Early Jazz Piano Styles - Essay Example

?Early Jazz Piano Styles Introduction Jazz was introduced in 1932, or was at its hype and popularity since Europe transformed the period of Depression into a day of rebirth, celebration, and vigor in most fields of art, an era called the Renaissance. Although Europe was quite popular in its musical invention and innovation before World War I took place, jazz music had its popularity in the United States (Schuller 3). It was in 1932 when new techniques, styles, and artistic criteria were introduced by formidable pianists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington (Schuller 3). These introduced styles and techniques set the standard for playing jazz piano in the contemporary and future world. With Bennie Moten’s innovation, jazz piano incorporated some blues in it which accounted for the “blues-rooted modern jazz” (Schuller 4). Gioia’s account brought up the influence of Mexican band performers to the birth of jazz in Kansas City, New Orleans (7). It was during the time when the Louisiana Purchase only resulted to a one-eighth Anglo-Saxon population and the Latin Americans dominated in numbers in the said area (Gioia 6). Decades passed, and the influence of African-Americans grew to be more noticeable with the introduction of rhythm and blues. In fact, modern jazz is described as a hybrid of various Latin and African-American music genres, such as Broadway music, pop, blues, samba, reggae, funk, and other symphony music (Gioia 8). This essay follows the discussion of various musical works in jazz piano and descriptions of each popular jazz work in history. In particular, it discusses the popular Stride Ragtime, specifically the Harlem stride piano, Boogie Woogie, Earl Hines’ jazz piano pieces, and G. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Descriptions of these masterpieces will also be supported by some music authors’ perception of their music for validation and complementary interpretation. Stride Ragtime: Harlem Stride Piano Among the best pianists in New York, four of them were experts in stride playing. James P. Johnson, Luckey Roberts, Willie “The Lion” Smith and Richard “Labba Labba” Maclean were among the victors in stride ragtime battle known as “cutting contests” in which they were known as ticklers (Martin and Waters 108). Stride ragtime is played fundamentally by the left hand which strides “up and down the keyboard” using a “base note or an octave played on the first and third beats of the 4/4 measure” while goes on to alternate with a midrange note “on the second and fourth beats” (Martin and Waters 108). Stride ragtime originated from ragtime itself but was developed into stride piano using some techniques such as speed, variations, incorporation of blues, and other improvisations that were “sometimes planned” (Martin and Waters 108). Harlem Stride Piano incorporates speed and flash. The effect appears to be vigorous and full of energy, a mimicry of American society shortly after World War I in which American lifestyle was fast-paced, hectic, and seemingly always in a rush. It also depicts sounds heard in cars and other automobiles, telephones, and airplanes (Martin and Waters 108). It also suggests a pleasing and lively mood because of the seemingly ‘caricature’ accompaniment which is a perfect background to slapsticks and pathos visual shows. Eubie Blake was particularly famous for being a pianist and composer during early, middle, and late 1900s and took the stride ragtime to a new level (Martin and Waters 109). Most importantly, James P. Johnson fathered stride piano by being so absorbed in his craft through composing jazz pieces for Broadway musicals and concerts and keeping on learning and experimenting for the said genre (Martin and Waters 109). Boogie-woogie “Noisy offspring” was labeled to another genre of jazz piano, which became an instant hit in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (Silvester 3). Boogie-woogie came to the existence in 1940s following combination of ragtime and rhythm of African music as evident by the qualities observed in African classical music--an eclectic fusion that resulted to “syncopated rhythms” and modern jazz piano music typical of the African-American culture (Silvester 6). Boogie-woogie, as an offshoot piano style, underwent evolutionary processes according to Silvester (6). The sound generated by boogie-woogie is a little bit similar to that of stride ragtime -- vibrant, lively, and promising. There are still variations to the appearance of the sound it exudes, such as the complexity of the train which depicts African-Americans’ plight towards independence. Moreover, boogie-woogie exudes that kind of feeling that suggests an escape from life’s difficulties for most African-Americans (Silvester 8). Boogie-woogie’s popularity rose when the popular “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” by Pine Top Smith which was recorded in 1928 and was later re-recorded in 1938 by Tommy Dorsey calling it “Boogie Woogie” (Campbell and Brody 43). The bass aspect of the genre is clearly enunciated, making it appeared powerful through its “chiming chords” (Silvester 9). William Turk was famous for this genre that he made stride pianist Eubie Blake impressed and proud of him (Silvester 9). Shifting chime chords and the enthusiasm accompanied in the genre makes boogie-woogie so groovy that it makes the audience dance to its tune. In fact, boogie-woogie piano was equally popular with the boogie dance which has the same musical arrangement of the piano itself. Moreover, boogie-woogie was indeed a “series of dance steps” and was used interchangeably in Detroit to mean the piano music or the dance (Silvester 9). Earl Hines The popular jazz piano musician is very much well-known for his “trumpet style” and for being known as the modern pianist (Yanow 66). Stride piano and the boogie-woogie focused on occasional two or four beats and keeping them on a steady beat while Earl Hines broke off the pattern and innovated suspension of time during breaks while still managing to “come back without missing a beat” (Yanow 66). It was in 1928 when Earl Hines gained popularity through his gigs along with the Apex Club Orchestra, and became a soloist in one of Jimmie Noone’s recordings (Yanow 66). His famous pieces include My Monday Date, Weather Bird with Satch, and West End Blues (Yanow 66). He was also able to create his very own orchestra named after him when he turned 25 years old. Hines’ style is more of the benchmark for most modern jazz pianists nowadays. The upbeat is moderate in nature, not so fast and not that slow. It has moments when it performs lower volume at one point of his pieces and turns it intensely right after to emphasize vibrancy, rhythm, and assuaging effect to the ears. It was his trumpet style which was apparently Louis Armstrong’s inspiration (Carrillo 379). In addition, Earl Hines is also famous for incorporating singing into his masterpieces and not just plainly piano music all throughout. His music was all about life, love, and the common observation in the society during his time. One of his pieces, You Are Too Beautiful, appears to be a devotion and admiration towards a lady whom he admires the most. There was poignant void left in every listener’s heart with that song. Hines’ masterpieces were sentimental and lonely while enthusiasm is still inserted once in a while to balance the impact. George Gershwin Gershwin had no interest at first in music and was, in fact, carefree and naughty as a child (Rimler 2). With his encounter with a musician, he later diverted his interest to learn more about piano and became one of the renowned pianists in the twentieth century, as predicted by his mentor Charles Hambitzer (Rimler 2). He had his biggest break when he was offered by renowned musician Paul Whiteman to continue Gershwin’s earlier composition and continue it to be Whiteman concert’s exhibition. The crowd gratefully appreciated the music. Later on, huge opportunities came to his door as the Broadway musical “Lady, be Good” requested him to be the composer-lyricist (Rimler 6). The play was, indeed, successful, and it paved the way for Gershwin’s enormous popularity. Gershwin’s famous and first work to date was “Rialto Ripples” (Pollack 221). The piece was full of vibrancy and was “impressively driving” (Pollack 221). There was this combination of vigor, high spirits, humor and pathos in the piece making that served more of the entertainment purpose. Gershwin’s jazz version is among the benchmarks of modern jazz. The melody is playful, yet there is a touch of solemnity and serenity in most of the shifting. Lastly, Gershwin’s rhythm, harmonies and melodies were perfect for any Broadway presentation. As Rimler puts it, it is tough to delineate the line between playful and serious music in his composition. What is obvious does not necessarily mean the exact interpretation and emotion. That is George Gershwin’s edge over other jazz pianists. Conclusion The two genres and two musicians discussed gave the world the greatest legacy in music. Jazz pianists ushered in a period of the birth of different genres of jazz, all aimed at making beautiful music for the world to expect. Music has played enormous roles in people’s lives, and jazz music symbolizes, not just a resorting music for relaxation and operatic prowess, but also as a mirror for significant events that formed part of our history. Jazz piano is about telling stories that shaped the present times. While jazz players discussed above already bid goodbye to the industry and the physical world; their music is continually passed on from generation to generation. Works Cited Campbell, Michael, and James Brody. Rock and Roll: An Introduction. 2nd ed. California: Thomson Higher Education, 2008. Print. Carrillo, Karen Juanita. African American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events. California: Greenwood, 2012. Print. Gioia, Ted. The History of Jazz. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Martin, Henry, and Keith Waters. Essential Jazz: The First 100 Years. 2nd ed. Massachusetts: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Pollack, Howard. George Gershwin: His Life and Work. California: University of California Press, 2006. Print. Rimler, Walter. George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait. Illinois: University of Illinois Board of Trustees, 2009. Print Schuller, Gunther. The Showing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print. Silvester, Peter J. The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2009. Print. Yanow, Scott. Jazz: A Regional Exploration. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005. Print. Read More