Jazz
Background + context Musical precursors
O
Jazz emerged in the early years of the 20th century g
Blues
O
Despite claims by individuals to have ‘invented’ the O
Ragtime
music (Jelly Roll Norton), it is more the case that a set O
Vaudeville + minstrel shows
of circumstances bringing communities of musicians ↳
Rather like a variety show, these performances would
with a variety of cultural and musical traditions include various musical acts such as virtuoso ragtime
together allowed this unique fusion of sounds to on banjo (Fred Van Eps: ‘Ragtime Oriel’) + novelty
generate a new musical language brass band (Sodero’s Military Band: ‘Slidus Trombonus’)
g
There are 3 particularly important historical and O
Work song
sociological facts that can help us understand the ↳
These were typically sung by slaves when they were
circumstances which made jazz emerge in the way it having to carry out repetitive + strenuous tasks
did: ↳
Work songs are usually rhythmic + have call +
I
The abolition of slavery
.
response phrases
This took place over a number of years and
↳ g
Spirituals
succeeded in different parts of the U.S. at different ↳
Like the work song, the spiritual provided solace to the
times slave population
It became the major goal of the Civil War
↳ ↳
Some spirituals have been founded to have elements of
The Emancipation Proclamation was delivered by
↳
French, Spanish + even Scottish folk melodies
Abraham Lincoln in 1865 O
Music of the Baptist church
2
.
The end of the American Civil War ↳
The intoning of the preacher followed by improvised
The official proclamation of this was in 1866
-
responses of the congregation suggest 2 important
Many abandoned brass instruments were taken up
↳
elements in jazz
by players who made a new sound with them, using The call + response + collective or simultaneous
-
blues inflections and giving the impression of improvisation
‘making the instrument sing’ O
West African drumming
They played with a different timbre + more
-
↳
Before the Emancipation Proclamation, African slaves
particularly, a different approach to vibrato were mostly isolated within their own community
3
.
In 1880, the State of Louisiana passed a bill that This meant that they were able to maintain their
>
-
classified all people with any ‘coloured blood’ in the musical heritage + cultural identity
same way as those of direct African descent ↳
As well as drums + percussion, slaves were known to
This changed the lives of the Creole population who
↳
play flutes, fiddles + banjos
had previously lived elegantly, learning the musical O
Rhythmic chanting of Southern street vendors
culture of their French or Spanish ancestors in the ↳
Using a simple phrase to describe + ‘advertise’ their
European manner goods, the vendors would intone + inflect the words
with references to the blues
New orleans
O
It is commonly accepted that New Orleans was the
birthplace of jazz
↳
It was probably one of the most cosmopolitan cities in
the world at the turn of the century
O
As a major port it had a population derived from all
corners of the world
O
There were African-Americans, Creoles (people from
mixed European + African descent) + Western
Europeans (namely French + Spanish)
O
In earlier days, before the abolition of slavery, slaves
were only permitted to gather in one place on one day
of the week
↳
This was called Place Congo, now known as Congo
Square
On a Sunday the slaves would gather + share their
-
music
It was the only day drumming was permitted
*
, Jazz
The blues The Music Theory Of The Blues
&
Although the blues is inextricably linked with jazz, it is O
The underlying harmonic principles of the blues appear
also its own category, having many different sub-genres to be contradictory
↳
It started as an oral tradition + could be thought of as ↳
We may call a blues ‘Blues in F’ but it is not as we
a folk music know it in conventional theory
O
Subjects sung about would focus on hardship, love + &
The blues has ‘blue notes’ (notes that lie outside the
relationships major scale + create melodic tension)
O
Country blues: ↳
The significant blue notes are the minor 3rd, the
↳
This was usually sung by a soloist who would flattened 5th + the flattened 7th
accompany themselves on a guitar, banjo or fiddle It is the flattened 7th note that creates the biggest
-
↳
These blues would be led by the vocal line seemingly contradictory statement, as it is present
↳
Usually each verse would have 3 phrases of 4 bars in all of the chords used in the blues
↳
There was a basic harmonic blueprint which was: This means that the ‘tonic’ chord is actually a
*
Chord 1 (tonic) for 4 bars
>
-
dominant 7th, the chord that we expect to lead to
Chord 4 (subdominant) for 2 bars, chord 1 for 2 bars
-
the tonic
Chord 5 (dominant) for 2 bars, chord 1 for 2 bars
-
O
Basic 12 bar blues:
However, this structure was not rigid + the forms
-
may be stretched or pushed, depending on the lyric +
melodic line O
Basic blues scale that is derived from the minor
Blind Lemon Jefferson can be heard singing
*
pentatonic scale:
‘Shuckin’ Sugar’ on a recording made in 1926
(although it would have been performed many years
earlier than this) + you can hear how he takes
liberties with the final phrases ↳
Place this over a dominant 7th chord + we can see
Another of his recordings, ‘Black Snake’, doesn’t
>
-
that there are two 3rds
even make the harmonic change to the A minor + a major, causing the greatest discrepancy
-
subdominant (or chord IV) in bar 5, something of tonality
which would seem to epitomise the blues It is this very dissonance that is at the heart of the
*
&
Classic blues: blues
↳
This was usually performed by a female vocalist + O
Sometimes the blue notes are used as chromatic passing
accompanied by jazz band or piano notes, often sliding (using glissando, portamento), to a
↳
This form of the blues was more commonly performed resolution note, or falling off a resolved note
in theatres, as it developed in minstrel shows which ↳
Sometimes they are resolutely held in dissonance
toured to a number of venues creating a crying, mournful sound
↳
One of the first great singers of the classic blues was
Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey
↳
W.C. Handy was a cornet player, composer + band-
leader
He called himself the ‘Father of the Blues’ + we could
-
think of him as a musicologist as well
He collected traditional African American themes +
-
often incorporated them into his own compositions
O
Instrumental blues:
↳
This is a rather generic term that expresses how jazz
players + composers adopted the blues for
instrumental performance
Background + context Musical precursors
O
Jazz emerged in the early years of the 20th century g
Blues
O
Despite claims by individuals to have ‘invented’ the O
Ragtime
music (Jelly Roll Norton), it is more the case that a set O
Vaudeville + minstrel shows
of circumstances bringing communities of musicians ↳
Rather like a variety show, these performances would
with a variety of cultural and musical traditions include various musical acts such as virtuoso ragtime
together allowed this unique fusion of sounds to on banjo (Fred Van Eps: ‘Ragtime Oriel’) + novelty
generate a new musical language brass band (Sodero’s Military Band: ‘Slidus Trombonus’)
g
There are 3 particularly important historical and O
Work song
sociological facts that can help us understand the ↳
These were typically sung by slaves when they were
circumstances which made jazz emerge in the way it having to carry out repetitive + strenuous tasks
did: ↳
Work songs are usually rhythmic + have call +
I
The abolition of slavery
.
response phrases
This took place over a number of years and
↳ g
Spirituals
succeeded in different parts of the U.S. at different ↳
Like the work song, the spiritual provided solace to the
times slave population
It became the major goal of the Civil War
↳ ↳
Some spirituals have been founded to have elements of
The Emancipation Proclamation was delivered by
↳
French, Spanish + even Scottish folk melodies
Abraham Lincoln in 1865 O
Music of the Baptist church
2
.
The end of the American Civil War ↳
The intoning of the preacher followed by improvised
The official proclamation of this was in 1866
-
responses of the congregation suggest 2 important
Many abandoned brass instruments were taken up
↳
elements in jazz
by players who made a new sound with them, using The call + response + collective or simultaneous
-
blues inflections and giving the impression of improvisation
‘making the instrument sing’ O
West African drumming
They played with a different timbre + more
-
↳
Before the Emancipation Proclamation, African slaves
particularly, a different approach to vibrato were mostly isolated within their own community
3
.
In 1880, the State of Louisiana passed a bill that This meant that they were able to maintain their
>
-
classified all people with any ‘coloured blood’ in the musical heritage + cultural identity
same way as those of direct African descent ↳
As well as drums + percussion, slaves were known to
This changed the lives of the Creole population who
↳
play flutes, fiddles + banjos
had previously lived elegantly, learning the musical O
Rhythmic chanting of Southern street vendors
culture of their French or Spanish ancestors in the ↳
Using a simple phrase to describe + ‘advertise’ their
European manner goods, the vendors would intone + inflect the words
with references to the blues
New orleans
O
It is commonly accepted that New Orleans was the
birthplace of jazz
↳
It was probably one of the most cosmopolitan cities in
the world at the turn of the century
O
As a major port it had a population derived from all
corners of the world
O
There were African-Americans, Creoles (people from
mixed European + African descent) + Western
Europeans (namely French + Spanish)
O
In earlier days, before the abolition of slavery, slaves
were only permitted to gather in one place on one day
of the week
↳
This was called Place Congo, now known as Congo
Square
On a Sunday the slaves would gather + share their
-
music
It was the only day drumming was permitted
*
, Jazz
The blues The Music Theory Of The Blues
&
Although the blues is inextricably linked with jazz, it is O
The underlying harmonic principles of the blues appear
also its own category, having many different sub-genres to be contradictory
↳
It started as an oral tradition + could be thought of as ↳
We may call a blues ‘Blues in F’ but it is not as we
a folk music know it in conventional theory
O
Subjects sung about would focus on hardship, love + &
The blues has ‘blue notes’ (notes that lie outside the
relationships major scale + create melodic tension)
O
Country blues: ↳
The significant blue notes are the minor 3rd, the
↳
This was usually sung by a soloist who would flattened 5th + the flattened 7th
accompany themselves on a guitar, banjo or fiddle It is the flattened 7th note that creates the biggest
-
↳
These blues would be led by the vocal line seemingly contradictory statement, as it is present
↳
Usually each verse would have 3 phrases of 4 bars in all of the chords used in the blues
↳
There was a basic harmonic blueprint which was: This means that the ‘tonic’ chord is actually a
*
Chord 1 (tonic) for 4 bars
>
-
dominant 7th, the chord that we expect to lead to
Chord 4 (subdominant) for 2 bars, chord 1 for 2 bars
-
the tonic
Chord 5 (dominant) for 2 bars, chord 1 for 2 bars
-
O
Basic 12 bar blues:
However, this structure was not rigid + the forms
-
may be stretched or pushed, depending on the lyric +
melodic line O
Basic blues scale that is derived from the minor
Blind Lemon Jefferson can be heard singing
*
pentatonic scale:
‘Shuckin’ Sugar’ on a recording made in 1926
(although it would have been performed many years
earlier than this) + you can hear how he takes
liberties with the final phrases ↳
Place this over a dominant 7th chord + we can see
Another of his recordings, ‘Black Snake’, doesn’t
>
-
that there are two 3rds
even make the harmonic change to the A minor + a major, causing the greatest discrepancy
-
subdominant (or chord IV) in bar 5, something of tonality
which would seem to epitomise the blues It is this very dissonance that is at the heart of the
*
&
Classic blues: blues
↳
This was usually performed by a female vocalist + O
Sometimes the blue notes are used as chromatic passing
accompanied by jazz band or piano notes, often sliding (using glissando, portamento), to a
↳
This form of the blues was more commonly performed resolution note, or falling off a resolved note
in theatres, as it developed in minstrel shows which ↳
Sometimes they are resolutely held in dissonance
toured to a number of venues creating a crying, mournful sound
↳
One of the first great singers of the classic blues was
Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey
↳
W.C. Handy was a cornet player, composer + band-
leader
He called himself the ‘Father of the Blues’ + we could
-
think of him as a musicologist as well
He collected traditional African American themes +
-
often incorporated them into his own compositions
O
Instrumental blues:
↳
This is a rather generic term that expresses how jazz
players + composers adopted the blues for
instrumental performance
