Jazz

Important points about Jazz!

• • Jazz at first was a fusion between African American folk music and European classical music. The pull from both cultures, was seen as a vehicle of desegregation and was often an early voice for civil rights. Jazz also pulled directly from The Blues, with improvisation and telling the Black story.

• • Jazz showcases improvisation, “communication” between musicians, heavily responsive.

• • Improvisation: skill of soloing over music, following a chord pattern to create a new melody on the spot.

• • Also showcases talented performers in small instrumental ensembles and individual music theory knowledge.

• • Lots of subgenres and different “fusion” examples with various genres such as: Dixieland, Bebop, Swing, Jazz Fusion, Avant-Garde/Free Jazz, etc…

• Instruments consist of: bass, drums, guitar, horns (trumpets, saxophones, etc), vocals (sometimes but not always), and piano. Jazz ensembles are divided in different sections: the rhythm section (bass, drums, and piano) provide a steady beat throughout the track, while the melody section (horns) plays the chorus altogether and afterwards separately with solo’s.