Jazz History and Development by the Years - Essay Example

Jazz history Jazz history Jazz is commonly de d to as the America’s ical music. Jazz is among the most celebrated genres in music and also among the oldest musical categories. Jazz is highly characterized by strong patterns of rhythmic structures, blue notes, and an improvisation of melody1. Jazz is a musical genre that originated precisely from the African American society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Initial jazz lovers claimed that ‘to jazz’ was similar and had equal measures as to fornicate. These music lovers considered ‘a jazz bow’ to mean a lover of the women. Numerous scholars argue that the word ‘jazz’ probably has its roots in the jargon of Chaucer and Shakespeare. The attribution of the word jazz to Shakespeare and Chaucer is the reason most early jazzmen considered jazzing as a fornication. However, Clarence Williams, a songwriter and a musician, frequently claimed credit for the word jazz declaring that he was the one who used jazz in a song for the first time2. The forced Africans’ migration to the different parts of America set the stage for the development of jazz music. The fusion of Africans and Americans brought together two cultures into contact and an opportunity to interact was one of the essential stages of the development of jazz music3. The contribution of African slaves to the American music industry cannot be ignored due as it does not only touch on jazz but also other popular western music like rock, R&B, and gospel. The African influence spread across South, North, and Central America resulting in different musical styles. Jazz music was shaped by the nature of slavery practiced in the region. The majority of the slaves were not allowed to live in closed communities and were mainly brought to United States from areas such as West Indies where their cultural elements had begun to change gradually.4 However, the African rhythmic emphasis remained intact. Their emphasis on ‘beat’ adherence and strict call and response patterns entangled with their love for instruments, vocal techniques, and the use of shortened theme variation were the musical aspects that contributed significantly to the inception of jazz music. The blacks’ brass bands and the spiritual and funeral music contributed to the origin of jazz5. Music such as tropes from the ring was played in these events. It is also claimed that jazz instrumentation focused to imitate the European marching bands. This imitation was based on that the instrumentation used in the marching bands were highly affordable and easily available back then. The cheapness was attributed to the Spanish-American war in 1898 as the American army sold most band’s instruments. The Africans with limited financials were able to afford these tools that they did not previously own.6 The whites and European musical ideas became more significant in the later developments of jazz. Throughout the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, an amassed number of black musical groups developed excellent skills in the playing of European instruments. Some of the instruments the blacks gained significant skills playing included the violin.7 This instrument was used to imitate European music dance styles in their particular cakewalk music dances. Consecutively, European-American music show performers in blackface promoted the music universally. In New Orleans, the white composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk incorporated slave tempos and songs from Caribbean islands into piano music in the mid-1800s8. New Orleans was the primary nexus between people from different cultures including the blacks and the whites. In relation to jazz music genre, New Orleans has been consistently referred to as the birthplace of jazz due to its significant contribution to the music. Both the men and women of New Orleans played important roles contributing almost equally to the development and popularization of the music genre9. The most influential male musicians who went beyond to make jazz a favorite style include the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the cornet player Buddy Bolden, and the irrepressible pianist Jelly Roll Morton10. Women who entered the music industry with the aim to build a career in jazz music were relegated to the much popular imaginative brothels. However, some of these women advanced past the criticism making it significantly in the industry11. New Orleans was not simply the birthplace of jazz music; the region formed a significant stop for traveling and migrating musicians who believed in the region’s love for music. Like the male counterparts, women contributed considerably to New Orleans jazz. Women turned out to be great instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers, and bandleaders. Musicians such as trumpet player Tiny Davis moved to New Orleans with the hope of advancing a career in music12. In the early 1940s, she became quite famous after playing for the well-liked bands as the wildly popular international sweethearts of rhythm. Female jazz contributors were piano players who conquered the instrument almost immediately after the instrument was adopted in the jazz ensemble. The women who made significant jazz contributions were influenced and mainly originated from the blues music genre and ended up changing the phrasing and sound of the New Orleans trumpets. Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey queens of the early blues and the well noted blues belters such as Edna Hicks, Lizzie Miles, Esther Bigeou and Mary Mack McBride were crucial contributors in the inception of jazz music13. The music genres such blues, minstrelsy, and work songs contributed to the jazz mix. This combination and modifications in instrumentation were complemented by music stylistic changes. Bands were at the peak of their musical career, and the soloist began gaining in significance. Jazz music was developing and adapting to diverse situations and environments. Following the closure of Story Ville in 1917 by the Navy the jazz music in New Orleans spread out from corner to corner in the country. Jazz music spread to any location that had work opportunities and transportation like in Kansas City and New York.14 The account of jazz is significantly intertwined with many fusion genres, and outlining the numerous lineages can prove formidably complex. For instance, decades before the civil wars blacks were regularly and continuously engaged in the minstrel shows. The whites often mimicked and ridiculed the dance, the music, and the culture of the slave population as they viewed the Blacks as an inferior being in most aspects including music.15 The writers of the minstrel songs originated mostly from the Northeast though these minstrel songs and dances were inspired by the southern Black musicals. Stephen Foster a Northeasterner developed a dominant idealized image of the southern folk life deriving from the experience of a restricted brief interlude trip down the Mississippi to New Orleans16. The black jazz entertainers became influenced by the popularity generated by the secondhand mimics of their culture. To benefit from these evocations the blacks developed the instrumental musical approach mimicking the white stereotype of the American behavior. The other influence that greatly contributed to the popularity of jazz music was the recordings of the influential female blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s17. The music that was commonly referred to as classic blues. The classic blues were a more articulated form of the music type. The classic blues emanated to attract more voluntarily and noticeably in supplementary forms of music from the jazz genre. Many musicians in the blues genre began performing a combination of blues and jazz as well as from genres as the minstrel shows, vaudeville, circuses, and other traveling music in the south18. It is factual that the music genre blues came before the music genre jazz as an American musical category. Most American women blues musicians partnered with jazz bands and took part on initial jazz soundtracks well past the passing of that torch19. Undoubtedly no singing in the account of jazz musical genre employs a profounder captivation than the susceptible, intimate slur of the musician Billie Holiday, who passed away in 1959 at the age of forty-four. Miss Holiday’s had a vocal range of an octave and a timbre that was so indulging20. The other musical genre that rivals the blues music genre in the contribution to the popularity of jazz music is the ragtime music. Ragtime music surpasses the influence of the other music genres as the predecessor to jazz music type21. In New Orleans, the locals often used the terms jazz and ragtime music interchangeably since there existed a thin line between the differences in this music genres. In the African-American context of music styles, the differences between these music genres were unclear and not most people from the city of New Orleans could tell the difference. Jelly Roll Morton at one point demonstrated the enlightening comparison using Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, and yet the distinction between the two genres was elusive22. Jazz development by the years. The 1800s. During this period, America was commonly known as the land of opportunities in both economic and social status. Many people and especially the Europeans immigrated to different American cities in search of a better life bringing with them different cultures and musical types. Some of the musical types brought by the immigration included the German waltzes, the French quadrilles, and the Irish gigs23. The African Americans who were in the land due to slavery composed a new genre of music commonly known as ragtime that was influenced by the new European styles. One of the notable musicians in the ragtime music type was Scott Joplin24. The 1900s to 1910s. Due to its liberal nature, New Orleans contributed significantly to the evolution of the jazz music genre. In New Orleans people from different cultures intermingled freely and new cultures were developed. As more and more immigrants arrived in New Orleans, musical cultures began uniting. The African-American musical styles such as blues, marching band, and ragtime merged with the European musical traditions that led to the development of a new musical genre currently known as jazz25. The 1920s. The African-Americans of New Orleans began moving to the northern cities like New York and Chicago in search of better opportunities. The migration of the African-American groups led to the spread of the sounds of blues and jazz26. The increased exposure of jazz music genre led to the embracement of the sounds by young Americans. The young Americans were regularly seen listening and dancing to the new tune attracting a rebellion with their parents who criticized the African-American way of life. The radios and record players also adopted the jazz music genre that was increasingly gaining popularity among the youth. The sale of jazz musical recordings and its airplay were frequently making jazz a staple of the American airwaves, homes, and dancehalls27. The 1930s. At this point, jazz had gained popularity all over America. The jazz musical genre evolved into a new style commonly known as the big bang swing. The new style had a highly energetic beat making it the most popular music genre in the 1930s. The big bang swing jazz musical style attracted people to the dance floor more than any other music genre back then. All groups from the blacks to the whites were occasionally seen dancing to its beats28. The 1940s. This period was characterized by the World War II. Over a million blacks were forced to work and serve in the armed forces due to strict segregation that thrived throughout the area. Due to the war, the jazz musical genre that highly depended on the availability of black musicians to perform in the dance halls experienced significant difficulties29. The 1950s. The society began adopting the television as the primary source of entertainment. The music industry’s role in the society became less influential than before following the adoption of the television. Due to societal changes, most dancehalls began to close affecting jazz music genre that gained its popularity from the events. The rock and roll music genre was introduced and took most of the variety television shows with the rise of musicians such as Elvis Presley. The jazz industry was suffering constant failures back then as more artists began migrating to the more modern rock and roll genre30. The 1960s. At this point, the jazz musical scene was experiencing internal wrangles and the civil rights movement’s impact. The African-American jazz artists were moving away from white- owned recording companies and clubs that organized their income. These artists felt that the record labels and the clubs were misrepresenting them, and they wanted to control their music31. The 1970s to Present. Since the 1970s, the jazz music genre continued to evolve drastically taking over new forms. Jazz music has adapted to different styles based on the prevailing societal structure. For example, the 1970s were characterized by the popularity of the fusion jazz music style. The acid jazz prevailed in the eighties while the 1990s was characterized by smooth jazz and the retro swing style32. Bibliography Gioia, Ted. “The history of jazz.” The New York Times, 1997. May 1, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/gioia-jazz.html. Learn music theory.net. “An extremely short history of jazz.” High-Yield Music Theory 4, 4 (N.d). Martin, Henry. “More Than Just Guide Tones: Steve Larson’s Analyzing Jazz—a Schenkerian Approach.” Journal of Jazz Studies 7, no. 1 (2011): 122-144. Morangelli, Michael. “Jazz.” Pdf, N.d. http://www.thereelscore.com/PortfolioStuff/PDFFiles/HistoryJazz.pdf Shipton, Alyn. A New History of Jazz. London: Continuum publishers, 2007. Tucker, Sherrie. “Rocking the cradle of jazz.” Ms Magazine, winter, 2004. May 1, 2015. http://www.msmagazine.com/winter2004/jazz.asp. University of Guelph. Departments of music and computer science. The origins of jazz. Ontario. “What is Jazz." A History of Jazz. Last modified date, year. http://www.historyjazz.com/. Read More