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JAZZ 101 What is jazz? According to Wynton Marsalis, jazz is music that swings. According to Webster’s, jazz is characterized by “propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre.” Certainly, the question is a highly subjective one. Ask 100 different people, “What is jazz?” and you’re likely to get 100 different answers. Actually, though, the history of jazz is relatively well documented. It’s no secret that jazz started in New Orleans at the end of the 19th century. In the 1920s, the music moved up river to St. Louis, then to Chicago and New York as African-Americans migrated north in search of a better life. The 1930s saw the evolution of swing bands like those led by Duke Ellington and Count Basie. At the same time many great soloists became popular, including Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. In the 1940s bebop hit, per- ���������������� ������ �������� ������������ ������ ��������- lie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The Mozart of his day, Charlie “Bird” Parker took all of the melodic and harmonic information available Jazz history is filled with innovators such as Duke Ellington (top), whose swing bands were wildly popular, and Charlie “Bird” Parker (above), a bebop pioneer. and crystallized it into bebop. But, even in 1955, at the time of Bird’s death, most people could answer with con- �������������������������������������������������������������������� Why, then, just more than a half a century �������������� ������������ ������ ������������ ������ ���� ���������������� ����������- tion? Part of the reason is because jazz has always been, and remains today, a living art form, ever changing and ever growing. Subsequently, after Bird took bebop to its logical conclusion, musicians such as Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman invented new forms, including modal playing and “free” jazz. In the 1960s, musicians began incorporating R&B, rock and new electric instruments into jazz. John Coltrane gave us “sheets of sound.” The Modern Jazz Quartet mixed jazz and classical music. Everything exploded, and suddenly jazz was all over the place. Many major record companies have introduced labels to consider: Contemporary jazz, mainstream jazz, smooth jazz, alternative jazz, avant-garde jazz, Latin jazz, fusion, etc. But we needn’t worry. Once again, each one of us is left with our own purely subjective views on jazz. My guess is that, if asked, even musicians — the men and women dedicating their lives to creating this music — would likely disagree on the meaning of jazz. So, perhaps a better question is: What do you like? From Jelly Roll Morton to Lee Morgan, from James P. Johnson to John Zorn, the answer is out there, preserved on vinyl for our learning and listening pleasure. Yes, experiencing all the different styles of jazz is a daunting task, but the rewards are great — and the more you listen, the �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� sounds in other genres, and vice-versa. One thing is sure: Jazz remains America’s ���������� ������������������ �������������� �������� ������������ �������������� �������� ��������- ence envelops the globe. It’s expressive. It’s enriching. Call it what you like — jazz is here to stay. �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� jazz saxophonist and vocalist Jason West for All About Jazz (allaboutjazz.com), a website dedicated to jazz musicians and their fans. It is reprinted with his permission. SUMMER 2017 | artsLife 17


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