Jazz

  Jazz

   Most people hear the word jazz and think one of two things: “What a beautiful, interesting, exciting genre! I love jazz!” or “Oh, like elevator music.” I have been both of these people. One of my favorite jazz/funk songs to play is “Cold Duck Time” by Eddie Harris and Les McCann. I’ve played this in a restaurant, I play it at home, I play it with other musicians for fun, I love this song. The first time I heard it I told my grandpa, “Yeah it's really cool... for a hotel lobby or elevator.” I just wasn’t interested. I heard the music, but I wasn’t listening. It became much more enjoyable when I got to playing the song. Now, I listen to jazz all the time, and it is one of my favorite genres to play. As I listened to more of it I began to hear the interesting patterns and unique sounds it uses. I began to see that there was a lot more to the genre than just boring, repetitive, patterns that are used to make a short elevator ride less awkward.

Origins and Characteristics

     Jazz is an older genre of music when compared to things like metal, hip-hop, rock, etc. It originated in New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style they played is now called Dixieland, though some at the time would still consider it ragtime- the genre jazz originates from. This early jazz is upbeat, energetic, or “hot”. It was played mostly on horns, drums, piano, and double bass. These musicians would use complex chords, blues patterns, and notes, call and response patterns, and improvisation. They used interesting sounds to evoke emotion and add character to their playing such as glissandos, sudden breaks in the music, half-valving, growls, and using mutes. The improvisation is a huge part of the genre. Players would take turns soloing on a song, playing the melody their way and adding their own character to it. Jazz of this kind was not being read off of sheet music, it was being made on the spot using a simple base. This makes jazz an exciting genre to play, and, if you are listening to it with these things in mind, an exciting genre to listen to as well.

Some of these early artists include: 

• Louis Armstrong

• King Oliver

• Duke Ellington

• Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Latin Samba

     Samba is another jazz style of music that evolved from African culture. It originated around the same time, (late 19th century and early 20th century) and has its own unique and recognizable sound. The samba is both a style of music and dance and is a significant part of Brazilian culture. While sambas are traditionally in 4/4 time, it has syncopated rhythms that give it a wildly different sound than American jazz. The rhythm sections in these songs are what provide the famous Latin sound. Some of these Latin percussive instruments are the shaker or maraca, clave, congo, güiro, and cajón. Of course, there are many more, but these instruments are very recognizable as having a Latin, samba sound to them.

Bossa Nova

     Bossa nova is similar to samba in many ways. They are both Brazilian styles of music with classic Latin instruments, sounds, and rhythms. Bossa nova, however, is a blend of new jazz (an American style of jazz that formed after WWII) and samba. The biggest difference between the two is that unlike the samba, bossa nova is not a style of dance. Sung in Portuguese, bossa nova has very soft, smooth vocals/ melodies. A great example of such vocals can be found with American saxophonist Stan Getz. His smooth saxophone playing perfectly captures the style of bossa nova melodies. Guitar is also a big part of bossa nova songs, often being the primary instrument. One great bossa nova guitarist is Luiz Bonfá. His beautiful guitar playing accompanies many bossa nova songs, as these artists often collaborated. He also sings in many of his songs. Some great bossa nova songs include:

• The Girl from Ipanema

•  Samba de uma nota só 

• Perdido de Amor

• So Danca Samba