web.
13Feb.2015.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&
db=mat&AN=96174176&site=srclive>.

Hatza,George.TheStoryofJazz:AnEvolutionofDiverseMusic.ReadingEagle[PA]28
Mar.2014:n.pag.EBSCOeBookCollection.Web.13Feb.2015.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&
db=n5h&AN=2W63636269744&site=srclive>.

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Matthews,Andrew."JAZZ:AMERICA'SMUSIC."CobblestoneSept.2013:n.pag.EBSCO
eBookCollection.Web.13Feb.2015.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&
db=mat&AN=90114591&site=srclive>.

http://www.jazzinamerica.org/