All types of jazz. History of the development of jazz. Origins and styles. Current place of birth

HISTORY OF JAZZ DEVELOPMENT

Jazz

It is unlikely that anyone will dare to explain what jazz is, since even the great man in the history of jazz, Louis Armstrong, did not do this, who said that it just needs to be understood and that’s all. Indeed, jazz, its history, origins, modifications and branches are too diverse and multifaceted to give a simple comprehensive definition. But there are moments that clarify the nature of this musical direction.

Jazz arose as a combination of several musical cultures and national traditions. Initially, it arrived in its infancy from African lands, and under the influence of developed Western music and its movements (blues, reg-times) and the combination of musical African folklore with them, the result was a style that has not died to this day - jazz.

Jazz lives in rhythm, in inconsistency, in intersections and in non-compliance with keys and pitches. All music is built on confrontation and contradiction, but in one piece of music it all comes together harmoniously and amazes with its melody and special attractiveness.

The first jazzmen, with rare exceptions, created the tradition of a jazz orchestra, where there are improvisations with sound, speed or tempo, it is possible to expand the number of instruments and performers, and involve symphonic traditions. Many jazzmen have contributed their art to the development of the tradition of the art of playing jazz ensembles.

After the appearance of the brilliant performer, who lived his entire life in the rhythm of jazz, and still remains a legend - Louis Armstrong, the art of performing jazz saw new and unusual horizons: vocal or instrumental solo performance becomes the center of the entire performance, completely changing the idea of ​​jazz.

And this is where it becomes possible to explain another feature of the jazz style: this is the unique individual performance of a virtuoso jazzman, this is his performance and his and the listeners’ enjoyment of the music at the moment. And the key to the eternal youth of jazz is improvisation. Jazz has a spirit, but it doesn't have a skeleton to support it all. You can change the saxophone to the piano, or you can put down the chair and take the microphone, and if that doesn’t work, then go back to the trumpet and try to play something that Armstrong and Bechet didn’t play.

Jazz is not only a certain type of musical performance, it is also a unique, cheerful era.

Origins

The question of the birthplace of jazz is well known - this is America, but where does it originate?

Jazz appears as a unique fusion. And one of its components, which ensured its origin, is considered to be African origin. African settlers brought with them their culture, which developed against the backdrop of strong European and American influence.

The community and its rules (norms of behavior, traditions) are in the blood of those who came, although the connection with their ancestors is actually severed. And music, as an integral manifestation of an original culture, became one of the connecting links of that native African culture and a new life on another continent.

The vocal music of African-Americans, flavored with rhythm and dancing, body plasticity, and clapping, has grown into a new musical subculture. African music is completely different from European samples, it does not have a galaxy of instruments, it has largely retained ritualism and a connection to customs.

Origins / History of Jazz

This slave music ultimately broke the totalitarian regimes where classical orchestras reigned, completely subordinate to the will of the conductor's baton. According to the research of history and American culture professor Penny Van Eschen, the US State Department tried to use jazz as an ideological weapon against the USSR and the expansion of Soviet influence into third world countries. The origins of jazz are connected with the blues.

Jazz arose at the end of the 19th century as a fusion of African rhythms and European harmony, but its origins should be sought from the moment of the importation of slaves from Africa to the territory of the New World. The brought slaves did not come from the same family and usually did not even understand each other. The need for consolidation led to the unification of many cultures and, as a result, to the creation of a single culture (including musical) of African Americans. The processes of mixing African musical culture and European (which also underwent serious changes in the New World) took place starting from the 18th century and in the 19th century led to the emergence of “proto-jazz”, and then jazz in the generally accepted sense.

Improvisation plays a fundamental role in true jazz. In addition, jazz is distinguished by syncopation (emphasis on weak beats and unexpected accents) and a special drive. The last two components arise in ragtime, and then are transferred to the playing of orchestras (bands), after which the word “jazz” appears, written first as “Jass”, then as “Jasz”, and only since 1918 it has acquired its modern look. In addition, many styles of jazz are distinguished by a special performance technique: “swinging” or swing. The cradle of jazz was the American South and, above all, New Orleans. On February 26, 1917, in the New York studio of the Victor company, five white musicians from New Orleans recorded the first jazz record. The significance of this fact is difficult to overestimate: before the release of this record, jazz remained a marginal phenomenon, musical folklore, and after that it stunned all of America within a few weeks. The recording belonged to the legendary "Original Dixieland Jazz Band".

Origins / Birth of Jazz

The origins of this musical movement should be sought in a mixture of African and European cultures. Oddly enough, jazz began with Christopher Columbus himself. Of course, the great traveler and discoverer was not the first jazz performer. By opening America to Europe, Columbus marked the great beginning of the interpenetration of African and European musical traditions.

While exploring the American continent, Europeans transported here a large number of black enemies, the number of whom by 1700 exceeded hundreds of thousands. Slaves were transported from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic.

Europeans could not even guess that, along with slaves, they transported African musical culture, characterized by stunning musical rhythm, to America. In Africa, music has been an indispensable component of various rituals from time immemorial. Musical rhythm played a huge role here.

European culture introduced harmony, minor and major standards, melody, as well as a solo melodic principle into jazz.

Singing in jazz

Jazz singing cannot be equated to singing in the general sense of the word. Initially, there was no solo voice in jazz, there was only an instrument, and only since the performances of Louis Armstrong (meaning his later work) vocals became part of the “toolkit” of jazzmen. But again - jazz vocals, and this is something else.

Jazz vocals must have some special features, meaning the performer's voice. Considering the basis of jazz - improvisation, the absence of rules, one must understand that the same applies to the performer’s voice: the ability to expand the scope of a “regular” song, play with the voice, improvise easily, have a good range. The performer must adhere to the jazz style of performance: phrasing and “attack”.

"Scat singing" - this term appeared at the time when Louis Armstrong was on stage, who sang as well as played: the sounds made by his voice were very similar to the sounds made by his trumpet. Jazz vocals will begin to change and become more complex a little later, when the bop style comes into fashion. The time comes for the “bop” sket,” and the “first lady of jazz” - Ella Fitzgerald - becomes the star.

If the connection between jazz and blues is not so strong, then the connection between vocals has a more obvious connection. The possibilities of extracting sounds (the work of the larynx, wheezing and whispering, falsetto, etc.) of the blues were gladly accepted by the traditions of jazz.

The names of vocalists who became famous in the history of jazz for their singing: of course, the founder is Louis Armstrong, followed by Bing Crosby, followed by him, simply nicknamed “the voice,” Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole. Women made their contribution, and a considerable one: Bessie Smith, who was nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues,” followed by the names of Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and the unique singer Sarah Voen.

THE ORIGINS OF JAZZ AND ITS STYLES.

Introduction

Once, during an interview, the editor-in-chief of the most famous American jazz magazine, “Down Beat,” which is distributed in 124 countries, was asked by a reporter: “What is jazz?” “You have never seen a man so quickly caught in the act by such a simple question!”, this editor later said. In contrast, some other jazz figure could answer the same question by talking to you about this music for two hours or more, without explaining anything specifically, since in reality there is still no accurate, concise and then At the same time, it is time for a complete and objective definition of the word and the very concept of “jazz”.

But there is a huge difference between the music of King Oliver and Miles Davis, Benny Goodman and the Modern Jazz Quartet, Stan Kenton and John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck. Many of the components and the constant development of jazz over 100 years have led to the fact that even yesterday's set of its exact characteristics cannot be fully applied today, and tomorrow's formulations may be diametrically opposed (for example, for Dixieland and bebop, swing big band and combo jazz-rock).

The difficulties in defining jazz also lie in... The point is that they always try to solve this problem head-on and talk a lot about jazz with little results. Obviously, it could be solved indirectly by defining all those characteristics that surround this musical world in society and then it will be easier to understand what is in the center. Moreover, the question “What is jazz?” is replaced by "What do you mean by jazz?" And here we discover that this word has very different meanings for different people. Each person fills this lexical neologism with a certain meaning at his own discretion.

There are two categories of people who use this word. Some people love jazz, while others are not interested in it. Most jazz lovers have a very broad use of this word, but none of them can determine where jazz begins and ends, because everyone has their own opinion on this matter. They can find a common language with each other, but each is convinced that he is right and knows what jazz is, without going into details. Even professional musicians themselves, who live jazz and perform it regularly, give very different and vague definitions of this music.

The endless variety of interpretations does not give us any chance to come to a single and indisputable conclusion about what jazz is from a purely musical point of view. However, a different approach is possible here, which in the 2nd half of the 50s was proposed by the world famous musicologist, president and director of the New York Institute of Jazz Research Marshall Stearns (1908-1966), who invariably enjoyed boundless respect in jazz circles of all countries of the Old and the New World. In his excellent textbook The History of Jazz, first published in 1956, he defined this music from a purely historical point of view.

Stearns wrote: “First of all, wherever you hear jazz, it is always much easier to recognize than to describe in words. But as a very first approximation, we can define jazz as a semi-improvisational music that arose as a result of 300 years of mixing on North American soil of two great musical traditions - Western European and West African - that is, the actual fusion of white and black culture... And although musically the European tradition played a predominant role here, those rhythmic qualities that made jazz such a characteristic, unusual and easily recognizable music undoubtedly lead "its origins are from Africa. Therefore, the main components of this music are European harmony, Euro-African melody and African rhythm."

But why did jazz originate in North America, and not in South or Central America, where there were also enough whites and blacks? After all, when they talk about the birthplace of jazz, America is always called its cradle, but they usually mean the modern territory of the United States. The fact is that if the northern half of the American continent was historically inhabited mainly by Protestants (the British and the French), among whom there were many religious missionaries seeking to convert blacks to the Christian faith, then in the southern and central part of this huge continent Catholics (the Spaniards) predominated and the Portuguese), who looked at black slaves simply as draft animals, without caring about the salvation of their souls. Therefore, there could not have been a significant and deep enough interpenetration of races and cultures, which in turn had a direct impact on the degree of preservation of the native music of African slaves, mainly in the area of ​​their rhythm. To this day, pagan cults exist in the countries of South and Central America, secret rituals and rampant carnivals are held accompanied by Afro-Cuban (or Latin American) rhythms. It is not surprising that it is precisely in this rhythmic respect that the southern part of the New World has already in our time noticeably influenced all of the world’s popular music, while the North has contributed something different to the treasury of modern musical art, for example, spirituals and blues.

Consequently, Stearns continues, in the historical aspect, jazz is a synthesis obtained in the original from 6 fundamental sources. These include:

1. Rhythms of West Africa;

2. Work songs (work songs, field hollers);

3. Negro religious songs (spirituals);

4. Negro secular songs (blues);

5. American folk music of past centuries;

6. Music of minstrels and street brass bands.

1. The origins of jazz

The first forts of white people in the Gulf of Guinea on the coast of West Africa arose already in 1482. Exactly 10 years later, a significant event occurred - the discovery of America by Columbus. In 1620, the first black slaves appeared on the modern territory of the United States, who were conveniently transported by ship across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa. Over the next hundred years, their number grew there to one hundred thousand, and by 1790 this number increased 10 times.

If we say “African rhythm”, then we must keep in mind, of course, that West African blacks never played “jazz” as such - we are just talking about rhythm as an integral part of their existence in their homeland, where it was represented by a ritual “drum choir” " with its complex polyrhythms and much more. But slaves could not take any musical instruments with them to the New World, and at first in America they were even forbidden to make homemade drums, examples of which could only be seen much later in ethnographic museums. In addition, no one of any skin color is born with a ready-made sense of rhythm, it’s all about traditions, i.e. in the continuity of generations and the environment, therefore, Negro customs and rituals were preserved and transmitted throughout the United States exclusively orally and from memory from generation to generation of African-American Blacks. As Dizzy Gillespie said: "I don't think God can give any one more than others if they find themselves in the same environment. You can take any person, and if you put him in the same environment, then his life's path will definitely be similar to ours."

Jazz arose in the United States as a result of the synthesis of numerous elements of the resettled musical cultures of the peoples of Europe, on the one hand, and African folklore, on the other. These cultures had fundamentally different qualities. African music is improvisational in nature; it is characterized by a collective form of music-making with strongly expressed polyrhythm, polymetry and linearity. The most important function in it is the rhythmic beginning, rhythmic polyphony, from which the effect of cross-rhythm arises. The melodic, and even more so the harmonic principle, is developed to a much lesser extent in African music-making than in European music. Music for Africans has a more practical significance than for Europeans. It is often associated with work activity, with rituals, including worship. The syncretism of different types of arts affects the nature of music-making - it does not act independently, but in combination with dance, plastic arts, prayer, and recitation. In the excited state of Africans, their intonation is much more free than that of Europeans chained to a standardized scale. In African music, the question-answer form of singing (call & response) is widely developed.

For its part, European music made its rich contribution to the future synthesis: melodic constructions with a leading voice, modal major-minor standards, harmonic possibilities and much more. In general, relatively speaking, African emotionality, the intuitive principle, collided with European rationalism, especially manifested in the musical policy of Protestantism.

2. "Third Current"

The term "third stream" was coined by critic John Wilson. He outlined an alternative, or more precisely, options for the synthesis of the first and second trends, i.e. academic music and jazz. This trend was formed in the 50s and is not associated with a specific style. The experimental works of various musicians captured symphonic jazz, jazz rock, and avant-garde movements.

Jazz, as one of the most unique types of musical arts of the 20th century, gradually began to conquer the whole world and, in the end, acquired an international character. This happened primarily due to the fact that its composers and performers in their work often turned to the music of other countries and peoples - Indian, South American, Arabic and, of course, their own folklore. The most important source of inspiration for jazzmen in search of new directions in the evolution of their genre were also the best examples of European classical music and its several more popular varieties.

The historical contacts of classical composers with jazz are well known, and dozens of famous names could be cited here as examples (Dvorak, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Honegger, Kshenek, as well as Copland, Gershwin and Bernstein), but their attempts were guided by the desire to introduce only certain elements of jazz into academic music. Conversely, there is a lot of experimental work on the part of interested jazzmen who tried to apply certain principles of symphonic development and use the original principles of classical music in their jazz scores.

In different decades, such experiments sometimes even led to the emergence of new, if not styles, then, in any case, independent branches on the family tree of the history of jazz - for example, in the 20s it was “symphonic jazz” (Paul Whiteman, who wanted “make a lady out of jazz”), in the 40s - “progressive” (Stan Kenton), and in the 60s - “third movement”.

The “third movement” is mentioned specifically in jazz history, because jazzmen, not classics, came to it then. This was an experimental direction of modern jazz, whose representatives tried to create extensive works for mixed orchestras, including both academic performers and jazz improvisers.

The compositions of the “third movement” are characterized by a more organic fusion of European compositional techniques with jazz traditions. The most prominent representatives of this trend in the USA were musicians and composers Gunther Schuller, John Lewis (leader of the Modern Jazz Quartet), Gary McFarland, Jimmy Giuffre and others.

For example, Duke Ellington’s joint performances (and recordings) with the La Scala and London Symphony orchestras are known. With this combination, new harmonic and instrumental shades arise; the result is, so to speak, modern “intellectual music.” It has a classic approach to the theme, but remains very jazzy at its core. It is entirely possible to synthesize these two components in one type of music, close to both jazz (freedom of improvisation, a sense of swing, the freshness of new timbres) and the technique of “serious” compositions (techniques from the field of 12-tone music, polyphony, polytonality, polyrhythm, general thematic evolution, etc.).

Dave Brubeck made a significant contribution to the third movement with his works for jazz quartet and symphony orchestra. The tradition of combining a symphony orchestra and a jazz ensemble or even an orchestra is continued by Wynton Marsalis and his Lincoln Center Orchestra.

3. Modern blues. Big bands of the post-swing era

Historically, blues gradually penetrated into large industrial centers and quickly gained popularity there. It established the characteristic features inherited from the music of African Americans, and clearly defined the 12-bar form (as the most typical) and determined the harmonic accompaniment based on the blues scale. Among the most famous jazz blues performers in the 50s and 60s. there were Jimmy Rushing (1903-1972) and Joe Williams (1918-1999).

In the late 40s and early 50s, a new variety arose - “rhythm and blues” - it was an urban modification of the classic blues, which became widespread in the black areas of the largest US cities. Using the basic melodic-harmonic means of blues, “r&b” is distinguished by a significant increase in instrumental accompaniment, an expressive manner of performance, faster tempos, a clearly defined rhythm and an energetic beat, which is achieved in the form of alternating massive and booming beats on 1 and 3 beats of the measure with a dry and abrupt accent on beats 2 and 4. The performance is characterized by unrelenting emotional tension, loud sound, emphasizing “blues notes”, frequent transitions of the vocalist to falsetto, maximum intensity (pressure, “drive”) of the sound and is built on the antiphon of short “riffs” of the singer and accompaniment.

Until the end of the 40s. "R&B" in "live" sound and on records (in a series of so-called "racial records") was known mainly only to the black population in large industrial cities. The favorites of this trend in those years were saxophonists Louis Jordan and Earl Bostic, guitarists "T-Bone" Walker and Muddy Waters, pianists Jay McShann and, somewhat later, Ray Charles and vocalist Big Joe Turner.

However, in the early 50s, interest in this rhythmic music also appeared among whites. Gradually, a growing demand for R&B plays arose from white youth, and a number of musicians turned to this direction, and they became active promoters of R&B in those years, which then revolutionized popular music and led to the emergence of rock and roll. When white guitarist Bill Haley recorded the famous rhythm and blues number "Rock Around the Clock" with his band on April 12, 1954, the date of its release has since been considered the birthday of "rock and roll" and the theme itself. his anthem.

During those years, a white disc jockey, Alan Freed (1922-1965), appeared on a Cleveland radio station and began regularly airing recordings of "rhythm and blues" artists, and now Freed can be said to be almost single-handedly responsible for changing the entire course American popular music. It was he who brought black rhythm and blues writers and artists out from behind the racial curtain and introduced them to a wide audience of white teenagers. In a fit of inspiration, he called these recordings "rock and roll" and popularized the term among young people around the world.

This adapted version of "r&b" boiled down to three basic chords, a few simple electric guitar "riffs" and a heavy, monotonous beat with strong accents on beats 2 and 4 (i.e. the "off-beat"). However, the harmony of “rock and roll” was still based on the 12-bar blues scheme, so its main merit was that it established the fundamental concept of blues in the mass musical consciousness of white Americans, and after them Europeans , which has enormous potential for the development of rhythm, melody and harmony. The blues not only revitalized popular music as a whole, but also changed its previous "white" European orientation and opened the door to a wide stream of innovations and borrowings from musical cultures in other areas of the globe, such as Latin American music.

Difficult economic conditions after World War II and changes in the interests of the public and managers radically affected many big bands of the swing era. Most of them have disappeared forever. However, in the early 50s, a revival of the genre began. With difficulty, but the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and a little later the Duke Ellington orchestra were restored. The public again wanted to listen to pre-war hits. Despite the significant renewal of the lineups and the arrival of young musicians, the leaders, indulging the wishes of the listeners, restored the old repertoire. Of these three pillars of the swing era, only Duke Ellington was on the path to change. This concerned his widespread use of the suite form, which began during the war years. Large-scale suites with programmatic content appeared in his repertoire. A significant stage was the creation of “Concerts of Sacred Music” (1965-66) for orchestra, choir, soloists and dancer. The energetic performances of the big band of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton continued, focused primarily on the musicality and charm of their leader.

Gradually, some orchestras turned into memorial formations that support established traditions. As such, we can name the Glenn Miller Orchestra, who died in 1944, the Count Basie Orchestra, which exists under the same name after the death of the leader in 1984, led by Mercer Ellington (son of Duke), and then by his grandson Paul Mercer Ellington, the Duke Ellington Orchestra (d. . 1974).

Progressive orchestras gradually lost their spirit of experimentation and acquired a relatively standard repertoire. The orchestras of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton, having produced some interesting soloists, passed the baton to younger colleagues. Among them, it is necessary to note the bands that created a new sound based on bright arrangements, polystylistics, and a new use of the sound of brass instruments, primarily trumpets. Such centers of progress in orchestral sound in the 60s were the bands of trumpeters Maynard Fergusson and Don Ellis. Consistent movement in the chosen direction took place in the creative laboratory of one of the founders of the group, Gil Evans. His own performances, recordings with Miles Davis at the turn of the 50s and 60s, and further experiments with modal music and elements of jazz rock in the 70s were an important individual trend in jazz history.

In the 70s, a powerful impetus to the band movement was given by an orchestra assembled from young and very strong musicians of the New York jazz scene by trumpeter Thad Jones, a former member of the Basie band, and drummer Mel Lewis, who played in the orchestra Stan Kenton. For a decade, this band was considered the best, thanks to its magnificent modern arrangements and high level of instrumentalists. The orchestra disbanded due to Jones' move to Denmark, but Mel Louis tried to support it for a long time in collaboration with trombonist and arranger Bob Brookmyer. In the 80s, the first place in the world hierarchy was occupied by a band created by Japanese pianist and arranger Toshiko Akiyoshi together with her husband, saxophonist Lew Tabakin. This orchestra is unusual in that it was created by a woman; it performs primarily her works, but continues to follow American orchestral traditions. In 1985, the orchestra was disbanded, and Akiyoshi organized a new band called "Toshiko Akiyoshi's New York Jazz Orchestra."

In the 90s, the big band genre did not dry out, but, perhaps, strengthened. At the same time, the range of orchestral stylistics has expanded. The conservative wing, in addition to the memorial orchestras, is represented by the Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by one of the most favored jazz musicians by the officialdom, the talented trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis. This orchestra tries to follow Duke Ellington's line of creating works of large form and programmatic nature. More diverse is the work of the very strong and more modern orchestra named after Charles Mingus (The Mingus Big Band). This band attracts creatively minded musicians. More radical ideas are professed by various "workshops" that are temporary in nature, and by diverse bands professing more avant-garde ideas. Among such orchestras are the bands of Sam Rivers, George Gruntz, and numerous European conglomerates.

4. Hardbop. Funky

In contrast to the refinement and coolness of the cool style, the rationality of progressive on the East Coast of the United States, young musicians in the early 50s continued the development of the seemingly exhausted bebop style. The growth of self-awareness of African Americans, characteristic of the 50s, played a significant role in this trend. There was a renewed focus on staying true to African-American improvisational traditions. At the same time, all the achievements of bebop were preserved, but many developments of cool were added to them both in the field of harmony and in the field of rhythmic structures. The new generation of musicians, as a rule, had a good musical education. This trend, called "hardbop", turned out to be very numerous. It included trumpeters Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, pianists Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, drummer Art Blakey, saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley ( Hank Mobley), Cannonball Adderley, double bassist Paul Chambers and many others.

Another technical innovation turned out to be significant for the development of the new style: the appearance of long-playing records. It became possible to record long solos. For musicians, this has become a temptation and a difficult test, since not everyone is able to speak out fully and succinctly for a long time. Trumpeters were the first to take advantage of these advantages, modifying Dizzy Gillespie's style to a calmer but deeper playing. The most influential were Fats Navarro and Clifford Brown (both of them were given too short a life path). These musicians paid the main attention not to virtuosic high-speed passages in the upper register, but to thoughtful and logical melodic lines.

The musical complexity achieved, for example, by Art Blakey, who used complex rhythmic structures, did not lead to a loss of jazz, emotional spirituality. The same applies to new forms in the improvisations of Horace Silver or in the polyrhythmic figurations in the solos of Sonny Rollins. The music took on an edge, acerbity and a new swing dimension. A special role in the development of hardbop was played by Art Blakey, who created the Jazz Messengers ensemble in 1955. This composition played the role of a school in which the talent of numerous representatives of this direction was identified and flourished. These include pianists Bobby Timmons and Horace Silver, saxophonists Benny Golson, Hank Mobley, trumpeters Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham, Wynton Marsalis and many others. "Jazz Messengers" still exist in one form or another, having outlived their leader (1993).

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins occupies a special place in the galaxy of hard bop musicians. His style was composed of Parkerian lines and the broad tone of Coleman Hawkins, and his innovation was associated with his temperament and spontaneity as an improviser. It is characterized by a special freedom in the use of harmonic material. In the mid-50s, Rollins attracted attention with the peculiarities of his phrasing, which represents magnificent polyrhythmic figures that tear apart the harmonic material coming from the theme. In his melodic improvisations, harshness of sound and musical sarcasm appear.

Some of the music that appeared during the "hardbop" period naturally absorbed the blues, used at a slow or medium tempo with special expression, based on a pronounced beat. This style is called "funky". The word is slang and means an intensifying definition of a pungent, pungent smell or taste. In jazz, it is synonymous with down-to-earth, “real” music. The appearance of this branch is not accidental. In the 50s, jazz began to move away from the old Negro essence of jazz, and a weakening of the jazz idiom became noticeable. It became increasingly difficult to determine what kind of music should be perceived as jazz. Jazz musicians experimented with the folklore of different nations, they were attracted by impressionism and atonalism, and they began to get involved in ancient music. Not everyone found these processes convincing enough. A number of musicians turned to compositions heavily flavored with the sound of traditional blues and religious chants. Initially, the religious element had a decorative rather than functional purpose. Sometimes the old-fashioned screams of the cotton fields played the role of an introduction to quite traditional bebop figures. Sonny Rollins shows signs of this style, but its greatest expression can be found in pianist Horace Silver, who created funky blues. The sincerity of his music was reinforced by the religious motives that guided the musician.

From the funky style grew the figure of Charles Mingus - double bassist, composer and bandleader, a musician who did not fit into the framework of a certain style. Mingus set himself the task of evoking very specific emotional sensations in the listener. At the same time, the load was distributed between the composition itself and the musicians, who had to improvise, experiencing precisely these emotions. Mingus can easily be classified as one of the very few jazz composers. He considered himself a follower of Duke Ellington and turned to the same area of ​​African-American culture, religiosity, mysticism - an area that required the use of funky style techniques.

5. Free jazz

In the early 60s, the next round of development of jazz styles was largely due to the strengthening of racial self-awareness of black musicians. Among the youth of that time, this process was expressed in very radical forms, including in jazz, which has always been an outlet in the culture of African Americans. In music, this again manifested itself in the desire to abandon the European component and return to the root sources of jazz. In the new jazz, black musicians turned to non-Christian religions, primarily Buddhism and Hinduism. On the other hand, this time is characterized by the emergence of waves of protest, social instability, regardless of skin color (hippie movement, anarchism, passion for Eastern mysticism). “Free jazz” that appeared at this time made a sharp turn away from the entire main path of development of jazz, from the mainstream. The combination of the fullness of spiritual and aesthetic experiences with a fundamentally new approach to the organization of musical material completely fenced off new jazz from the sphere of popular art. This was a sharp acceleration of the process that was started by the boppers.

Dixieland and swing stylists created melodic improvisations, bebop, cool and hardbop musicians followed chord structures in their solos. Free jazz was a radical departure from previous styles, since in this style the soloist is not obliged to follow a given direction or build a form in accordance with known canons, he can go in any unpredictable direction. Initially, the main aspiration of the leaders of free jazz was a destructive orientation in relation to rhythm, structure, harmony, and melody. The main thing for them was extreme expressiveness, spiritual nakedness, and ecstasy. The first experiments of new jazz musicians Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler did not break ties with the norms of the mainstream. The first free jazz recordings still appealed to harmonic patterns. However, gradually this process reaches the extreme point of breaking with tradition. When Ornette Coleman fully introduced free jazz to New York audiences (despite the fact that Cecil Taylor was known earlier and quite well), many of the bebop musicians and jazz connoisseurs came to the conclusion that this music could not be considered not only jazz, but also , actually, music. Thus, former radicals became conservatives in less than 15 years.

One of the first destroyers of canons was Cecil Taylor, who at the time of his majority was a very trained musician. He graduated from the conservatory, knew jazz well, and was thinking about applying the principles of composer music to the improvisational process. By 1956, he, together with saxophonist Steve Lacy, managed to release a record containing some ideas of new jazz. The early deceased pianist and composer Herbie Nichols was following approximately the same path, emanating largely from Thelonious Monk. Despite the difficulty of perceiving music that does not contain conventional reference points, Cecil Taylor became a famous figure already in 1958, which was facilitated by his performances at the Five Spot club.

Unlike Taylor, another founder of free jazz, Ornette Coleman, had extensive experience performing before and, at the same time, never played “correctly.” Perhaps Coleman, without realizing it, became a master of primitivism. This, in turn, gave him the basis for an easy transition to non-standard music, which he accomplished together with the trumpet player who played the pocket trumpet - Don Cherry. The musicians were lucky; double bassist Red Mitchell and pianist John Lewis, who were influential in the musical community, became interested in them. In 1959, the musicians released the album "Something Else!!" and got an engagement in Five Spot. A milestone for new jazz was Ornette Coleman's double-team "Free Jazz" in 1960.

Free jazz often intersects with other avant-garde movements, which, for example, can use its shaping and sequence of rhythmic structures. Since its inception, free jazz has remained the domain of a small number of people and is usually found underground, yet has greatly influenced the modern mainstream. Despite the total denial, free jazz has developed a certain normativity that allows it to be distinguished from other new jazz movements. These conventions relate to the overall plan of the piece, the interaction of musicians, rhythmic support and, of course, the emotional plane. It should be noted that an old form of collective improvisation has re-emerged in free jazz. Free jazz has become characterized by working with an “open form”, not tied to specific structures. This approach has also begun to appear among musicians who are not purely free jazz - such as, for example, the spontaneous improvisations of Keith Jarrett at his solo concerts.

The rejection of "new jazz" from European musical norms led to enormous interest in non-European cultures, mainly Eastern. John Coltrane was very seriously involved in Indian music, Don Cherry - Indonesian and Chinese, Farrow Sanders - Arabic. Moreover, this orientation is not superficial, decorative, but very deep, with the desire to understand and absorb the entire character of not only the corresponding music, but also its aesthetic and spiritual environment.

Free jazz idioms often became an integral part of polystylistic music. One of the most striking manifestations of this approach is the work of a group of Chicago black musicians who began performing in the 60s under the auspices of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Later, these musicians (Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Rascoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, Don Moye) created the "Chicago Art Ensemble", which preached a variety of styles from African ritual spells and gospel music to free jazz. Another side of the same process is manifested in the work of clarinetist and saxophonist Anthony Braxton, who is closely associated with the Chicago Art Ensemble. His music is both free and intellectual. Braxton sometimes uses mathematical principles in his compositions, such as group theory, but this does not diminish the emotional impact of his music. Disputes about the possibility of music of this kind do not subside to this day. Thus, the official authority of the American jazz establishment, Wynton Marsalis, contemptuously calls Braxton “a good chess player,” while at the same time, in the polls of the American Association of Jazz Journalists, Marsalis ranks next after Braxton in the category of jazz composers.

It should be noted that by the beginning of the 70s, interest in free jazz began to capture creatively minded musicians in Europe, who often combined its principles of “freedom” with the developments of European musical practice of the 20th century - atonality, serial technique, aleatorics, sonoristics, etc. On the other hand On the other hand, some free jazz leaders were moving away from extreme radicalism and, in the 80s, moving towards some compromise, albeit original versions of music. Among them are Ornette Coleman with the “Prime Time” project, Archie Shepp and others.

6. Development of fusion: jazz-rock. Fusion ECM. World Jazz

The original definition of "jazz rock" was the clearest: a combination of jazz improvisation with the energy and rhythms of rock music. Until 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock existed almost separately. But by this time, rock becomes more creative and more complex, psychedelic rock and soul music emerge. At the same time, some jazz musicians began to get tired of pure hardbop, but they did not want to play difficult avant-garde music. As a result, two different idioms began to exchange ideas and join forces. Beginning in 1967, guitarist Larry Coryell, vibraphonist Gary Burton, and in 1969 drummer Billy Cobham with the group "Dreams", in which the Brecker Brothers played, began to master new expanses of style. By the end of the 60s, Miles Davis had the necessary potential to transition to jazz rock. He was one of the creators of modal jazz, on the basis of which, using 8/8 rhythm and electronic instruments, Miles takes a new step by recording the albums "Bitches Brew", "In a Silent Way". Along with him at this time was a brilliant galaxy of musicians, many of whom later became fundamental figures of this movement - John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock. Davis's characteristic asceticism, brevity, and philosophical contemplation turned out to be just the thing in the new style. By the early 1970s, jazz rock had its own distinct identity as a creative jazz style, although it was derided by many jazz purists. The main groups of the new direction were “Return To Forever”, “Weather Report”, “The Mahavishnu Orchestra”, and various Miles Davis ensembles. They played high-quality jazz-rock that combined a huge range of techniques from both jazz and rock.

Fusion

The most interesting compositions of jazz-rock are characterized by improvisation, combined with compositional solutions, the use of harmonic and rhythmic principles of rock music, the active embodiment of the melody and rhythm of the East, and the powerful introduction of electronic means of sound processing and synthesis into music. In this style, the range of application of modal principles has expanded, and the range of different modes, including exotic ones, has expanded. In the 70s, jazz-rock became incredibly popular; the most active musicians joined it. Jazz-rock, which is more developed in terms of the synthesis of various musical means, is called “fusion” (fusion, merging). An additional impulse for “fusion” was another (not the first in the history of jazz) bow towards European academic music. In fact, at this stage, fusion continues the line of the “third movement” of the 50s.

The combination of various cultural influences is reflected even in the composition of the most interesting ensembles. A typical example is Weather Report, led at first by the Americanized Austrian keyboardist Joseph Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, each of whom at different times went through the school of Miles Davis. The ensemble brought together musicians from Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Peru. Subsequently, instrumentalists and vocalists from almost all over the world began to collaborate with Zawinul. In the successor to "Weather Report", the "Syndicat" project, the geography of musicians extends from Tuva to South America.

Unfortunately, over time, jazz rock largely acquires the features of commercial music; on the other hand, rock itself abandons many of the creative discoveries made in the mid-1970s. In many cases, fusion actually becomes a combination of jazz with conventional pop music and light rhythm and blues; crossover. Fusion music's ambitions for musical depth and empowerment remain unfulfilled, although in rare cases the search continues, such as in groups like Tribal Tech and Chick Corea's ensembles.

Electric Jazz

The use of electronic sound converters and synthesizers has proven extremely attractive to musicians who are primarily on the border with rock or commercial music. In reality, there are relatively few fruitful examples among the general mass of electric music. For example, Joe Zawinul achieved a very effective fusion of ethnic and tonal elements in the Weather Report project. Herbie Hancock for a long time became an idol not so much of the public as of musicians, using synthesizers, numerous keyboards and various electronic tricks in the 70s and 80s. In the 90s, this area of ​​music increasingly moved into the non-jazz sphere. This is facilitated by the expanded capabilities of computer music creation, which, with certain advantages and capabilities, loses connection with the main jazz quality - improvisation.

Since the early 70s, a separate niche in the community of jazz styles was occupied by the German company ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), which gradually became the center of an association of musicians who professed not so much an attachment to the African-American origin of jazz, but rather the ability to solve a wide variety of artistic tasks, without limiting oneself to a certain style, but in line with the creative improvisational process. Over time, a certain personality of the company nevertheless developed, which led to the separation of the artists of this label into a large-scale and clearly defined stylistic direction. The label's founder Manfred Eicher's focus on uniting various jazz idioms, world folklore and new academic music into a single impressionistic sound made it possible to use these means to claim depth and philosophical understanding of life values.

The company's main recording studio, located in Oslo, clearly correlates with the dominant role in the catalog of Scandinavian musicians. First of all, these are the Norwegians Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Christensen. However, the geography of ECM covers the whole world. Here are Europeans John Surman, Dave Holland, Eberhard Weber, Rainer Bruninghaus, Tomasz Stanko, Mikhail Alperin and representatives of non-European cultures Egberto Gismonti , Zakir Hussain, Flora Purim, Trilok Gurtu, Nana Vasconcelos, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Anouar Brahem and many others. The American Legion is no less representative - Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Don Cherry, Charles Lloyd, Ralph Towner, Redman Dewey, Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie ( John Abercrombie), Leo Smith. The initial revolutionary impulse of the company's publications turned over time into a meditative and detached sound of open forms with carefully polished sound layers. Naturally, Eicher crossed the invisible line that separated numerous attempts to combine jazz and academic European music. This is no longer a third current, but simply a current that smoothly flows into the “New Series” of ECM with academic music, very close in spirit to jazz releases. The direction of the label's policy beyond the borders of mass culture, however, led to an increase in the popularity of this kind of music, which can be seen as a kind of paradox. Some mainstream adherents deny the path chosen by the musicians of this trend; however, jazz, as a world culture, develops despite these objections and produces very impressive results.

World Jazz

"World Jazz" (World Jazz) - a strange-sounding term in Russian, refers to the fusion of Third World music, or "World Music", with jazz. This very branched direction can be divided into several types.

Ethnic music that includes jazz improvisations, such as Latin jazz. In this case, sometimes only the solo is improvised. The accompaniment and composition are essentially the same as in ethnic music itself;

Jazz, which incorporated limited aspects of non-Western music. Examples include Dizzy Gillespie's old "A Night in Tunisia" recordings, and the music on some of Keith Jarrett's quartet and quintet records released in the 1970s on the Impulse! label, using slightly modified Middle Eastern instruments and similar harmonic techniques. This includes some of Sun Ra's music from the 50s to the 90s, which incorporates African rhythms, some of Yusef Lateef's recordings using traditional Islamic instruments and techniques;

New musical styles emerging through organic ways of combining jazz improvisation with the original ideas and instruments, harmonies, compositional techniques and rhythms of an existing ethnic tradition. The result turns out to be original, and it clearly reflects the essential aspects of ethnicity. Examples of this approach are numerous and include the ensembles of Don Cherry, Codona and Nu; some of John McLaughlin's music from the 70s to the 90s, based on Indian traditions; some of the music of Don Ellis from the 70s, who borrowed ideas from the music of India and Bulgaria; the work of Andy Narell in the 90s, who mixed Trinidadian music and instruments with jazz and funk improvisations.

This is not the first time “World Fusion Jazz” has followed this path in the history of jazz, and this trend itself does not apply exclusively to American jazz. For example, Polynesian music was mixed with Western pop styles in the early twentieth century, and its sound emerged from some of the earliest jazz musicians. Caribbean dance rhythms became a significant part of American popular culture throughout the twentieth century, and since jazz musicians often improvised on pop music themes, they were mixed almost continuously. Django Reinhardt combined the traditions of gypsy music, French impressionism with jazz improvisation back in the 30s in France. The list of musicians active in the border region may include hundreds and thousands of names. Among them, for example, are such different people as Al DiMeola, the group "Dead Can Dance", Joe Zawinul, the group "Shakti", Lakshminarayana Shankar, Paul Winter, Trilok Gurtu and many other.

7. Pop - jazz : funk, acid jazz, crossover, smooth jazz

Funk

Modern funk refers to popular styles of jazz from the 70s and 80s in which accompanists play in the style of black pop-soul and funk music, while extensive solo improvisations are more creative and jazzy in nature. Rather than using the diverse, accumulated repertoire of jazz idioms found in modern jazz saxophonists (Charlie Parker, Lee Konitz, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman), most saxophonists in this style use their own set of simple phrases that consist of blues shouts and groans. They build on a tradition carried over from saxophone solos on rhythm and blues vocal recordings by the likes of King Curtis with the Coasters, Junior Walker with the Motown vocal groups, David Sanborn Sanborn) with "Blues Band" by Paul Butterfield. A prominent figure in this genre is Grover Washington, Jr., who often played solos in the style of Hank Crawford using funk-like accompaniment. This is how he appears in his most famous recordings, although Washington is capable of playing music in other styles of jazz. Members of The Jazz Crusaders Felder Wilton and Joe Sample achieved widespread popularity by significantly changing their repertoire during the 70s and removing the word “jazz” from the ensemble’s name. Much of the music of Michael Brecker, Tom Scott and their students takes this approach, although they could just as easily be playing in the styles of John Coltrane or Joe Henderson. "Najee", Richard Elliott and their contemporaries also work in the style of "modern funk". Between 1971 and 1992, Miles Davis led ensembles performing a sophisticated variation of the style, although the saxophonists in his groups were influenced by John Coltrane and his guitarists exhibited a modern jazz mindset coupled with the influence of Jimi Hendrix. Much of modern funk can also be classified as "crossover".

Acid jazz

Many consider the later compositions of Miles Davis to be the founder of this trend. The term "acid jazz" has been assigned to one of the types of light jazz music, mainly a dance genre, united by the fact that it is partially played by "live" musicians, and the rest is taken either in sampled form or in the form of sounds, for The production of which uses records, most often old, vinyl forty-fives, which are produced for discos. The musical result can be of any style, however, with a modified sound. Radical “punk jazz”, “soul”, “fusion” are more preferable for these purposes. Acid jazz also has a more radical avant-garde wing - an example is the work of British guitarist Derek Bailey. What distinguishes acid jazz from the disco version is the significant contribution of the “live” playing of the musicians. Apparently, this direction has a future that allows it to develop.

Сrossover

With the gradual decline in the activity of rock music (from an artistic point of view), starting in the early 70s, with a decrease in the flow of ideas from the world of rock, fusion music (a combination of jazz improvisation with rock rhythms) became more straightforward. At the same time, many began to realize that electric jazz could become more commercial, producers and some musicians began to look for such combinations of styles to increase sales. They really successfully created a type of jazz that was more accessible to the average listener. Over the past two decades, many different combinations have emerged for which promoters and publicists like to use the phrase "Modern Jazz", used to describe the "fusions" of jazz with elements of pop, rhythm and blues and "world music". However, the word "crossover" more accurately describes the essence of the matter. Crossover and fusion achieved their goal of increasing the audience for jazz, especially among those who were fed up with other styles. In some cases, this music is worthy of attention, although in most cases the jazz content in it is reduced to zero. For a style that is essentially pop music with a little bit of improvisation that takes the music beyond the boundaries of jazz, the term "instrumental pop" fits better than others. Examples of the crossover style range from Al Jarreau and George Benson's vocal recordings to Kenny G, Spyro Gyra and the Rippingtons. There is a jazz influence in all this, but, nevertheless, this music fits into the field of pop art, which is represented by Gerald Albright, David Benoit, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, "The Crusaders", George Duke, saxophonist Bill Evans, Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones, Earl Klugh, Hubert Laws, Chuck Mangione Mangione), Lee Ritenour, Joe Sample, Tom Scott, Grover Washington Jr.

Smooth

"Smooth jazz" is a product of the fusion style, which emphasizes the softened, smooth side of music. In general, smooth jazz relies more on rhythms and melodic lines instead of improvisation. It uses sound layers of synthesizers, funk rhythms, funk bass, elastic lines of guitar and trumpet, alto or soprano saxophone. The music isn't cerebral like hardbop, but it's not overly energetic like funky or soul jazz. Smooth jazz compositions appear simplistic, superficial, and polished, with the overall sound being more important than the individual parts. Typical representatives of the smooth style are George Benson, Kenny G, Fourplay, David Sanborn, Spyro Gyra, The Yellowjackets, Russ Freeman.

Jazz is a type of musical art that arose as a result of the synthesis of African and European cultures with the participation of African-American folklore. Rhythm and improvisation were borrowed from African music, and harmony from European music.

General information about the origins of the formation

The history of jazz originates in 1910 in the USA. It quickly spread throughout the world. During the twentieth century, this direction in music underwent a number of changes. If we talk briefly about the history of jazz, it should be noted that several stages of development passed through the process of formation. In the 30-40s of the twentieth century, he was greatly influenced by the swing and bebop movements. After 1950, jazz began to be seen as a musical genre that included all the styles it had evolved through.

Currently, jazz has taken a place in the field of high art. It is considered quite prestigious, influencing the development of world musical culture.

The history of jazz

This trend arose in the USA as a result of the merger of several musical cultures. The history of the origins of jazz begins in North America, most of which was inhabited by English and French Protestants. Religious missionaries sought to convert blacks to their faith, caring for the salvation of their souls.

The result of the synthesis of cultures is the emergence of spirituals and blues.

African music is characterized by improvisation, polyrhythm, polymetry and linearity. The rhythmic principle plays a huge role here. The meaning of melody and harmony is not so significant. This is explained by the fact that music among Africans has practical significance. It accompanies work and rituals. African music is not independent and is associated with movement, dance, and recitation. Its intonation is quite free, as it depends on the emotional state of the performers.

From European music, which was more rational, jazz was enriched with a major-minor modal system, melodic structures, and harmony.

The process of unification of cultures began in the eighteenth century and led to the emergence of jazz in the twentieth century.

New Orleans School period

In the history of jazz, the first instrumental style is considered to have originated in (Louisiana). This music first appeared in the performance of street brass bands, which were very popular at that time. Storyville, an area of ​​the city specially designated for entertainment venues, was of great importance in the history of the emergence of jazz in this port city. It was here, among Creole musicians of Negro-French origin, that jazz was born. They knew light classical music, were educated, mastered European playing techniques, played European instruments, and read music. Their high performing level and upbringing in European traditions enriched early jazz with elements that were not subject to African influences.

The piano was also a common instrument in Storyville establishments. The sound here was mostly improvisation, and the instrument was used more as a percussion instrument.

An example of the early New Orleans style is the Buddy Bolden (cornet) band, which existed from 1895-1907. The music of this orchestra was based on collective improvisation of polyphonic structure. At first, the rhythm of early New Orleans jazz compositions was march-like, since the origin of the bands came from military bands. Over time, secondary instruments were removed from the standard composition of brass bands. Such ensembles often organized competitions. “White” squads also took part in them, which were distinguished by their technical play, but were less emotional.

There were a large number of orchestras that played marches, blues, ragtime, etc.

Along with black orchestras, orchestras consisting of white musicians also appeared. At first they performed the same music, but were called “Dixieland”. Later, these compositions used more elements of European technology, their style of sound production changed.

Steamboat orchestras

New Orleans orchestras that worked on steamships that plied the Mississippi River played a role in the history of the origins of jazz. For passengers who traveled on pleasure boats, one of the most attractive entertainments was the performance of such orchestras. They performed entertaining dance music. For performers, a mandatory requirement was knowledge of musical literacy and the ability to read notes from a sheet. Therefore, these compositions had a fairly high professional level. In such an orchestra, jazz pianist Lil Hardin, who later became the wife of Louis Armstrong, began her career.

At stations where ships made stops, orchestras organized concerts for the local population.

Some of the bands remained in cities along or far from the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. One of these cities was Chicago, where blacks felt more comfortable than in South America.

Big band

In the early 20s of the 20th century, the big band form emerged in the history of jazz music, which remained relevant until the end of the 40s. The performers of such orchestras played learned parts. The orchestration involved the bright sound of rich jazz harmonies, which were performed by brass and The most famous jazz orchestras were the orchestras of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Jimmy Lunsford. They recorded genuine hits of swing melodies, which became the source of passion for swing in a wide circle of listeners. At the “battles of the bands” that were held at that time, the improvising soloists of big bands drove the audience into hysterics.

After the 1950s, when the popularity of big bands declined, famous orchestras continued to tour and record for several decades. The music they performed changed, being influenced by new directions. Today, big band is the standard of jazz education.

Chicago jazz

In 1917, the United States enters World War I. In this regard, it was declared a city of strategic importance. All entertainment establishments where a large number of musicians worked were closed. Left unemployed, they migrated en masse to the North, to Chicago. During this period, all the best musicians from both New Orleans and other cities are there. One of the most prominent performers was Joe Oliver, who became famous in New Orleans. During the Chicago period, his band included famous musicians: Louis Armstrong (second cornet), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), his brother “Babby” Dodds (drums), and the Chicago young and educated pianist Lil Hardin. This orchestra played improvisational, full-textured New Orleans jazz.

Analyzing the history of the development of jazz, it should be noted that during the Chicago period the sound of orchestras changed stylistically. Some tools are being replaced. Performances that become stationary may allow the use of bands that have become mandatory members. A double bass is used instead of a brass bass, a guitar is used instead of a banjo, and a trumpet is used instead of a cornet. Changes are also taking place in the drum group. Now the drummer plays on a drum kit, where his capabilities become wider.

At the same time, the saxophone began to be used in orchestras.

The history of jazz in Chicago is replenished with new names of young performers, musically educated, who can sight read and arrange. These musicians (mostly white) did not know the true New Orleans sound of jazz, but they learned it from black performers who migrated to Chicago. Musical youth imitated them, but since this did not always work out, a new style arose.

During this period, the skill of Louis Armstrong reached its peak, setting the example for Chicago jazz and cementing the role of a soloist of the highest class.

The blues is being reborn in Chicago, bringing out new artists.

There is a fusion of jazz and pop, so vocalists begin to appear in the foreground. They create their own orchestral compositions for jazz accompaniment.

The Chicago period is characterized by the creation of a new style in which jazz instrumentalists sing. Louis Armstrong is one of the representatives of this style.

Swing

In the history of the creation of jazz, the term “swing” (translated from English as “swinging”) is used in two meanings. Firstly, swing is an expressive means in this music. It is characterized by an unstable rhythmic pulsation, creating the illusion of an accelerated tempo. In this regard, it seems that music has great internal energy. Performers and listeners are united by a common psychophysical state. This effect is achieved through the use of rhythmic, phrasing, articulation and timbre techniques. Every jazz musician strives to develop his own original way of “swinging” music. The same applies to ensembles and orchestras.

Secondly, this is one of the styles of orchestral jazz that appeared in the late 20s of the twentieth century.

A characteristic feature of the swing style is solo improvisation against the background of an accompaniment that is quite complex. Musicians with good technique, knowledge of harmony and mastery of musical development techniques could work in this style. For such music-making, large orchestras or big bands were provided, which became popular in the 30s. The standard composition of an orchestra traditionally included 10-20 musicians. Of these - from 3 to 5 trumpets, the same number of trombones, a saxophone group, which included a clarinet, as well as a rhythm section, which consisted of piano, string bass, guitar and percussion instruments.

Bop

In the mid-40s of the twentieth century, a new jazz style emerged, the emergence of which marked the beginning of the history of modern jazz. This style arose as a contrast to swing. He had a very fast pace, which was introduced by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. This was done with a specific purpose - to limit the circle of performers only to professionals.

The musicians used completely new rhythmic patterns and melodic turns. The harmonic language has become more complex. The rhythmic basis from the bass drum (in swing) moved to the cymbals. Any danceability in the music has completely disappeared.

In the history of jazz styles, bebop was the first to leave the sphere of popular music towards experimental creativity, into the sphere of art in its “pure” form. This happened due to the interest of representatives of this style in academicism.

Boppers were distinguished by their shocking appearance and behavior, thereby emphasizing their individuality.

Bebop music was performed by small ensembles. In the foreground is the soloist with his individual style, virtuoso technique, creative thinking, and mastery of free improvisation.

In comparison with swing, this direction was more highly artistic and intellectual, but less widespread. It was anti-commercial. Nevertheless, bebop began to spread rapidly, and it had its own wide audience of listeners.

Jazz territory

In the history of jazz, it is necessary to note the constant interest of musicians and listeners around the world, regardless of what country they live in. This is explained by the fact that jazz performers such as Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington and many others built their compositions on a synthesis of different musical cultures. This fact suggests that jazz is music that is understood throughout the world.

Today, the history of jazz has its continuation, since the potential for the development of this music is quite large.

Jazz music in the USSR and Russia

Due to the fact that jazz in the USSR was considered a manifestation of bourgeois culture, it was subject to criticism and banned by the authorities.

But October 1, 1922 was marked by the concert of the first professional jazz orchestra in the USSR. This orchestra performed the fashionable Charleston and Foxtrot dances.

The history of Russian jazz includes the names of talented musicians: pianist and composer, as well as the leader of the first jazz orchestra Alexander Tsfasman, singer Leonid Utesov and trumpeter Y. Skomorovsky.

After the 50s, many large and small jazz ensembles began their active creative work, including Oleg Lundstrem's jazz orchestra, which has survived to this day.

Currently, a jazz festival is held every year in Moscow, in which world-famous jazz bands and solo performers participate.

Jazz is music filled with passion and inventiveness, music that knows no boundaries or limits. Making a list like this is incredibly difficult. This list has been written, rewritten, and then rewritten some more. Ten is too limiting a number for a musical genre like jazz. However, regardless of the quantity, this music can breathe life and energy, awaken you from hibernation. What could be better than bold, tireless, warming jazz!

1. Louis Armstrong

1901 - 1971

Trumpeter Louis Armstrong is revered for his lively style, inventiveness, virtuosity, musical expressiveness and dynamic showmanship. Known for his raspy voice and a career spanning over five decades. Armstrong's influence on music is invaluable. Louis Armstrong is generally considered the greatest jazz musician of all time.

Louis Armstrong with Velma Middleton & His All Stars - Saint Louis Blues

2. Duke Ellington

1899 - 1974

Duke Ellington is a pianist and composer who has led a jazz orchestra for almost 50 years. Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his experiments, in which he showcased the talents of the band members, many of whom remained with him for a long time. Ellington is an incredibly gifted and prolific musician. During his five-decade career, he wrote thousands of compositions, including scores for films and musicals, as well as many famous standards such as "Cotton Tail" and "It Don't Mean a Thing."

Duke Ellington and John Coltrane - In a sentimental mood

3. Miles Davis

1926 - 1991

Miles Davis is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Along with his bands, Davis has been a central figure in jazz music since the mid-1940s, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz and jazz fusion. Davis has tirelessly pushed the boundaries of artistic expression, resulting in him often being identified as one of the most innovative and respected artists in music history.

Miles Davis Quintet - It Never Entered My Mind

4. Charlie Parker

1920 - 1955

Virtuoso saxophonist Charlie Parker was an influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and improvisation. In his complex melodic lines, Parker combines jazz with other musical genres, including blues, Latin and classical music. Parker was an iconic figure for the beatnik subculture, but he transcended his generation and became the epitome of the uncompromising, intelligent musician.

Charlie Parker - Blues for Alice

5. Nat King Cole

1919 - 1965

Known for his silky baritone, Nat King Cole brought the emotion of jazz to American popular music. Cole was one of the first African Americans to host a television program that was visited by such jazz artists as Ella Fitzgerald and Eartha Kitt. A phenomenal pianist and accomplished improviser, Cole was one of the first jazz performers to become a pop icon.

Nat King Cole - Autumn Leaves

6. John Coltrane

1926 - 1967

Despite his relatively short career (he first accompanied at age 29 in 1955, officially began his solo career at age 33 in 1960, and died at age 40 in 1967), saxophonist John Coltrane is the most important and controversial figure in jazz. Despite his short career, Coltrane's fame allowed him to record in abundance, and many of his recordings were released posthumously. Coltrane changed his style radically over the course of his career, yet he still has a strong following for both his early, traditional sound and his more experimental ones. And no one, with almost religious devotion, doubts his significance in the history of music.

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

7. Thelonious Monk

1917 - 1982

Thelonious Monk is a musician with a unique improvisational style, the second most recognizable jazz artist, after Duke Ellington. His style was characterized by energetic, percussive lines mixed with sharp, dramatic silences. During his performances, while the other musicians were playing, Thelonious would get up from his keyboard and dance for several minutes. Having created jazz classics “Round Midnight” and “Straight, No Chaser,” Monk ended his days in relative obscurity, but his influence on modern jazz is still noticeable today.

Thelonious Monk - "round Midnight

8. Oscar Peterson

1925 - 2007

Oscar Peterson is an innovative musician who has performed everything from a classical ode to Bach to one of the first jazz ballets. Peterson opened one of the first jazz schools in Canada. His "Hymn to Freedom" became the anthem of the civil rights movement. Oscar Peterson was one of the most talented and important jazz pianists of his generation.

Oscar Peterson - C Jam Blues

9. Billie Holiday

1915 - 1959

Billie Holiday is one of the most important figures in jazz, although she never wrote her own music. Holiday turned "Embraceable You", "I'll Be Seeing You" and "I Cover the Waterfront" into famous jazz standards, and her performance of "Strange Fruit" is considered one of the best in American musical history. Although her life was full of tragedy, Holiday's improvisational genius, combined with her fragile, somewhat raspy voice, demonstrated an unprecedented depth of emotion unmatched by other jazz singers.

Billie Holiday - Strange fruit

10. Dizzy Gillespie

1917 - 1993

Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is a bebop innovator and master of improvisation, as well as a pioneer of Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz. Gillespie has collaborated with various musicians from South America and the Caribbean. He had a deep passion for traditional African music. All this allowed him to bring unprecedented innovations to modern jazz interpretations. Throughout his long career, Gillespie toured tirelessly and captivated audiences with his beret, horn-rimmed glasses, puffy cheeks, carefree attitude and his incredible music.

Dizzy Gillespie feat. Charlie Parker - A Night In Tunisia

11. Dave Brubeck

1920 – 2012

Dave Brubeck is a composer and pianist, jazz promoter, civil rights activist and music scholar. An iconoclastic performer recognizable from a single chord, a restless composer pushing the boundaries of genre, and building a bridge between the past and future of music. Brubeck collaborated with Louis Armstrong and many other famous jazz musicians, and also influenced avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor and saxophonist Anthony Braxton.

Dave Brubeck - Take Five

12. Benny Goodman

1909 – 1986

Benny Goodman is a jazz musician better known as the "King of Swing". He became a popularizer of jazz among white youth. His appearance marked the beginning of an era. Goodman was a controversial figure. He relentlessly strived for excellence and this was reflected in his approach to music. Goodman was more than just a virtuoso performer—he was a creative clarinetist and innovator of the jazz era that preceded the bebop era.

Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing

13. Charles Mingus

1922 – 1979

Charles Mingus is an influential jazz double bassist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Mingus's music is a mixture of hot and soulful hard bop, gospel, classical music and free jazz. Mingus's ambitious music and menacing temperament earned him the nickname "The Angry Man of Jazz." If he were just a string player, few people would know his name today. He was most likely the greatest double bassist ever, one who always had his fingers on the pulse of the ferocious expressive power of jazz.

Charles Mingus - Moanin"

14. Herbie Hancock

1940 –

Herbie Hancock will always be one of the most revered and controversial musicians in jazz - as will his employer/mentor Miles Davis. Unlike Davis, who steadily moved forward and never looked back, Hancock zigzags between almost electronic and acoustic jazz and even r"n"b. Despite his electronic experiments, Hancock's love for the piano continues unabated and his piano playing style continues to evolve into ever more challenging and complex forms.

Herbie Hancock - Cantelope Island

15. Wynton Marsalis

1961 –

The most famous jazz musician since 1980. In the early 80s, Wynton Marsalis became a revelation, as a young and very talented musician decided to make a living playing acoustic jazz, rather than funk or R"n"B. There had been a huge shortage of new trumpet players in jazz since the 1970s, but Marsalis' unexpected fame inspired new interest in jazz music.

Wynton Marsalis - Rustiques (E. Bozza)

Jazz as a form of musical art appeared in the United States at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries, incorporating the musical traditions of European settlers and African folklore melodic patterns.

Characteristic improvisation, melodic polyrhythm and expressive performance became the hallmark of the first New Orleans jazz ensembles (jazz-bands) in the first decades of the last century.

Over time, jazz went through periods of development and formation, changing its rhythmic pattern and stylistic direction: from the improvisational style of ragtime, to the danceable orchestral swing and leisurely soft blues.

The period from the early 20s until the 1940s was associated with the rise of jazz orchestras (big bands), consisting of several orchestral sections of saxophones, trombones, trumpets and a rhythm section. The peak of big band popularity occurred in the mid-1930s. Music performed by the jazz orchestras of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman was heard on dance floors and on the radio.

Rich orchestral sound, bright intonations and improvisation of great soloists Coleman Hawkins, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter and others - created a recognizable and unique big band sound, which is a classic of jazz music.

In the 40-50s. of the last century, the time has come for modern jazz; such jazz styles, like furious bebop, lyrical cool jazz, soft west coast jazz, rhythmic hard bop, soulful soul jazz have captured the hearts of jazz music lovers.

In the mid-1960s, a new jazz direction appeared - jazz-rock, a peculiar combination of the energy inherent in rock music and jazz improvisation. Founders jazz style- Miles Davis, Larry Coryell, Billy Cobham are considered rock. In the 70s, jazz-rock became extremely popular. The use of the rhythmic pattern and harmony of rock music, shades of traditional oriental melodic and blues harmony, the use of electric instruments and synthesizers - over time led to the emergence of the term jazz fusion, emphasizing by its name the combination of several musical traditions and influences.

In the 70-80s, jazz music, while maintaining an emphasis on melody and improvisation, acquired the features of pop music, funk, rhythm and blues (R&B) and crossover jazz, significantly expanding the audience of listeners and becoming commercially successful.

Modern jazz music, emphasizing clarity, melody and beauty of sound, is usually characterized as smooth jazz or contemporary jazz. The rhythmic and melodic lines of guitar and bass guitar, saxophone and trumpet, keyboard instruments, in the sound frame of synthesizers and samplers create a luxurious, easily recognizable colorful smooth jazz sound.

Despite the fact that smooth jazz and contemporary jazz both have a similar musical style, they are still different jazz styles. As a rule, it is stated that smooth jazz is “background” music, while contemporary jazz is more individual jazz style and requires the listener's close attention. Further development of smooth jazz led to the emergence of lyrical directions of modern jazz– adult contemporary and more rhythmic urban jazz with shades of R&B, funk, hip-hop.

In addition, the emerging trend towards combining smooth jazz and electronic sound has led to the emergence of such popular trends in modern music as nu jazz, as well as lounge, chill and lo-fi.

Jazz is a direction in music characterized by a combination of rhythmicity and melody. A separate feature of jazz is improvisation. The musical direction gained its popularity due to its unusual sound and the combination of several completely different cultures.

The history of jazz began at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA. Traditional jazz was formed in New Orleans. Subsequently, new varieties of jazz began to emerge in many other cities. Despite all the variety of sounds of different styles, jazz music can be immediately distinguished from another genre due to its characteristic features.

Improvisation

Musical improvisation is one of the main features of jazz, which is present in all its varieties. Performers create music spontaneously, never thinking ahead or rehearsing. Playing jazz and improvising requires experience and skill in this area of ​​music-making. In addition, a jazz player must remember rhythm and tonality. The relationship between the musicians in the group is of no small importance, because the success of the resulting melody depends on understanding each other’s mood.

Improvisation in jazz allows you to create something new every time. The sound of music depends only on the inspiration of the musician at the moment of playing.

It cannot be said that if there is no improvisation in a performance, then it is no longer jazz. This type of music-making was inherited from African peoples. Since Africans had no concept of notes and rehearsal, music was passed on to each other only by memorizing its melody and theme. And each new musician could already play the same music in a new way.

Rhythm and melody

The second important feature of the jazz style is rhythm. Musicians have the opportunity to spontaneously create sound, as the constant pulsation creates the effect of liveliness, play, and excitement. Rhythm also limits improvisation, requiring sounds to be produced according to a given rhythm.

Like improvisation, rhythm came to jazz from African cultures. But it is precisely this feature that is the main characteristic of the musical movement. The first free jazz artists abandoned rhythm completely in order to be completely free to create music. Because of this, the new direction in jazz was not recognized for a long time. Rhythm is provided by percussion instruments.

Jazz inherited the melody of music from European culture. It is the combination of rhythm and improvisation with harmonious and soft music that gives jazz its unusual sound.