Masterclass - Jazz: History, Styles and Artists.

I'll conduct this as an informal discussion of jazz history, focusing on stylistic developments and major artists. Feel free to make comments and ask questions, but try to keep them relevant. I'll use this as a way to enhance jazz-consciousness around here, more and more often I encounter people with an unreasonable and unfounded hatred (read: fear) of jazz and improvisation. So, I'll try and help enlighten anyone who's interested.

Please bear in mind this is only my opinion/interpretation of who or what was important in the development of jazz. I'll try and provide a suitably broad overview, and encompass as much as possible, while maintaining some sense of direction. My own listening habits followed the same general development as jazz itself, and I'll tend to dwell on particular people or recordings that were important to me. Let me know if I start to ramble.

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What Jazz is:

Jazz encompasses a broad spectrum of music, and something need only be remotely associated with the jazz tradition to be called 'jazz', or 'jazzy'. I'm
certainly not going to try and define jazz for you - Louis Armstrong once remarked "if you gotta ask, you'll never know." For more, check out Billy Taylor's lectures, or this article.
Also, useful books include Mark Gridley's Jazz Styles - History and Analysis; Ken Burns' Jazz - A History; Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz.

So, coming soon will be the first installment: Early Jazz - New Orleans/Swing. I'll try and provide audio examples where apropriate...
Stay tuned.

Early Jazz (New Orleans/Swing: ca 1900-1940) Part I

Pre-jazz:

New Orleans, Louisiana was a cultural melting pot - the slave trade, civil unrest in latin america, and european settlers made for an exotic mix. Creoles living in New Orleans (free citizens of African/French descent) were instrumental in developing a distinct flavor of music - one that drew on their diverse influences. The Eurposean heritage brought with it a knowledge of classical music, and the technical prowess assoociated with it. On the other hand, the African heritage brought their own musical tastes - improvisation, polyrhythm, call-and-response, rougher timbres and looser technical abilities.

Preserving the African heritage, the blues was (and is) a very important aspect to the music that was to become jazz. Traditional African work songs, street vendor cries, and folk songs developed into the recognizable form of 'the blues': a simple chord progression and call/response vocalizations. Ragtime was another strong 'black' influence - the syncopated rhythms and rolling feel contributed much to the overall sound of jazz. Combining the blues and ragtime with local brass/marching bands developed, over time, into music suited for dancing and parties.

No need for too much detail - there's A LOT more to the story: music as a way for Blacks and Creoles to 'rebel'; the juxtaposition of styles (European and African)...Check out Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz for an unabridged account.

Needless to say, New Orleans around the turn-of-the-century was the pefect spot (and likely the only spot) for the birth of jazz; the rich ethnic diversity and tradition of music lent themselves well to prompting the advent of a new American sylee.

(Some audio examples are in RealAudio format, and are found on the website The Red Hot Jazz Archive, an excellent resource for trad-jazz information and audio clips of early Jazz.)

Jazz bands evolved to the point where most common ensembles consisted of a rhythm section of banjo, drums (often just a bass drum, hi-hats, and possibly a snare), piano and possibly tuba. The front line was often made up of cornet (the trumpet was not often used until the mid-30s), clarinet and trombone.

The earliest jazz solidified much of what would become to define it: improvisation and a loose/relaxed feeling ('swing'). Listen to Louis Armstong - Gut Buchet Blues (Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, 1925) for an example to traditional New Orleasian 'counterpoint' between the front line instruments. Each player knew the tune, and chord progression very well, and they improvised around/through/with the melody. Usually the trumpet played the melody, while the clarinet improvised sinewy counterlines, and the trombone made up a bassline/counterline. This trombone style was known as 'tailgate trombone' (so named because bands riding on the backs of wagons would have to put the trombone at the back - the tailgate - so their slide could extend over the edge); Kid Ory, one of Louis Armstrong's early bandleaders was a pioneer of this style, a great example of which is Ory's Creole Trombone, again with Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five (1927).


To be honest, little is known of the earliest, true New Orleans jazz - the sound recording industry was still in its own infancy, and until the 1920s the opporunity to record was simply not available to many jazz musicians. 1917 marked the first 'jazz' recording - by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, recorded in New York (listen to: Livery Stable Blues). This is likely the closest representation of authentic period music out of New Orleans. Few records were actually recorded in Louisiana - most musicians migrated to Chocago or New York.

...
One of the most important and influential musicians of the time (and of alltime) was Louis Armstrong.

Born (so he claimed) on the 4th of July, 1900 he was surrounded by music in the red light district of New Orleans. As a child he was sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored waifs (a juvenile detention facility) where he first picked up a cornet in the school band. And so it began - playing, as a youth in various street bands, and pick-ep ensembles around town. He was invited to join the legendary 'King' Oliver in Chicago in 1922, and travelled around the North West with the Oliver band. Armstrong further refined his trumpet skills eventually surpassing 'King' Oliver himself in technique and range. Returning to Chicago in 1925, Armstrong formed one of his most famous ensembles - the Hot Five featuring the legendary Kid Ory on trombone and Johnny Dodds on clarinet. These recordings from the late-1920s were wildly popular and marked the beginning his rise to stardom as a bandleader.

Louis Armstrong's sound was instantly recognizable - powerful and bright, with his characteristic vibrato. His improvisations we harmonically advanced for the time, and relied on strong rhythmic and melodic sense. His characteristic vocal style is even more recognizable than his trumpet playing, and Louis is often credited with inventing scat singing (nonsense syllables - sha boo do da-ba do beee).

Here's a couple examples of Louis' playing and the traditional N.O. style - the later recordings give a better audio quality.

La Vie En Rose (1935) - a great, clear example of Armstrongs trumpet and singing style.

And Perdido Street Blues (1940) is a good example of the New Orlenans style of jazz.

Other improtant New Orleans (style) associated musicians, key figures in the development of jazz: Freddie Keppard, Bix Beiderbecke, Buddy Bolden, Muggsy Spanier (trumpet/cornet) >> Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton (drums) >> Kid Ory, J.C. Higgenbotham (trombone) >> Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Edmond Hall (clarinet/saxophone) >> Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Willie 'the lion' Smith, Fats Waller (piano).

I've decided to split this up, not wanting to exceed the post character count, and to just get this started. The Swing portion is well under way and will be up shortly.

Now, feel free to discuss, ask questions - if you want more details or whatever, let me know.

Early Jazz (New Orleans/Swing: ca 1900-1935) Part II



Swing



As the music evolved, so too did the dancers and the market for dance music. The mid 30s brought the advent of the Big Band, and for the first time, bandleaders could afford (financially) to hire 16-20 musicians, arrangers, copyists, managers etc. The Big Band Era at its height supported an estimated 600+ big bands - any decent hotel or ballroom had a house band; the more popular dance bands toured frequently.

The saxophone became a more permanent part of the ensemble - also, string sections were not uncommon. The approach in performance shifted from collective improvisation and loose feel to composed arrangements and tighter section work. An emphasis was placed by musicians on higher levels of proficiency - stricter requirements for tuning, agility, speed, etc. Leaders of 'Sweet' bands like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman bridged the gap between jazz - looked down upon as a back-alley, 'black' music - and classical music loved by high society. Tuxeudos, fewer improvised solos and a clean, 'white' image helped their success with the white upper-middle class. See also: Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Paul Whiteman.

Alternatively, bands such as those led by Count Basie or Duke Ellington brought a more individual and stylized approach. The Basie band being known as the hardest swinging band around, while Ellingtons reputation centered on his innovative compositions and very distinct soloists.

Listening:
Benny Goodman - Big John's Special (note the simple riff-based motif, also the short solos)
Gene Krupa - After You've Gone (note the sense of humour at the beginning - trumpet player of high calibre, very fast tempo, you can hear quite clearly the bebop soon to come)


Count Basie



The music coming out of Kansas City was hot and dirty. Taking the developments and traditions of New Orleans and refining it with tighter arrangements and more soloistic pyrotechnics. Count Basie led one of the hardest swinging bands of all-time - faturing some stellar soloists. Basie's compositional formula was blues based - often relying on simple 'head' charts where backgrounds and harmony would be more-or-less created on-the-spot. The power behind the Basie band was not in innovative writing, nor even virtuosic playing; rather the individual stylings of the soloists was featured predominantly. Members like Hot Lips Page, Lester Young, Eddie 'lockjaw' Davis, Illinois Jacquet, Roy Eldridge, Al Grey, Vic Dickenson propelled the band to heights of musical intensity; while the rock-solid rhythm section of Jo Jones, Freddie Green, Walter Paige and Basie anchored the ensemble.

The impeccable time and feel of the Basie rhythm section was not often matched, never surpassed...

Watch:
Corner Pocket - tight!
The Deacon

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Duke Ellington



Ellington, unlike Count Basie, was a musician in a constant state of metamorphosis. Considered by many to be the most creative and prolific composer/arranger in jazz history, the evolution of his writing encompases everything from simple riff-based tunes to elaborate and lengthy multi-movement suites, even movie scores.

As a writer, he focused less on stallar soloists, but on very individual stylists. Using players with distinct and original voices, his writing takes on a very organic feel. A few of his significant sidement include: Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves (saxes); Bubber Miley, Cootie
Williams, Rex Stewart, Ray Nance, Clark Terry (trumpet); Joe 'Tricky Sam' Nanton, Juan Tizol, Quentin Jackson (trombone). Each of these musicians brought a very distinct sound - which Duke exploited as a compositional tool; featuring their individuality as important facets of his compositiions.

Duke led a very intense and driven musical life - leading his own band from his early 20s right up till his death in 1974. His compositions developed from straight-ahead swing charts (Take the 'A' Train, Cottontail, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me) to extended and thoroughly composed works (Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue, The Latin American Suite, the film score for Anatomy of a Murder).

Watch:
Satin Doll
Caravan

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I wanted to give plenty of musical examples, hope you enjoy them. They're all pretty short - usually under three minutes (that's all that would fit on a side of a 78). **Audio samples removed for copyright reasons**

Coming next - Bebop.

BEBOP! 1940-1955

Out of Swing, evolved bebop in the mid-40s. No longer was this music for dancers - beboppers, by pushing the limits of virtuosity made their music for listening (effectively alienating the audience, many critics believe). Tempos got faster; chords got more complex and numerous; melodies more angular and difficult.

Primary innovators Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie spearheaded the movement away from swing with theoretical advances and virtuosic playing.

Bebop (at first) shied away from the big band format, preferring small combos - featuring a rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) and a front-line soloist. improvisation became the main focus with the melody becoming simply a springboard into the solos.

Tunes were often classic standards, or contrafacts (new melodies over existing, common chord progressions). Standard progressions also underwent reharmonizations and alterations - the flatted fifth being the signature 'note' of the emerging style. The extended harmonic vocabulary would trip-up many an unsuspecting soloist - musicians using complex reharms and melodies to confuse newcomers and discourage lesser talented musicians who had trouble navigating the difficult terrain.

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Charlie Parker (1920-1955):



Likely the most celebrated and influential of all modern jazz musicians, Charlie 'Bird' Parker almost singlehandedly redefined jazz improvisation.

Stylistically, it was the sheer velocity of his playing that astounded many; but also, the accuracy within the speed was devastating and theoretically, he was considerably more advanced than anyone preceding. His melodies and improvisations are instantly recognizable and although there were spawned many clones and imitators, few came close to realizing his command of the vocabulary or the instrument.

Sadly, Parker was also addicted to heroin, which greatly affected his reliability; his behaviour became erratic and quite unpredictable. I don't want to go into much detail on this, but Parker lived a fast, hard life and died at the age of 34.

Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993):



Bird's musical counterpart, and one of his only true peers was John Birks 'Dizzy' Gillespie. Diz was better versed in the theoretical aspect of music - what Bird did, Dizzy could explain.

A superior stylist on the trumpet Dizzy was heavily influenced by Roy Elridge, and Louis Armstrong. Gillespie also had a strong sense of showmanship and humour - something that can be seen throughout his career.

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Both these pioneers were surrounded by a host of other influential musicians, forging new frontiers for their respective instruments.

• J.J. Johnson developed a flawless trombone technique, proving the cumbersome trombone could be suited for the fast tempos and difficult lines.
• Kenny Clarke practically invented the style of modern drumming, returning to the hihats, and punctuating his playing with staccato attacks - 'bombs' to spur on and push the soloist.
• Bud Powell adapted horn-like lines to the piano, while Thelonious Monk further refined the advanced sense of harmony and composition
• Others who were around at the time, perhaps to be most influential in styles to come, but nonetheless a part of the developing music: Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Sonny Stitt, Howard McGhee, Charlie Christian.

The rhythm section playing refined itself to a role of accompanyment - pianists and drummers 'comping' more for soloists - a sense of more interaction can be heard as the musicians react to each other...

(something I will do is compile audio visual references from the internet for the development of each instrument...but that's not for here)

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Watch, YouTube links:

• Hot House - featuring Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie.
• Now's The Time - featuring JJ Johnson, Sonny Stitt (A Charlie Parker deciple who soon switched to tenor sax as he was too often compared to Bird), and Howard McGhee.
  
• Jazz Dispute - quite an interesting take of the interaction going on. Again, featuring Bird and Dizzy.

Listen: *samples only available for a limited time*

Excerpted melody for Donna Lee (recorded May8, 1947. Featuring a young Miles Davis on trumpet; with Charlie Parker, asx; Bud Powell, pno; Tommy Potter, bass; Max Roach, drums). One of the most recognized and beboppish melodies (based on the chords to Indiana), likely composed by Charlie Parker, though often credited to Miles Davis.

Melody and Charlie Parker's solo on KO KO (recorded Nov 26, 1945. With Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet - subbing for then 19-year-old Miles who found the opening melody too difficult - Curly Russell, bass; Sadik Hakim, pno; Max Roach, drums). Another classic bebop side, extreme tempo and melody, and another great example of Parker's playing and writing, the melody being based on the chords to Cherokee.

There's some food for thought....hope it makes some sense.

1950-ish - the fragmentation of jazz styles.

BAM! All of a sudden, out of bebop we have an almost instant splintering of jazz. I will delve into each emergent style in turn: cool, hard bop, modal, bossa/latin, free....

So...here you go:

Cool.



The cool school emerged from bebop in the late 1940s - predominantly white musicians from California emigrated to New York (thus the alternative 'west coast jazz' moniker). Drawing on the harmonic and melodic developments of bebop, but shunning the virtuosic ferocity, cool jazz was just that: cool.

Miles Davis' early years were founded during the bebop era - Charlie Parker took the young Miles under his wing, but Davis would soon come into his own. beginning his career as a pioneer of virtually every stylistic development from 1950 onwards. With the Birth of the Cool recording sessions (1949-50) Miles solidified the emerging tack that would be 'cool jazz'. The Birth of the Cool style nonet was unconventional in it's instrumentation - incorporating tuba and french horn for their subtle timbral nuances. Composers Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis discovering a 'cool' new sound within.



Instrumentally, musicians tended towards a more 'pure' sound, avoiding harsh attacks, or jarring use of extreme range or dynamics - preferring a more fluid approach; exemplified by the technique of Lee Konitz or Warne Marsh. [watch the video below].

Influential instrumentalists:

• Chet Baker - one of the coolest cats of all, known early on for his good looks and super-cool tone, both on trumpet and as a vocalist. Also, a poster child for the ravages of substance abuse, looks like hell from the 1960s on, and he died by 'falling' out of a Paris hotel window.
  
• Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombonist and composer, went on to write exceptional stuff for the Thad Jones band.
  
• Dave Brubeck - led the band that produced the hit 'Take 5' (penned by saxophonist Paul Desmond). The ensemble exemplified the 'cool' image.
  
• Gil Evans - composer whose work with Miles are amongst the best ever recordings. Sketches of Spain, Miles Ahead, and their adaptation of Porgy & Bess denote Evans as a composer with great skill for merging orchestral techniques with jazz vocabulary.
  
• Chico Hamilton - a drummer who worked with Ellington and Basie as well as Mulligan was a leader of the third-stream/'chamber jazz' movement.
  
• John Lewis (& The Modern Jazz Quartet) - another composer who helped refine the 'cool' sound; participated in the BOTC sessions, and as a member of the MJQ.
  
• Lee Konitz - a Tristano disciple whose smooth, liquid alto technique was worlds removed from the biting sounds of Bird and bebop.
  
• Warne Marsh - another Tristano student who, along with Konitz was heavily influenced by Lester Young.
  
• Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophonist, one of the great writers of cooler music - penned many charts for the Miles nonet, as well as many of his own projects.

It is in cool jazz that we start to see the emergence of 'third stream' (fusion of classical and jazz influences) - see Jimmy Giuffre and Gunther Schuller.


So, listen and watch....

[Youtubey goodness]

• Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh - along with other pioneers of the cool school: Ed Thigpen, Billy Taylor.
  
• Lennie Tristano - Tangerine
  
• Lennie Tristano - again, with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh
  
• Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five. This had to be there - Paul Desmond is super smooth too. Like Konitz, but geekier (Nice glasses guys!)
  
• Chico Hamilton - chamber jazz, cool. Careful, Dolphy will come back to bite us!
  
• Gerry Mulligan & Bob Brookmeyer - Open Country - jazz stylings of Mulligan and valve trombonist Brookmeyer.
  
• Chet Baker - Time After Time.
  
• Chet Baker - Bye Bye Blackbird - more Chet, 'cause he's soooo cool.
  
• Modern Jazz Quartet - vibraphones are cool. Please ignore the terrifying man who introduces them. He is not cool.
  
• Miles Davis & Gil Evans - Miles recording with the Gil Evans Orchestra.

[Listening excerpts] *available for a limited time only*

• Miles Davis - Jeru (from Birth of the Cool)
• Miles Davis - It's Only A Paper Moon (from Dig)
• Chet Baker - Everything Happens To Me (from Live in Paris)

I expect many of you are thinking - this doesn't sound any different than that bebop nonsense. Well, maybe - but try listening, there's a lot that's changed in the approach, sound, delivery, vocabulary....

So, it's the mid-50s and we've got MANY styles happening at once - Cool, modal, bossa/afro-cuban, pre-free, and the solidified bebop known as:

Hard Bop!

The antithesis of cool, hard bop was tight, sharp, and funky. Developing the harmonic vocabulary of bop and augmenting the composing and arranging importance, hard bop continues to be a favorite style for many jazz listeners.

Pioneered in the late 1950s, hard bops inception can be traced to an ensembles led by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Benny Golson. These ensembles (piano, bass, drums, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone?) would serve as a blueprint for many (any) hard bop combo to come.

Art Blakey

Hard bops heaviest drummer, led his pivotal Jazz Messengers for over 30 years. A jazz proving ground, Blakey took hot young instrumentalists honed their skills during their stints with the Messengers. Upon maturation, once ready to start leading their own ensembles, the musicians moved on, and Blakey easily found replacements. MANY extremely influential musicians were members: Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Hank Mobley, Bobby Timmons, Jackie McLean, Woody Shaw, Chuck Mangione; even Keith Jarrett, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Terence Blanshard amongst modern jazz stars.

The early bands were wildly influential for instrumentalists to follow - the stylings of hard bop soloists would become (and, to be honest, still is) the benchmark of musicianship in jazz for younger musicians. Below are some of the heaviest innovators.

John Coltrane was another serious leader in hard bop - though he quickly moved on to modal jazz - his records Blue Train, and Giant Steps are pinnacles of virtuosic improvisations and writing.

ALSO, Thelonious Monk was one of the leading composers of the time. I don't really consider him hard bop, but rather a strange bridge between hard bop and free jazz. Anyway - he's a black sheep who's not easily pigeon-holed, but sooooo heavy.

• Lee Morgan - (photo above) HUGELY influential trumpet soloist, worked with Blakey, Coltrane.
• Miles Davis - it's Miles. He invented everything. Including hard bop - the records Walkin', Workin' and Relaxin' are all classic examples
• Clifford Brown - another widely imitated trumpeter, sadly, he was killed in a car accident at the young age of 26.
• Wayne Shorter - tenor soloist and composer, still influential in jazz today
• John Coltrane - ...it's Coltrane. Duh.
• Sonny Rollins - tenor sax, another very distinct voice, very lengthy career (the guy is still touring!)
• Curtis Fuller - trombonist with the Messengers, and Coltrane, and a super-nice guy.
• JJ Johnson - superb trombone stylist, his Eminent records are great hard bop specimens.
• Horace Silver - similar to Blakey in concept, hiring young players and developing a hip, unique sound.

See also: Joe Henderson, Johnny Griffin, Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Hank Mobley, Blue Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard,

Hard bop absorbed a lot of the current musical trends, the afro-cuban influence being quite obvious with Horace Silver and Art Blakey, and one record label in particular is synonymous with hard bop - and great jazz in general: Blue Note Records.

...but anyway, watch & listen.

[Youtubey goodness]
Clifford Brown - a great musical mind, died much too young in a tragic car accident.
Jazz Messengers - Short clip of the Messengers featuring Lee Morgan, Benny Golson.
More Messengers - Blues March - Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, classic messengers.
Curtis Fuller - solos onChildren of the Night, with Art Blakey.
Horace Silver - Cool Eyes. Featuring hip trumpeter Blue Mitchell.
Thelonious Monk - Rhythm-a-ning. With tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse - a long-time Monk comrade.
Thelonious Monk - 'Round Midnight. Classic...like, holy crap!


[Listen]
John Coltrane - Locomotion - from the classic record Blue Train.
Lee Morgan's Solo on Locomotion - possibly the greatest trumpet solo of all time. Listen to that shit....soooo hip!
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Free For All[/url], from Free For All. Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter...classic.
Curtis Fuller Jazztet - Alright With Me (with Benny Golson).
Benny Golson - Blues on Down - from The Modern Touch, also featuring JJ Johnson.

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I'll also mention here, Soul Jazz. The funkier nephew of hard bop - many musicians flipflopped back and forth, and each style has similar characteristics. Soul jazz being slightly more funky...more soulful, if you will. Slight more of a gospel edge to it...dig:



See artists like:

Lou Donaldson - alto sax
Cannonball Adderley - alto sax, major player of hard bop, modal and soul jazz...
Jimmy McGriff - organ
Stanley Turrentine - tenor sax
Jimmy Smith - (photo above) organ

[Youtube]
Jimmy Smith - Walk on the Wild Side.


[Listening]
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder - from the 1963 album of the same name, with Joe Henderson, tenor sax. Bridging the gap between soul and hard bop.
Lou Donaldson - Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky.
Cannonball Adderly - Sticks - from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Soul...yeah! Dig Nat Adderly on the cornet...

Enough for now....

Modal (late 1950s-60s)



Bop, cool, hard-bop...time to cue the entrance of 'modal jazz'. Evolving from and in reaction to the harmonic advances in bop, modal jazz honed in on the relationship between chords and scales. The beboppers codified the harmonic language that would make up jazz, but as the music evolved, musicians continued to push these boundaries to see how far they could go (soon, they will break...you'll see).

One must have some understanding of modes, and the chord-scale relationships built into them. I'll likely do a jazz theory primer for another lesson thread, but for now: MODES: Basically, a 7th chord corresponds with (usually) a particular scale/mode: Dmin7 = D dorian = 2nd mode of C Major. Yeah? AbMaj7(#11) = Ab Lydian = 4th mode of Eb Major. You Dig? If not, ask...

John Coltrane (pictured above) was a major force in defining the newly bent rules. First, with his hard bop tour de force Giant Steps he developed complex progressions and connected seemingly unrelated keys effortlessly, with his signature 'sheets of sound'. Next, he would pull a complete 180 and, along with his copy of Slonimsky's Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns would dispense with the intricate progressions, focusing and exploring the possibilities within a single chord/scale.

The seminal album Kind of Blue (1959); again finds Miles Davis at the forefront of an emerging musical movement, with a band of highly influential musicians: John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb.



The recording featured compositions exploring limited tonalities - for example, the tune So What consists of an AABA form where A = 8 measures of D dorian; B = 8 measures of Eb dorian. Neat. Another cool piece is Flamenco Sketches, in which there is no written melody, simply a predefined set of chords over which the soloist improvises choosing the duration of each chord at their discression. Fascinating.

What's cool about modal jazz, is that within the limited tonal material, there are any number of ways to explore that material. Therein lies the freedom of modal jazz.

"You don't need to think to play weird. That ain't no freedom. You need controlled freedom." (Miles Davis)

Major players:

• Miles Davis
• John Coltrane
• Wayne Shorter - hard bop pioneer, playing/writing evolved into a modal style
• McCoy Tyner - pianist, worked often with Trane, known for frequent use of quartal voicings
• Bill Evans - (pictured below) Super-influential pianist, his trio recordings are some of the greatest ever.
• Eric Dolphy - wildly creative sax/flute/bass clarinetist. Worked with Coltrane, Mingus, and his own bands.
• Thelonious Monk - unclassifiable genius, pioneer of modal, pre-free, highly personal and distinct style the likes of which will never be seen again.
• Charles Mingus - unclassifiable genius, pioneer of pre-free though steeped in the tradition. Again, instantly recognizable, a stylist the likes of which will never be seen again.

Guys like Coltrane/Dolphy took to the modal approach especially well - also, with the LP record becoming more widely used, the lengths of tunes lengthened greatly. The 3 minute cap for 45s is shattered by the availability of 26-minute-long sides, live performances often spanning even longer. Coltrane was especially known for extended solos, throughout which he could dissect, dismantle, destroy, and finally reconstruct single scales or modes.

Now, 'modal' does not necessarily mean that the tune uses only a couple chords. Tunes with a different chord every bar can still be considered modal, if the function of those chords is not so much as part of a progression, but more indicative of a relative scale to be used, and a more open harmony underneath. Listen to Blue in Green or Nardis below...




{youtube fun}

• Miles Davis - Blue in Green - from Kind of Blue, one of the most beautiful ballads of all time.
• John Coltrane - Impressions (1961) - His famous tune, based othe So What progression.
• John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (1961) - from The Sound Of Music, Trane abandoned the original changes, putting pretty much the whole thing over E Minor. Blow Dolphy Blow - that's some yazz flute.
• John Coltrane - Alabama (1963) - more with Trane's classic quartet.
• Miles Davis - All Blues (1964)
• Bill Evans Trio - Nardis (1966) - great trio great tune - incorporating modally influenced harmony.
• Miles Davis - Footprints (1967) - a modal/minor blues by Wayne Shorter. A good example of how players began stepping outside, wandering further away from 'home'
• Miles Davis (1967) - THE classic Miles Quintet: Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams (who'd joined the band a year earlier, at age 17?!), Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter. Un-fucking-stoppable. Some of the most interactive and creative music within a group dynamic EVER.
• Charles Mingus - Sextet, live. I'll have to do a whole thread on Mingus. Just trust me when I say he's a MONSTER!!
• Thelonious Monk - Epistrophy - Also a MONSTER, also deserving of a dedicated and lenghy thread. Utilized quirky harmony loaded with strange half-step progressions and tritones. HARD tunes, but soooo fun.

{listen to these}

• Miles Davis - So What - Excerpt of melody (one of a very few written for the bass to play), and Miles' eloquent and subdued solo. Classic introspective Miles. From Kind of Blue.
• John Coltrane - Impressions - melody and 2 choruses of Trane's solo (bear in mind, 2 choruses go by really fast, and at over 14 minutes long, he has plenty to room to stretch out. This is a teensy little tidbit. From Impressions.
• Wayne Shorter - Mahjong - Shorter tunes are awesome. Tyner's piano solo is great as well. From Ju Ju.
• Thelonious Monk - 'Round Midnight - classic ballad, strange harmonies but still so nice. From Misterioso.

I hope, with watching some of those videos (especially the late-60's Miles stuff), you can sense the next step in the evolution of jazz...total freedom. All this flexing of boundaries, it was only a matter of time before they broke, and were abandoned completely. Next time.

Free jazz - 1960s + (Part I)



Alongside the evolution of hard-bop and modal jazz comes another offshoot. The freer elements of modal jazz were refined (or destroyed) into a music completely rebelling against any established traditions.

The musicians were often modal players who crossed over, or incorporated a free approach, but many adopted the free jazz aesthetic from the get-go abandoning links to more traditional jazz.

Free jazz allows for the free interpretation of any, many or all aspects of music. Ornette's early work in the late '50s often showed an abandonment of harmonic structure - without a predefined set of chords, the musicians were free to improvise without boundaries.

'The New Thing' also toyed with other aspects of the music: form, melody, time.
Form left the overall structure of the piece open, melody may allow for the rhythm or contour of the melody to be interpreted freely, while the abandonment of a steady pulse would open up the rhythmic options substantially.

As the music progressed, and built a following, musicians continued pushing the boundaries - oftentimes entire performances would be completely spontaneous and improvised.

The advent of free jazz can be traced to the almost singlehanded innovation of one man:

Ornette Coleman



Coleman, born in Texas in 1930 would prove to be one of the most influential saxophonists of all time. After (during) his early work in blues and r&b bands around Fort Worth TX, Ornette began developing a very controversial style. He didn't hear things the way many musicians did, and often himself in trouble - one story has Ornette make a brief appearance at a jam session, only to be laughed off the stage, getting the shit beat out of him on the way home, and his saxophone thrown over the side of a cliff.

In spite of so many early obstacles, Coleman persevered, eventually building a following. Early records show much bebop influence (1958's Somethin' Else!!!) but it was 1959's The Shape of Jazz To Come that would be the revolutionary record the title promises.

The Shape... found Ornette in a quartet with Billy Higgins (drums), Charlie Haden (bass), Don Cherry (trumpet). The piano-less ensemble already opened the harmonic options, Ornette's compositions abandoned chordal structures in lieu of open vamps, ostinatos and free improvisation - from soloist and accompanist alike.

The melodies were usually played in unison by the two horns, although interpreted slightly differently by the two players, resulting in ghostly lines weaving around and through each other... Listen to the clips for an idea of what's going on...something special was happening.

1960 saw the release of Free Jazz, a completely improvised recording almost 40-minutes of continuous improvisation from a double quartet, including hard-bop trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Scott LaFaro, alongside devoted free jazzers like Don Cherry or Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell.

Around the advent of the '60s, several musicians would adopt, or develop free jazz ideals. It was now, that the individual musician could truly be free, while maintaining some sense of the [i]ensemble[/I. Becoming less about correct 'notes', or 'ability', or 'knowing tunes'; free jazz brought forth the importance of 'energy', 'interaction', and 'sound'.

Other musicians who adopted or developed free jazz:

• Albert Ayler - saxophone
• Paul Bley - pianist, pioneer bringing the first synthesizers into improvised music
• Lester Bowie - trumpet, co-founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago
• John Coltrane - Late 'Trane exhibits some serious free improvisations, dig Interstellar Space
• Eric Dolphy - brought the bass clarinet to new levels
• Albert Mangelsdorff - trombonist, improviser, pioneer of multiphonic techniques
• Roscoe Mitchell - saxophone, major force behind the Art Ensemble of Chicago
• Sun Ra - pianist, came from Saturn. Led his Arkestra for many years, drawing on influence from Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, and adding his own quirky personality.
• Pharoah Sanders - saxophone
• Archie Shepp - saxophone
• Cecil Taylor (pictured, top) - pianist, with a distinct and ferociously violent style

The Europeans would also not be left out, developing a unique and distinctly European genre players like Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul Rutherford, and Derek Bailey are all influential in developing a style more focused on the sheer force of improvisation, often abandoning any shred of jazz influence.

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Free jazz - 1960s + (Part II - recommended watching/listening)

Continued from Part I.



{watch}

• Eric Dolphy - GW - still slightly rooted in traditional jazz, the melodic phrasing and the improvisations give a firm indication that these guys were thinking outside the box.
• Sun Ra/Don Cherry - strange.
• Ornette Coleman - 1974 - silly little sing-song melody breaks down into some very good improvisation, Classic Ornette.
• Cecil Taylor - solo improvisation.
• The Art Ensemble of Chicago - funky...scary.

{listen}

• Art Ensemble of Chicago - Odwalla - from the 1973 record Bap-tizum, Lester Bowie (pictured above), Joseph Jarman, Don Moye, Malachai Favors and Roscoe Mitchell.
• Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue - Hutcherson, a hardbop vibraphonist delves into some free-jazz laced stuff on his 1965 debut Dialogue which features some fantastic free-leaning players: Andrew Hill and Sam Rivers.
• Ornette Coleman - The Sphinx - from the album Somethin' Else!!!.
• Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman - classic melody from The Shape of Jazz To Come, demonstrates the unique phrasing between Cherry and Coleman.
• Michael Mantler - Preview - (1967) The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, adapting free jazz to the large ensemble, featuring Pharoah Sanders on the tenor solo. Score available on Mantler's website.
• Paul Bley - Walking Batterie Woman - Composed by Carla Bley (also a co-founding member of the Jazz Composer's Orchestra), from the 1964 record Barrage.

Free jazz continued to develop and build over the years, adding many MAJOR forces in creative music, while many musicians of the next generation found it difficult/impossible to ignore freely improvised music. Many contemporary players normally associated with 'jazz' have free tendencies like Keith Jarrett (The Köln Concert), Pat Metheny (Song X, with Ornette Coleman), Dave Holland (Conference of the Birds); while other contemporary voices in improvised music and avant-garde composition have evolved: William Parker, John Zorn, George Lewis, David S. Ware, Anthony Braxton, Butch Morris, Steve Lacy, Roswell Rudd, et al. More attention will be focused on current trends in spontaneous music, later...

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FUSION



I use the term 'fusion' to imply music that mixes jazz/improvised traditions with funk, rock, hip-hop, etc. A fusion of contrasting styles, specifically music produced in the 1970's. Some fusion - especially more modern artists - comes dangerously close to smooth jazz; often the differentiation can be made only by a listeners personal tastes. I'm going to focus on jazz artists...many progressive rock artists blur the lines (Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull)...but that's rock-jazz, not jazz-rock. Dig?

Fusion, jazz-rock, jazz-funk ... whatever you want to call it, marked
by the use of electronics - moog synthesizers, fender rhodes, electric bass, even wind midi/synth controllers (EWI)...

Miles Davis



October 1969 marked the advent of 'fusion' - with Miles Davis' release of 'In A Silent Way'. Miles had hinted at the electronic direction in preceding records, but 'Silent Way' definitely broke new ground. As did Davis' next record 'Bitches Brew'. These albums featured multiple keyboards/synthesizers/organs, electric guitar, electric bass - instruments not common in jazz. Also notable about these albums is the extensive use of post-production and studio editing, and Miles' experimentation with effects - wah, especially. Many of the musicians associated with these seminal sessions would go on to develop and define fusion: pianists Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea; guitarist John McLaughlan, saxophonist Wayne Shorter...

The 1970s was Fusion's heyday, with many influential bands and classic recordings produced. Here's some of the more important and long-standing ensembles, featuring some of the more influential individuals:

• Herbie Hancock's HeadHunters - super-heavy record 'HeadHunters' (1973) with that groovy tune Chameleon (bwadundundun...bum, bum) and Watermelon Man...the whole thing is one of the baddest records ever. See also 1974's Thrust.
  
• John McLaughlan's Mahavishnu Orchestra - An interesting and distinct fusion of jazz-rock with much indian influence as well. Check out Birds of Fire (1973).
  
• Chick Corea's Return To Forever - Key members include bassist Stanley Clarke, percussionist Airto Moriera, drummer Lenny White and guitarist Al Di Meola. Check out: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, and Where Have I Known You Before.
  
• Weather Report - possibly the best known and most influential of the 70s fusion groups. Formed by the powerhouse duo of Joe Zawinul (keys) and Wayne Shorter (saxes). Wayne comes from a serious hard-bop background - but, as music progressed, so do the players. Significant members included: bassist Moroslav Vitous, drummer Peter Erskine, percussionist Airto Moriera, and bassist extrodinaire Jaco Pastorius. See: I Sing The Body Electric (1972), Mysterious Traveler (1974), Black Market (1976), and their big hit: Heavy Weather (1977) featuring the famous tune 'Birdland'
  
• The Brecker Brothers - The duo of Michael (saxes) and Randy Brecker (trumpet) brought a very funky edge to fusion - their record Heavy Metal BeBop (1978) featured the classic jazz-funk hit 'Some Skunk Funk'. The Brecker Bros were influential in their pioneering use of electronic effects on wind instrument - Randy often used guitar effects - delay, distortion, wah pedals, and Michael discovered the usefulness of the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), a wind-based synthesizer controller. Wild.

I'll also mention Fusion isn't far removed from smooth-jazz...in the wrong hands Fusion can easily slip into fuzak mode, and get seriously shitty. So, beware. Smooth is similar to jazz-rock in that it uses synths, electric bass, etc, but has a much smoother, more pop-tinged flavor - makes for easy listening, good for elevators and dinner parties, and for making boat-loads of money. Artists to be aware of, and (generally) avoid if at all possible: David Sanborn, Bob James, Dave Koz, Grover Washington Jr., The Yellowjackets, Spyro Gyra, and the ubiquitous Kenny G.

That said, enjoy:

{watch}

• Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (1969?) - Though Miles never really went free, this bridges the gap between free-jazz and fusion. Late-60s Miles started the whole thing...
  
• Miles Davis - live, 1971 - More early-late Miles.... wild. The instruments of rock music, with the creativity and interaction of free jazz.
  
• Miles Davis - Live in Vienna, 1973 - Miles, with a bit more of a funky edge - you can hear how the music is progressing... Saxophonist Dave Liebman was also an influential player of the time (still is)
  
• Herbie Hancock, Headhunters - Chameleon (1975) - groovy footage of the original Head Hunters group. Love that Fender Rhodes sound...so hip.
  
• Chick Corea, Return To Forever - Medieval Overture (1976). Heavy sound...Stanley Clarke had switched full-time to electric bass, and Al Di Meola was a bit of a shredder for the time...these guys tear it up. Gets real nuts around 3:30...
  
• Weather Report - Birdland (1978) - WHOOO!! The classic lineup - Joe Zawinul (keys), Jaco Pastorius (bass), Wayne Shorter (sax)... stellar. I love Jaco singing along...man that cat was crazy.
  
• Brecker Brothers - Some Skunk Funk (1980) - Again, super-funky. Real angular melody, tough to play, by these guys somehow make it groove... I love the sweat bands on the drummer, makes a real fashion statement. The bass solo (6:00) from the bearded hillbilly has so much groove...makes Victor Wooten sound like a wanky little sissy.
  
• Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good - perhaps not the hippest cat in the world, but Chuck's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Who else could wear such a bitchin' hat with a purple velvet lounge suit...to perform on the frigging Grammy awards?!
  
• Jaco Pastorius - Soul Intro/The Chicken (1982) - one of Jaco's classic tunes. Given a killer treatment with a HUGE band, dig Bob Mintzer tearing it up - that guy can be a seriously heavy player when he wants to... Randy Brecker can be seen in the band, I suspect Michael is there as well... Also of interest is the steel pan solo....wild.

{listen}

• Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay - from the 1970 album Red Clay. Shows another hard-bopper going in a more commercial/groove oriented direction - with Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson (t sax), Ron Carter (bass), Lenny White (drums). Hubbard would continue in the fusion vein for most of the 70s.
  
• Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire - from the album Birds of Fire (1973). Very clear rock influence here, other tracks bear the stamp of Indian influence as well - sitar, tabla, odd time structures.
  
• Miles Davis - Black Satin - from the album On The Corner (1972). A great example of Miles' (along with Teo Macero) studio recording techniques. The musicians would jam on vamps and jazz-funk grooves, and the 'tracks' would be extracted and spliced from the many hours of tape. What we get are fractured snippets of the actual proceedings. Thankfully, many of these records have been reissued in their original, unedited format. Many notable Miles alumni are present: John McLauglan, Herbie, Chick, Liebman...
  
• Chick Corea - Crystal Silence - from Return To Forever (1972). A hauntingly beautiful melody....shows it's all not in-your-face hardcore funk grooves.
  
• Herbie Hancock - Sly - from Headhunters (1973). Sexy.

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Coming next...LATIN!!