General Music Distance e-learning Lesson 4

Here's part two of our little unit on jazz history.

Read and listen to learn more. (Please bear in mind that the years listed represent the time when those styles began and/ or were most popular. All jazz styles continue to be played even today.)

Cool (a.k.a. West Coast Jazz)- 1950's (approx.) Dave Brubeck Quartet playing "Take Five"

The other common name for Cool Jazz is West Coast Jazz or even West Coast Cool because this mellow form of jazz first became popular in California. While still harmonically rich like Bebop, Cool Jazz style promoted smoother melodic lines and gentler approaches to tone production from its performers. Some say these differences were almost in response or objection to the sometimes aggressive qualities of Bebop. Instrumentation in Cool jazz was often more flexible as well, both in terms of size and ensemble make-up (often borrowing orchestral instrumentalists from Hollywood movie studio sessions). "Take Five" is a very famous example of Cool Jazz and has been used in many shows, movies and commercials. The five-four time signature employed creates a different "feel" to the piece, as most music we listen to has recurring groups of 4 beats, not 5. This song features Paul Desmond on alto saxophone and Joe Morello on Drums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs

Hard Bop- late 1950's- 1960's (approx.) Joe Henderson Quintet playing "Mode for Joe"

Hard Bop was the East Coast's response to Cool Jazz. (East Coast versus West Coast music rivalry goes back farther than we thought!) Hard Bop combines the energy of Bebop with some R&B grit to create a hard-driving, funky, bluesy flavor using the small ensemble format resurrected in Bebop. "Mode for Joe" is reflective of this era's style of small-ensemble jazz and features a raucous melody and fantastic solos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ruZJ7_0mqk

Avant Garde (Incl. free jazz) late 1950's- 1960's (approx.) Ornette Coleman Quartet "Focus on Sanity"

By the 1950's Rock and Roll had started to replace Jazz as America's popular music. As such, jazz musicians tried to expand audiences by stretching the boundaries of jazz. They experimented with alternative instrumentation, song form (structure), harmonic/ melodic practices, rhythmic practices, collective improvisation, music from non-Western cultures and the list goes on. This cutting-edge type of jazz was met with mixed reviews; disapproval from jazz purists/ loyalists and approval of new audiences coming from other genres. "Focus on Sanity" is an acquired taste indeed, but a worthwhile investment of your time as a representative sample of Avant Garde jazz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_oXuHNp8M4

Fusion (Incl. acid jazz) 1969- present David Sanborn "Isn't She Lovely"

By 1969 the proverbial writing was on the wall and jazz had clearly taken a backseat to rock and roll. Jazz musicians desperate to regain popularity/ relevance (record sales, airplay, etc.) decided "if you can't beat them, join them" and began to combine elements of jazz with rock and roll in fusion (originally called jazz-rock fusion. Today the fusion term has broadened to include combinations of other popular music styles with jazz such as acid-jazz (jazz & hip-hop) and adult contemporary instrumental (a jazz & top 40 R&B blend). David Sanborn's cover of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" is just plain fantastic. This particular style of jazz is what first interested me in the genre and I began to appreciate the others, almost in reverse chronological order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs0WdHkEKxw

After reading the paragraphs above and listening to the linked recordings please reply to my email and answer the following questions:

  1. What are the names of the four eras/ styles of jazz you learned about in this lesson? (Extra credit if your answer is in order from the oldest era to the newest era.)
  2. Which one of these recordings sounds strange to you?
  3. How is the last recording different than the first recording?
  4. Which sample recording did you like best?
  5. Why did you like that one best?

With your parent/ guardian's permission, search on youtube for more music from the era or performer you preferred (see question 4).