3 Styles of Jazz Music
Posted by admin in Jazz Music on July 3, 2011
Jazz comes in many varieties and in this article I will be comparing and contrasting 3 of these styles including New Orleans Jazz, Harlem Stride, and the White Jazz. For the New Orleans Style I am using the song “Potato Head Blues” by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven and for Harlem Stride I chose the song “Charleston” by James P. Johnson and lastly I chose the song “There Ain’t No Sweet Man” by Paul Whitman to represent White Jazz.
New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz and the New Orleans Style is one of the oldest forms of Jazz. At the time of the birth of Jazz in the late 1800s black people were oppressed and segregated. This led them to have a music of their own that was deeply rooted in music and rhythm. After the civil war there were a lot of extra instruments available and many blacks purchased them and began playing music. These blacks may not have played their instruments very well, but they did use rhythm very distinctly and this lead to the first jazz music. White Jazz was the white community’s response to the new music of the blacks. At first white musicians played songs written by blacks, but eventually they developed their own style which lost some of the edgy feel and in my opinion does now swing as much as black music from that time. Harlem Stride is the eastern piano style of playing jazz, it is played by using the left hand alternating between bass notes and midrange notes. This creates an oom-pah feeling to the song, and while the left hand is kept busy with the stride the right hand is free to play complex melodies. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Jazz Music Artists That Helped Define Jazz
Posted by admin in Jazz Music on July 3, 2011
Sometimes it is surprising to note how many people know nothing at all about instrumental music or any music other than rock, pop, R&B, or hip-hop.
Jazz music in particular seems to be relatively inconsequential in many places, and a majority of the most well-known jazz music artists have passed on. Still, some people prefer listening to different types of music at times, and many who have been searching for unique vocal styles and improvisations have discovered the beauty and art behind jazz music.
Here are 5 jazz music artists you should listen to if you really want to learn about jazz:
1. Billie Holiday
When we discuss Billie Holiday today (1915-1959) it can be said that she remains one of the most popular jazz songwriters and female vocalists who ultimately helped define the jazz genre. Often referred to as “Lady Day”, Billie Holiday was a singer who displayed a very distinctive vocal style which greatly influenced pop and jazz singing styles. Billie Holiday’s most popular songs include: Good Morning Heartache, Lady Sings The Blues, God Bless The Child, and Strange Fruit.
2. John Coltrane
No serious discussion of jazz can be had without talking about John Coltrane (1926-1967). The impact he has had on jazz music is undeniable. Coltrane was a prolific composer, bandleader and jazz saxophonist who recorded over 40 sessions as a bandleader, and many more as a session sax player for fellow jazz musicians Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. Read the rest of this entry »