EXAM 5 PART 2

Jazz Crosses Over

In 1967, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears came on the pop music scene. Their albums were
successful and demonstrated jazz experimentation. The achievement of their first few albums
reveals the powers of jazz improvisation and ambitious arranging within the context of the pop
music mainstream.

Listening example: Spinning Wheel

Artist: Blood Sweat and Tears

An equally successful horn band that emerged at about the same time was Chicago. Although the
jazz concept was less evident in their style of improvisation and arranging, their presentation was
no less ambitious. Chicago featured extended compositions, complex rock guitar solos, and a
penetrating unison horn sound. By labeling Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears as jazz, this
brought the mainstream of pop and jazz much closer together. With this, the group Dreams was
formed, with future jazz-rock greats Don Grolnick, Randy and Michael Brecker, and Billy
Cobham. Many musical groups have worked within the jazz-rock style such as the iconic
ensembles Tower of Power, the Yellowjackets, and Spyro Gyra.

Listening example: Make Me Smile

Artist: Chicago

Listening example: What is Hip?

Artist: Tower of Power

Listening example: Revelation

Artist: The Yellowjackets

Listening example: Some Skunk Funk

Artist: The Brecker Brothers

Smooth Jazz
Currently, the most discernable form of instrumental jazz is commonly categorized as smooth
jazz. Often disregarded by those in the inner circle of jazz musicians and connoisseurs, smooth
jazz and the musicians associated with it are typically dismissed as purveyors of elevator music,
un-jazz, jazz with training wheels, lite jazz (a third less chords than your regular jazz), etc. It is
true that the emotional range of the music is limited, but this is because it is intended to be
soothing, romantic, classy, and for the most part, innocuous; music for doing something else like
relaxing, shopping, dining, and romancing.
The musician on the ground floor of the smooth jazz style is alto saxophonist David Sanborn (b.
1945). He is a competent jazz player, having played with the Brecker Brothers and Gil Evanss
orchestra in the 1970s. His sound is recognizable - bluesy, emotional, and laden with a fast
vibrato. His sound became the pop/commercial sound for the saxophone and has spawned
countless imitators.

Listening example: Hideaway

Artist: David Sanborn

Listening example: The Beginning of a Love Affair

Artist: Bill Yeager

Trumpeter Chris Botti took over as the most popular smooth jazz artist in the 2000s. He has
been the most convincing to those in the mainstream jazz world. His playing is reminiscent of
Miles Daviss ballad performances, with a plaintive, soft sound.

Listening example: Emmanuel

Artist: Chris Botti, with violinist, Lucia Micarelli

Free Jazz
Free jazz emerged in the late 1950s as a reaction against the rigidity of bebop music with its rigid
chord structures. It was developed to free the improviser from pre-set chords and formal design.
The results are dissonant and rambling to the average listener. Although free jazz is the least
appreciated form of jazz, it is steadfastly continued by its pioneers, such as Ornette Coleman,
Pharoah Sanders, Arthur Blythe, and Don Cherry. Musicians such as Anthony Braxton and Sun
Ra, based in Philadelphia, continued propelling the free jazz cause. They have successfully
integrated elements of world folk music, twentieth-century art music concepts, and theatrical
components into their styles.
Latin Jazz
Latin music has always been a part of jazz. Latin jazz rose to prominence in the 1940s when
Dizzy Gillespie teamed with Cuban drummer Chano Pozo to fuse Cuban music with the new
bebop style of jazz. Non-Latin advocates of Latin music include Stan Kenton and vibraphonist
Cal Tjader.
From the 1940s on, Latin artists such as Tito Puente have led a vibrant New York Latin jazz
scene that has continued to thrive to this day. Current Latin jazz artists include trumpeter Arturo
Sandoval, Paquito DRivera, Eddie Palmieri, and Ray Barretto, all of who represent the Cuban
side of Latin jazz.

Listening example: Ran Kan Kan

Artist: Tito Puente

Listening example: The Palmieri Effect

Artist: Eddie Palmieri