Jazz in transition (big bands of swing era began to decline)
-big bands were expensive to maintain, small groups were much less expensive
-transportation of a big band was difficult in wartime
-big bands had a difficult time maintaining consistent personnel due to the draft
-b/c of the war, people had less money to
Small bands more popular
-in late 30's, a revivalist movement of early New Orleans jazz was developing (brought focus back on small group context)
-dynamic between blacks and white began to change prior to the war w/black communities beginning to assert themselves
-new music woul
Recording ban
-unfortunately a recording ban prevented the earliest examples of bebop from being recorded
-AFM instituted ban 1943, which lasted 2 years
-musicians were losing jobs as a result of wartime measures (taxes, curfews) and b/c radio & records were creating a
Bepop Era (1942-1955)
-more like modern jazz
-not as popular as swing era music: not for dancing, smaller venues, no vocalists, less commercial appeal (jazz as an art form, complex unsingable melodies)
-developed in after hours clubs in Harlem
-small group jam session approach
Characteristics of Bepop
-small groups emphasized
-not for dancing, allowing a greater variety of tempos/rhythmic freedom (& instrumental virtuosity)
-more improvisation & complex melodies/harmonies
-songs based on standard tunes, altered by complex chord progressions & abstract
Charlie "Bird" Parker (1920-1955)
-most important saxophonist (master improviser w/complete command of instrument), grew up w/blues
-built a system that was conveyed in his improvisations & compositions, which embodied: new ways of selecting/accenting notes compatible w/chords, accenting
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (1917-1993)
-1st important bebop trumpeter/greatest improvisers & composers in jazz
-one of 1st to play sax type lines on the trumpet (influence of Roy Eldridge)
-"Dizzy" nickname from clowning behavior/great entertainer
-interested in music of other cultures (Cuba-c
Dizzy Gillespie's Contributions
-a model on unparalleled trumpet mastery
-assembled a body of original compositions
-led a string of high quality combos & big bands featuring many jazz stars-to-be
-incorporated Afro-Cuban music into jazz
-created a new vocab. of phrases & ways of matchi
Earl "Bud" Powell (1924-1966)
-most imitated of bebop pianists
-influenced by Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Mary Lou Williams, Nat King Cole
-master of bebop language, rivaling Parker & Gillespie (laid foundation for all bebop pianists)
*Tempus Fugue It (great example of his technique, horn
Jazz in Los Angeles
-West Coast had a long history of jazz (N.O musicians recorded there as early as 1922)
-Central Ave was center for black life in LA (they were attracted by availability of work in shipbuilding industry)
-Central Ave was the Mecca for entertainment, which
Dexter Gordon (1923-1990)
-born & raised in LA
-considered 1st significant tenor sax to apply bebop style to his playing
-unique identifiable sound & very laid-back sense of phrasing
*Dexter Gordon Quintet-Long Tall Dexter (Leonard Hawkins, Bud Powell, Curly Russel, Max Roach, 12
New Directions
-bebop was a style that many who had grown up w/swing could NOT accept
-even though bop was an introverted, intellectual music, bebop musicians were interested in pleasing their audience
-1950s, new schools of jazz appeared including cool, hard bop, funk,
Modernism
-sees bebop & its successors as part of an inevitable evolution from simplicity to complexity
Fusion
-advocates the severance (cut off) of jazz & pop music as an error
-jazz should take its cue from its audience, not its critics
Ethnic interpretation
-claims that jazz should take its inspiration from African American elements and shun other practices such as experimentation & borrowing from other styles
Cyclical view
-sees jazz history as a series of cycles of innovation and elaboration: 1920s jazz is innovative, 1930s saw these innovations become more accessible through swing, 1940s bebop is innovative, 1950s jazz was made more accessible, 1960s avant-garde jazz was
Cool Jazz
-by 1950s, cool was used to describe a kind of toned-down jazz
-later became associated w/white musicians who relocated to Cali where they could get day gigs at movie studios (unlike African Americans) while playing jazz at night (called West Coast jazz)
Characteristics of Cool Jazz
-reflective, softer approach
-influenced by classical elements of tone, form, style, while retaining bebop improvisatory language
-greater emphasis on orchestration & arranging
-use of instruments usually associated w/orchestral music, french horn, bassoo
Cool Jazz/Third Stream
-began as a reaction to the explosive frenzy of bebop (strove for a more sophisticated, mature style)
-predominant players favored lighter tone & lyrical qualities of Lester Young and Miles Davis
-began utilizing college campuses as performance venues, ca
Lennie Tristano (1919-1978)
-transitional figure between bebop & cool jazz (piano/composer)
-studied music as a young man at a school for the blind, later at American Conservatory in Chicago
-guru figure
-moved to NY to work Parker & Gillespie
-1951, founded a jazz school in NY (fir
Tadd Dameron (1917-1965)
-transitional figure between bebop & cool jazz (piano/composer)
-pianist of limited ability, worked as composer/arranger for big bangs & artists during swing era
-wrote many compositions of bebop era (Good Bait, Our Delight, Lady Bird, Hot House, Sid's De
Miles Davis and the Birth of the Cool
-1945, 19 yr old Miles Davis played on Parker's first recording
-1949, Davis led group of musicians who were interested in slowing down pace of music/rebalancing mix between improvisation & composition
-group consisted of a coalition that was interracial,
Birth of the Cool
-although there were precedents in jazz for this concept of music (Ellington), these young modernists looked to classical chamber music for sonorities that favored: middle range instead of high notes, French horn & tuba, toned-down rhythm in place of up-f
Birth of the Cool & Gil Evans
-Gil Evans was oldest of group (ingenious orchestrator, who explored instrumental possibilities when he worked in Claude Thornhill band, which included French horns, tuba, flute, bass clarinet in addition)
-lived close to center of action, so people would
Gill Evans (1912-1988)
-one of the great original voices of jazz (arranger/composer/piano/bandleader)
-orchestrated arrangements w/standard big band instrumentation plus 2 french horns & a tuba
-fascinated by sound textures (later arranged Jimi Hendrix songs for big band)
*Mile
Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996)
-pivotal figure along w/Miles Davis & Gil Evans in Birth of the Cool sessions (baritone sax, composer, arranger)
-able to improvise on baritone w/light tone & dexterity of alto sax
-worked as arranger/altoist for Gene Krupa & Claude Thornhill
-1952, co-le
Modern Jazz Quartet
-group created by pianist/composer John Lewis (1920-2001)
-classical chamber ensemble feeling
-in contrast to Mulligan quartet, MJQ was an African-American, East Coast, long-lasting band
-Lewis wanted to change how jazz was presented (every performance be
Dave Brubeck (B. 1920)
-came to prominence in SF during 1950's (piano/composer)
-3 years before Miles' "birth of the cool" sessions, Brubeck was making similar recordings as a student, working under Darius Milhaud
-next to Miles, Brubeck became the most popular jazz artist duri
Hard Bop
-in opposition to cool, hard bop was an East Coast revival of bop w/harder edge
-Miles instigated this turn & started to record a tougher, more urban, straight-ahead, more rhythmic, emotional music
-played mostly by urban musicians originally from Detroit
Characteristics of Hard Bop
-simpler than bebop (but same basic harmonic & rhythmic territory)
-change in drumming style, more activity, use of backbeat
-darker, heavier, rougher sounds from instruments
-more original compositions, less based on pop tune chord progressions or forms
The LP (Long Playing Record)
-1948, Columbia introduced 12 inch microgroove LP recordings that had 20 mins/side of music made of vinyl (RCA-Victor introduced 45-rpm vinyl single-play recording same year)
-LP allowed recordings of longer jazz pieces that better reflected live performa
Art Blakey (1919-1990)
-1954, Blakey (drums/bandleader) & pianist Horace Silver formed a group ("Horace Silver & the Jazz Messengers")
-typified growing hard bop movement (hard, funky, bluesy)
-1956, Silver left band & Blakey became leader
-Jazz Messengers had always been an in
Horace Silver (B. 1928)
-began playing piano & sax in HS, inspired by blues singers & boogie-woogie pianists & boppers (Thelonious Monk & Bud Powell)
-his piano style became a model for subsequent mainstream pianists
-outstanding composer, written many unique, contrasting works
Clifford Brown (1930-1956)
-trumpet
-1954, recorded brilliant solos at Birdland w/Art Blakey's quintet, & later formed a quintet w/Max Roach
-considered one of premiere hard bop bands
-he had a fat warm tone, bop-ish style & mature improving approach
-died at age 26 so did not have
Clifford Brown's Legacy To Jazz
-virtuosic command of instrument
-co-led group w/Max Roach that is still considered one of the greatest in jazz history
-sometimes incorporated fairly complex rhythmic/arranging devices
-always maintained a very relaxed sound, a result of his mastery of t
Max Roach (1924-2007)
-he and Kenny Clarke instigated a revolution in jazz drumming
-started playing at 10 & took formal musical studies at Manhattan School of Music
-by age 18, he played bebop jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse & Monroe's Uptown House w/Charlie Parker & Dizzy
Max Roach's Contributions to Jazz
-considered epitome of bebop drumming
-father of modern drum solo
-emphasized a melodic approach to drum set
-early experiments w/jazz in different time signatures
-along w/Kenny Clarke, Max solidified bebop drumming concepts (expressing the time on the r
Sonny Rollins (B. 1930)
-one of the true jazz giants (all-time great tenor saxophonists)
-remains a very vital soloist (skill at turning unlikely material into jazz, unaccompanied flights, rhythmic freedom, and ability to organize & manipulate motivic material in his solos have
Wes Montgomery (1923-1968)
-one of the major jazz guitarists (emerging after Django Reinhardt & Charlie Christian, influencing generations to follow)
-came from a musical family, released albums w/brothers (Montgomery Brothers)
-signed w/recording contract Riverside Records b/c Can
Composers in the 1950s
4 jazz composers represent 4 approaches to expanding the jazz canvas:
-Monk worked w/blues & standard song forms
-Mingus worked w/and expanded conventional forms, adding effects from gospel, ragtime, bop, classical music
-Gil Evans radically transformed t
Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)
-piano/composer
-one of the originators of the bebop style (member of the house band at Minton's Playhouse)
-strong individual, said what he felt, played the way he wanted w/out concern for what was the popular ideal
-borrowed from stride styles of James
Charles Mingus (1922-1979)
-virusos bassist (familiar in all styles extant in his lifetime from early jazz to big band to free jazz)
-played w/Art Tatum, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
-his compositional style was largely indebted to Ellington & traditions o
Gil Evans (1912-1988)
*Claude Thornhill Orchestra-Robbins' Nest (arranged by Gil, melody has a cool detached quality, subtle swing, modern orchestral quality to horn lines, solos are understated & spacious), Gil Evans Orchestra-King Porter Stomp (arranged by Gil, composed by J
George Russell (1923-2009)
-bandleader/composer/arranger who didn't perform professionally on an instrument
-seen as the "father" of the modal jazz movement that would become an important new direction in jazz of the 1960s
-his arranging greatly influenced modern composers/arranger
Miles Davis (1926-1991)
-trumpet, composer, bandleader
-nobody looms larger is postwar jazz than Miles
-he had a great capacity for change & changed the rules of jazz 5 times: the "Birth of Cool" helped focused a younger generation's search for something beyond bop/started cool
Miles Davis' Jazz Legacy
-created an original/substantial trumpet style
-produced many recordings
-facilitated the 'birth of the cool' sessions
-his mid-fities quintet/sextet represented the height of jazz playing in that period
-pioneered modal jazz on his "Kind of Blue" album,
Characteristics of Miles' Trumpet Style
-use of Harmon mute
-dramatic use of space
-unique sense of timing/swing
-great sense of tone color/use of long tines allowed listeners time to appreciate colors
-uses little or no vibrato
-favors middle register of trumpet
-later work shows a more cluste
Miles' Musical Evolution
-played w/Charlie Parker during bebop era
-led "birth of the cool" sessions
-after difficulties w/drugs, he returned to lead one of the all-time great bands (his hard-bop quintet/sextet)
-historic comeback on July 17th 1955 at Newport Jazz Festival, fuele
Miles Davis Quintet/Sextet Recordings
*Surrey with the Fringe on Top (muted trumpet, Davis/Coltrane, originally from musical 'Oklahoma')
*Miles (his first foray into modal jazz)
*New Rhumba (arranged by Gil Evans)
*So What (from his famous recording 'Kind of Blue,' bass plays melody & horns a
John Coltrane (1926-1967)
-tenor/soprano saxophones
-as a young player, worked in bands led by Dizzy Gillespie & Duke Ellington
-1955, joined Davis' group which brought his name to national prominence (heroin problem didn't help with that though)
-rejoined Davis playing in his sex
Coltrane's Recordings
*Giant Steps (1960, finally left Davis' band & launched his solo career & his "classic quart" at the Jazz Gallery in NY)
*My Favorite Things (originally from Oscar & Hammerstein's 'The Sound of Music')
*India (shows influence of east Indian classical musi
The Classic Quartet's Characteristics
-sustained & repeated tones in bass part (called pedal points)
-drum patterns whose basic unit occupied several measures instead of just a few beats
-sustaining piano chords
-focus on modal harmony
-long term continuity of mood (composition & lengthy impr
Coltrane's Characteristics
-sheets of sound, dense improvisations
-squeezing high, crying, notes out of the instrument
-long runs that sweep across the range of the instrument, contrasted by long sustained notes
-popularized soprano sex
-practiced obsessively
Free Jazz/Avant-Garde/The New Thing/Improvised Music
-avant garde the "advanced guard:" at the cutting edge, innovators not imitators, reflects the latest creation/invention that is outside the norm, non-traditional
Free Jazz
-generally free jazz is characterized by unique voices
-highly individualized however "free" does not necessarily mean that there is no form or order to the music
-performances often have some theme upon which the players will build
-a reaction to the soc
Characteristics of Free Jazz
-no preset chord progressions
-generally the piano is omitted
-extensive manipulations of pitch and tone quality, often times simulating the sound of the human voice
-sometimes improvised textures assume greater importance than the development of melodies
Free Jazz
-divided jazz world in half
-on one hand, it was criticized for being too political (partly true when it came to civil rights, anti-Vietman War movement, Black Power)
-on other hand, its supporters called free jazz a people's music, even though it alienat
Ornette Coleman (B. 1930)
-alto sax/violin/trumpet/composer
-fan of Charlie Parker (apparent in work)
-extremely unique, controversial, innovative voice in jazz
-1950, joined band of blues singer Pee Wee Crayton in LA but was then fired
-returned to Fort Worth and then back to LA
Coleman's Recordings
*Invisible (angular, unusual melody, frantic quality, only early recording that would use a piano), Lonely Woman (recorded only 2 months after previous release 'Tomorrow is the Question'), Ramblin' (loosely based on the blues, 16 bars of bass pedal follow
Coleman's Career
-2007, received Pulitzer Prize for his recording, 'Sound Grammar'
-career continued w/various ups & downs, but his influence was profound on those who followed
-he explored writing for a variety of ensembles including symphony orchestra
-highly regarded b
Cecil Taylor (B. 1929)
-virtuosic pianist inspired by Dave Brubeck, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington
-entered New England Conservatory
-early work characterized by use of standard jazz repertoire while his improvisations went beyond harmonies
-highly percussive, clus
Albert Ayler (1936-1970)
-tenor sax
-rooted in the blues, gospel, jazz
-entered army in later 1950s (stationed in Europe) & worked w/Cecil Taylor there after being discharged, then moved to NY
-heralded by Coltrane who saw him as an extension of his own work
-huge sound/played in
Avant-Garde 2nd Generation
-came of age in 1970s, schooled in Midwest
-formed collectives, not unlike fraternal societies of New Orleans
-collectives arranged rehearsals, secured work, set the stage for the creation of new music
-Black Artist Group (BAG) arose in St. Louis; Horace
AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians)
-started in Chicago by pianist, composer, bandleader Muhal Richard Abrams
-1965, he & others started the AACM
-each member had to write new music for the ensemble
-1969, AACM organized a music education program for inner-city youths
-1960s/70s, members we
The Art Ensemble of Chicago (AEC)
-most important band to come out of the AACM
-popularized "little" instruments (bells, whistles, hand drums) which were used in AACM concerts to add some African content
-members used makeup, and trumpeter Lester Bowie always appeared in a lab coat
-conce
The Loft Scene (1974-1986)
-during this era, the new music in NY was played in lofts, churches, galleries & recorded by small labels often owned by the musicians
-lasted 12 years (at which time major labels/venues began to accept the new music)
-1987, the Knitting Factory opened a
David Murray (B. 1955)
-tenor sax
-initially influenced by free jazz musicians (Albert Ayler & Archie Shepp)
-set himself apart from most tenor players of his generation by not taking John Coltrane as his model, choosing instead to incorporate elements of Coleman Hawkins, Ben W
New Idioms
-late 1960s saw rise of a fusion btwn jazz and the rhythms, instrumentation, and repertory of rock
Swing's Triple Pop Legacy
-as swing faded, it became clear that were 3 successors aside from bebop: rhythm & blues, mainstream pop vocals, latin jazz
Rhythm & Blues
-1940s: an offshoot of swing called "jump" (eventually part of R&B) focused on blues, fast tempos, brash, humorous lyrics, ensemble riffs
-in addition to swing, boogie-woogie rhythm proved essential to R&B
-pianists and blues "shouters" like Big Joe Turne
Louis Jordan
-alto sax, singer, songwriter, bandleader
-68 hits on both the R&B charts & predominantly white, mainstream pop charts
-1938: formed own band, Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five (sounding like a big band-proved that a small ensemble could be successful & a
Ray Charles
-piano, alto sax, vocalist
-blind from age 6
-represented a swing, bop, R&B, gospel, and rock fusion while alienating church going blacks with his use of gospel techniques in secular music
-originally got into music in Seattle 1940s, leading a jazz trio i
Soul Jazz
-vocalists like Charles & others reached a larger audience that jazz musicians leading their own groups (for musicians wanting to reach a mainstream audience, soul jazz)
-based on hard bop of Blakey, Silver, Adderley with a strong backbeat; an aggressive
Jimmy Smith
-hammond organ
-influential as jazz and R&B fusion artist in black community during 50s/60s (trio w/organ, drums & guitar or sax)
-studied piano w/his parents and Bud Powell (& bass after serving in WWII)
-toured w/his father, playing blues and gospel inf
Frank Sinatra
-born into working-class Italian family
-heavily promoted on radio, at the movie, in the press (popularity soared)
-singing style combined crooning style of Bing Crosby w/bel canto technique of Italian opera
-influenced by female jazz singers such as Bill
Nat Cole
-piano and later singer
-most successful black recording artist of postwar period
-in both musical & commercial terms, greatest postwar crooner
-made his 1st recording w/Solid Swingers (jazz band led by his brother Eddie)
*Nat King Cole Trio-"I Got Rhythm
Sarah Vaughan
-voice
-comes from heart of jazz: bop harmonies, rhythms, and improvisation
-won Apollo Theater's Amateur Night when she was 18 (Earl Hines heard her & offered her a job in his band, sharing piano and singing duties w/Billy Eckstine)
-recorded bop in 1944
Sarah Vaughan's Risks Taken
-she explored harmony through her piano and applied this to her singing
-had a range exceeding 4 octaves & precise intonation (feeling for blues from her gospel roots), and excellent sense of swing
-by the time she signed w/Mercury Records, she was record
Latin Jazz
-dance beats from Caribbean have had a long relationships with jazz
-postwar jazz was especially influenced by Cuban music (salsa) and Brazilian music (bossa nova)
-Cuban influence includes the rumba of 30's, mambo of 40's, cha-cha-cha of 50s
-Cuban bands
Mario Bauza
-trumpet
-one of 1st to introduce Latin music to US by bringing Cuban musical styles into NY jazz scene
-worked in Chick Webb's band
-1939, started Afro-Cuban band with bandleader, singer, and maracas player Machito (Frank Grillo)
*"Tanga" (1st piece to b
Machito (Frank Grillo)
-maracas
-worked in a number of Latin bands before joining Bauza in 1939
-band folded for lack of work (Bauza joined Cab Calloway and Machito joined Xavier Cugat before forming his own Afro-Cuban band & hiring Bauza as director)
-after he returned from th
Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo
-Dizzy started working toward a Latin jazz fusion w/his 1946 big band for which he hired CONGA player Chano Pozo
-Dizzy learned about this music from Bauza when they were both in the Cab Calloway band (he knew very little about Cuban music until Bauza sta
Mongo Santamaria
-congas
-had own hit with "Watermelon Man" written by Herbie Hancock (helped pave way for Latin-soul fusion)
-studied violen and then drums (worked w/Tito Puente when arrived in states)
-became archetypal crossover musician
-made many commercial recording
Bossa Nova
-Brazilian origin, an interesting style that fuses the traditional Brazilian samba (a percussion only style) w/American jazz harmonies & cool jazz lyricism
-in Brazil, the movement was led by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, Joao Gilberto
-Jobim insisted
Stan Getz
-tenor sax
-1 of the great saxophonists (known as "The Sound" b/c of his beautiful tone quality)
-a discipline of Lester Young school (fully versed in modern jazz)
-came up playing w/many popular big bands in 40's (most notably one of the "four brothers
The 1970's
-period of stylistic pluralism in jazz (musicians were playing in every style from early to jazz to free jazz)
-economically, it was a difficult period for jazz (rock music had become predominant popular form)
-jazz clubs closed
-socially, jazz represente
Characteristics of Fusion
-shift to electronic instruments & processing
-recording process became an art itself, allowing musicians to edit/manipulate result
-rock based rhythms & grooves, varied rhythm section aesthetic from jazz-interaction to static groove
-groups became focus
Differentiating Early Fusion from Rock
-primarily instrumental
-less predictable than rock
-more complex melodic lines (more syncopated rhythms)
-electronics are often used more texturally than melodically
-more emphasis on improvisation
Fusion
-there have been suggestions that Miles Davis as NOT the 1st musician to attempt to fuse jazz & rock
-some cite Larry Coryell, others Tony Williams, but its accepted that Miles' "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew" recordings were the 1st to receive natio
Miles Davis Recordings
*"In a Silent Way," "It's About That Time" (included Davis-trumpet, Wayne Shorter-sax, Herbie Hancock-electric piano, Tony Williams-drums, John McLaughlin-guitar)
-helped to define fusion
*"Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" (many feat. musicians, from 'Bitches
Tony Williams
-drums, composer
-veteran of Miles' influential mid-60s quintet & performed on "In A Silent Way"
-17 when began playing w/Miles (interested in rock music & jazz)
*"Sangria for Three" (w/John McLaughlin & Larry Young, samba-like/quasi-Spanish flavor)
John McLaughlin
-guitar, composer (roots lay in rock & blues)
-through Tony Williams, he was introduced to Miles (recorded "In A Silent Way" & "Bitches Brew" with)
-looked to as predecessor to rock guitar throne after Hendrix's passing
-formed Mahavishnu Orchestra (inter
Armando "Chick" Corea
-piano, composer
-performed on "In A Silent Way" & "Bitches Brew" too
-formed Return to Forever after disbanding his group Circle, a free group with Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, Barry Altschul
-loved sound of Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira & deci
Wayne Shorter
-tenor/soprano sax, composer
-veteran of bands of Art Blakey & Miles
-one of the greatest composers
-cofounded Weather Report w/Joe Zawinul
Joe Zawinul
-piano, synthesizer, composer
-born in Austria, emigrated to US
-came to prominence as member of Cannonball Adderly's band
-he, along with Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock, was one of 1st to use electric piano and early synthesizers
Weather Report
-initially the group drew heavily on influence of 'Bitches Brew' (but more subtle approach)
-relied less on extended timbrel manipulations of the Davis groups & focused more on the use of synthesizers (particularly as a solo instrument) & on the infusion
Herbie Hancock
-piano, synthesizers
-veteran of Miles' quintet and in "In A Silent Way" recording"
-had soul jazz hits with "Watermelon Man," "Cantaloupe Island" so no stranger to groove music
-initial fusion recordings were largely in the Miles vein, largely textural,
The Brecker Brothers
-tenor sax, Michael & trumpeter, Randy
-both led prolific careers as studio musicians but had their roots in straight-ahead jazz
-their formidable talent made them at home in any genre, their band focused on progressive funk & fusion
*"Same Skunk Funk
ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music)
-record label founded in Germany by Manfred Eicher in 1969
-label's output shares a certain common aesthetic framework, including: a crisply nuanced recording, repertoire consisting mostly of original compositions by the artists, stark & minimalist photog
Keith Jarrett
-piano, composer
-veteran of Davis' fusion groups
-member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers
-intensely lyrical pianist
-most popular solo piano performance was 'The Koln Concert'
-a paramount figure in establishing the German ECM label (his recordings put t
Pat Metheny
-guitar, composer
-grew up near Kansas city
-initially a discipline of Wes Montgomery
-heavily influences by Ornette Coleman w/whom he recorded "Song X"
-playing characterized by greatly lyrical melodies & solos, a "country" influence
-Pat Metheny Group h
Gary Burton
-vibraphone, composer
-master of 4 mallet technique
-worked w/George Shearing before working w/Stan Getz
-he co-led a group w/guitarists Larry Coryell with strong rock influences
-his groups helped to define a new sound (often associated w/ECM label) that
80's Fusion
-Chick Corea Elektric Band was one of the most influential in 80s
-band was the model of instrumental virtuosity in 80s, particularly influential were drummer Dave Weckl & bassist John Patitucci
-Corea has split his time playing acoustic piano in more mai
Miles Davis Part II
-he left the music scene for most of the mid-late 70s, only to return, reinvigorated in 1979
-he was interested in the music of Prince, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper at this time
*"Tutu
Quincy Jones
-trumpet, composer, arranger
-one of several important musicians to evolve from the Seattle jazz scene
-came to prominence as trumpet player & arranger
-evolved into a prominent producer of pop music in 60s/70s
*"Jazz Corner of the World" (includes Sarah
John Scofield
-guitar, white
-veteran of Davis' early 80s group
-at ease in bebop idiom & well versed in jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, rock, and other forms of modern American music
-one of the most prolific artists of last 30 years
-extremely influential
-unique ton
The Downtown Scene
-center of this scene was primarily focused around the "downtown" NYC club The Knitting Factory
-center of the 80s, avant-garde jazz scene
John Zorn
-alto sax
-inspired by contemporary classical musicians, mainstream jazz musicians, cartoon music
-his main free jazz influences are Anthony Braxton & Ornette Coleman
-created a new trend w/the formation of his group Masada (described as Ornette Coleman m
Bill Frisell
-guitar, white
-eclectic tastes and an original sound, he redefined the electric guitar (considered one of the most influential voices in jazz of the last 20 years)
-playing has bridged gap between free & quasi-mainstream styles, a frequent collaborator w
The Weight of History
-jazz history has been considered as several things: 1. art-for-art's sake: an art that progresses through radical leaps of creativity by master musicians
2. a "fusion" tradition that changes in response to contemporary pop culture
3. historicism, wherein
Historicism at Work
-in the 21st century artists try to energize the present by mining the past through interpretation and homage. (in 50s/60s jazz musicians tried to create new & original works)
-these are mined by present-day musicians 3 kinds of historicist principles: 1.
Avant-Garde Historicism (1970s)
-historicism was almost totally absent during the 60s
-the 1st wave of avant-garde musicians emphasized new directions
-eclectic 2nd wave of 70s did not ignore jazz history
-also during this period record companies started to release box sets encompassing
Anthony Braxton
-all reed instruments & piano
-studied philosophy at university, joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)
-1969, released a double album of unaccompanied alto sax solos that created quite a furor (anger) over familiar issues
The Neoclassicists
-loft era musicians drew on older resources combined w/new ways of playing to create "free jazz"-meaning they were free to play whatever they wanted
-during 80s, one response to this approach appeared in the form of new classicism (older styles, practices
Wynton Marsalis
-trumpet, composer
-son of N.O pianist Ellis Marsalis
-at home playing classical as well as jazz but quit classical in mid-90s
-worked w/Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers
-formed a group w/brother (sax-Brandford) modeled after the mid-sixties Miles Davis quint
Keith Jarrett
-formed the "Standards Trio" which would become his primary avenue of musical expression & one of the finest groups in history of jazz
-was at odds w/commercialism & stylization that Marsalis et al were bringing to jazz
-felt that the "young lions" repres
Ronald Shannon Jackson & James Carter
-from 2 different generations, drummer Jackson & sax Carter are both virtuosos who look beyond the usual boundaries of jazz to explore the avant-garde, fusion, & traditional jazz (all anchored in 90s improvisation
*"Now's The Time" (reinterprets blues via
Ronald Shannon Jackson
-1975, joined Ornette Colemans' band Prime Time & recorded 2 fusion albums w/Coleman (bringing funk to the avant-garde)
-recorded w/Cecil Taylor
-started his own band, Decoding Society, with the goal of finding the common denominator of a broad variety of
James Carter
-1994, at age 25, recorded w/Decoding Society on "What Spirit Joy"
-considered an exemplar of the historicism that opened borders in the present while engaging the past
-worked w/Lester Bowie (avant-garde) & Wynton Marsalis (historicist), both of whom rec
Jazz Today-Four Phases
-jazz has gone through 4 broad stages that mark its place in the cultural world
1. (1890s-1920s): genesis of jazz in the black South (esp NO), where musical & cultural mixes resulted in an improvised, bluesy music that helped build social bonds in a varie
Lingua Franca
-although there is no single jazz school, jazz musicians all speak the same language, which is grounded in bebop & respect for the past-a lingua franca
-one reason for this is that jazz education has been codified in undergraduate music programs
-and yet,
Jazz Today-Esperanza Spalding
-bass/voice
-2011 Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist
*"Smile Like That
Diana Krall
-piano/voice
-2 Grammy Awards, 8 Juno Awards
-married to Elvis Costello
*"Let's Fall in Love
Brad Mehldau
-piano
-astounding combination of inventiveness, virtuosity, musicality
-draws his material from the Great American Songbook & popular music of bands like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Radiohead
*"Knives Out
Robert Glasper
-piano
-integrates hip-hop & neo-soul with jazz to remedy what he feels is a lack of energy & direction in the current state of jazz
*"Maiden Voyage," "Everything In It's Right Place
Dave Douglas
-trumpet
-his music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, like classical music, folk music from Euro. countries & klezmer
*"High On A Mountain
Chris Potter
-tenor sax
*"The Wheel
Kneebody
-"a resolutely un-pindownable band" acclaimed for their eclectic style, which uses a common jazz instrumentation to make a somewhat less common amalgam/mixture of urban-signifying genres, from electro-pop to punk-rock to hip-hop
*"Blue, Yellow, White
Nels Cline
-guitarist w/popular band, Wilco
*"The Nels Cline Singers