Early Jazz/New Orleans & Chicago style Dixieland (1920-1930)
Characteristics
Use of collective improvisation (polyphony)
Frontline of Trumpet/Cornet, Clarinet, Trombone
Chicago Style also
typically adds saxophone
to the front line.
New Orleans style typically included
banjo and tuba, later replaced by guitar
and string bass in Chicago Style.
Use of flat four in New Orleans Style, later
replaced by lighter two beat feel in Chicago Style.
Modern drum set emerges when New Orleans
musicians begin to consolidate the drum
section (bass, snare, cymbals) commonly found
in early New Orleans brass bands.
Important Musicians
Louis Armstrong (cornet,trumpet)
Jelly Roll Morton
(piano/composer)
Sidney Bechet (soprano sax, clarinet)
Swing/Big Band Era (1930-1945)
Characteristics
Most popular period in jazz history. Large
ensembles, less improvisation, more
emphasis on written arrangements.
Emphasis on showmanship (band uniforms, theme
songs, logos on stands, choreography, singers).
Development of sections (saxes, trumpets, trombones,
rhythm) based on the early model of the front line in
New Orleans/Chicago Style Dixieland.
Smoother swing feel (steady 4/4
time with emphasis on 2 & 4,
walking bass, ride cymbal.
Important Musicians
Duke Ellington (piano/composer)
Count Basie (piano/bandleader)
Lester Young (tenor sax)
Bebop (1940-1955)
Characteristics
Bebop was primarily played by small groups (combos)
Focus on improvisation rather than on
complex arrangements. Rarely written down.
Bebop, developed through jam sessions -
informal, non-rehearsed gatherings of
musicians where they play together,
challenge each other (who can “outplay”
whom), and learn from each other.
Bebop was and still is the music most played at
jazz jam sessions because all the musicians need
to know are the head and chord progression
More musically complex than swing,
faster tempos, extended chords.
Bebop requires musical virtuosity
and artistry to play it
Use of Classical” instruments such as flute, French horn, tuba, and vibraphone (vibes)
Wider variety of size and instrumentation
often included counterpoint - two or more
melodic lines occurring at the same time
Whereas bebop was “hot,” i.e., loud, exciting, and loose, cool
jazz was “cool,” i.e., soft, more reserved, and controlled
Usually arranged (written) ahead of time;
unlike Bebop, both the arrangement and
the improvised solos were important.
Important Musicians
Miles Davis (trumpet)
Dave Brubeck (piano/composer)
Stan Getz (tenor sax)
Hard Bop (1951-1960)
Characteristics
A reaction to cool jazz,
musicians thought the music
had become too classical, too
European. Hard bop was a
return to music that was more
Afro-centric, more blues based
Primarily black musicians from New York City, Detroit and Philadelphia
The most important hard bop group was the Miles Davis Quintet of the mid 1950s.
The size and instrumentation of hard bop combos was similar to that
of its bebop forbearer: usually two or three horns plus rhythm section
Raw, hard driving style with an emotional emphasis
Important Musicians
Art Blakey (drums) & The Jazz Messengers
Cannonball Adderley (alto sax)
Charles Mingus
(bass/composer)
Free Jazz/Avant Garde (1960s)
Characteristics
Open or free forms; tunes often complete
improvisations. Collective improvisation of a
more dissonant, atonal nature.
Experimental instruments & instrumentations.
Ensembles omit use of a piano or chord instrument.
Use of unorthodox sounds (squeaks, screams, noise, etc.) and
extended techniques (altissimo register, multiphonics, etc.)
Interest in non-western musical concepts (world music) and 20th century
classical composers such as Cage and Stockhausen.
Important Musicians
Ornette Coleman (alto sax/composer)
Cecil Taylor (piano/composer)
Anthony Braxton (saxophones/composer)
Fusion/Jazz Rock (1970s)
Charcteristics
Extensive use of electronic instruments e.g. Fender Rhodes
Focus of attention on the rhythm section, studio recording
technology and the process of recording
More emphasis on straight eight note
feel (rock) than swing.
Pieces range from simple melodies with vamps
and open forms to complex through-composed,
sectionalized compositions.
Important Musicians
Miles Davis (trumpet/bandleader: In A Silent Way)
Chick Corea (keyboards/leader)
Weather Report (group)
Eclecticism (1980s & 1990s)
Characteristics
No single dominant stylistic trend has emerged in the 1980s or 1990s. Instead, a continuation of
previous styles, crossovers, and new styles derived from various sources are common.
Some notable trends within this
eclecticism seem to be:
1) a further sophistication of electronic jazz
through the use of computers
2) a resurgent neo-bop and neo-traditionalist
movement (Neo-Classicism)
3) expanded instrumental & vocal techniques
4) a greater involvement of women
5) the growth of European and "world music" jazz styles.
Important Musicians
Pat Metheny Group (fusion band)
Wynton Marsalis (trumpet/composer: associated
with Neo-Classic movement)
Michael Brecker (tenor sax: also founding member
of fusion group Steps Ahead)