Jazz Writing Test 2 – Flashcards
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Where are two places that Ragtime music took place?
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Sedalia, MO and New Orleans, LA.
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What happened in 1897 in New Orleans?
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Their mayer, Sidney Story, passes an ordinance moving all houses of prostitution to a 38 square block area which became know as Storyville that had 1500-2200 prostitutes.
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Characteristics of Ragtime music
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-primarily piano music -no improvisation -simple syncopated rhythms -form derived from the March form -machine-like -piano rolls became popular and very mechanical -called for publication -left hand plays bass note and leaps up to play chords -right hand plays syncopated melody
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What is March form?
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4 bar intro usually 4 distinct themes contains a DC and a Fine has a trio
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What did Storyville bring together?
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black and tan musicians; the brothels needed music so jazz pianists got lots of opportunity to work; small spaces forced pianists to work alone
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Name some popular Ragtime performers.
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William Krell- known for the Mississippi Rag Scott Joplin-considered a consummate genius of Ragtime
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What was the Mississippi Rag?
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the first piece of music to officially be labeled as a "Rag"
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What was the first black music to achieve widespread popularity and acclaim?
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Ragtime
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Who was Scott Joplin?
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He lived in Sedalia, Missouri after his mother died at age 14 and he attended George Smith College for Negroes where he studied musical composition. He believed in the importance of education and his education was a decisive factor in establishing a framework for classic ragtime.
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What was the name of Joplin's first set of published rags?
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Original Rags
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What was one of Joplin's most famous compositions?
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The Maple Leaf Rag
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What did Joplin and other Ragtime composers view themselves as?
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American Classical Composers
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What was Joplin's first opera?
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Guest of Honor
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What was Joplin's second opera?
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Treemonisha
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What did Joplin's music influence?
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The shape and spirit of much of america's 20th century music.
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How many compositions did Joplin compose?
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600 Rags, 2 operas, 1 ballet
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Why did Ragtime fall out of favor with musicians?
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The March Form of Ragtime became all-encompassing, became more important than the musical content. Mechanical repetition of compositional formula became boring. It was creatively restrictive, no improvisation.
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What did Ragtime evolve into?
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solo piano style know as stride that was a piano style most closely associated with the swing era
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What are some characteristics of Stride?
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left hand plays bass note and chord, leaping or stride right hand plays melody in a swing fashion stride is a style of performance, not a compositional style like ragtime improvisation is prominent generally faster tempos popular tunes interpreted heavily influenced by classical music technique virtuosic playing needed to successfully perform this music east coast, new york city
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Who are some well known Stride perfomrers?
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James P Johnson- the father of stride piano style. Thomas Fats Waller Art Tatum
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Who was Thomas "Fats" Waller?
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a composer as well as a pianist very popular musical figure began as a silent movie organist learned stride by copying piano roles by james p johson played command recital for Al Capone write several stage shows including "Hot cholates" Great entertainer but could play piano better than most; piano seemed to be an afterthought
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Famous song by Fats Waller?
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Aint Misbehavin'
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Who was Art Tatum?
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epitome of stride piano playing, one of the greatest jazz pianist of all time phenomenal technique and facility set new standard for jazz piano virtuosity harmonic complexity and speed a major influence on all jazz pianist to come tatums recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists
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name some of Art Tatum's greatest hits
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Over the Rainbow, Willow Weep for me
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What are The Blues?
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the blues is an obvious outgrowth of African-American Slave musical contributions and practices; it borrows many elements such as vocal quality and call and response from African customs. early blues acts were solo acts which maximized freedom and improvisation.
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What is The Text?
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basically a call and response form of the blues. typically three lines. A= statement, B=Response, A1= repetition and they usually rhyme. each stanza or phrase is a complete story and it is often topical.
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What do the Blues discuss?
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men and women in a very personally way of communication
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What were the Rural/Country Blues?
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product of rural south music for personal/community function performers often blind or disabled usually sung by men rough style and diction mostly improvised little structure/free forms/not usually 12 bars simple music and chord progressions sung alone or with guitar; unsophisticated music
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Who were some famous Blues performers?
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Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter Robert "Noah" Johnson WC handy Bessie Jessie Empress
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Who was the Blues performer who was a convicted felon?
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Huddle LeadBelly Leadbetter
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Who was Noah Johnson?
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a blues performer influenced heavily by Huddle Leadbetter he developed slide guitar technique he was poisoned for messing around with another man's wife
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What were some characteristics of city/urban blues?
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The north; discusses the city life; played in night clubs, bars, and at social affairs; professionals were paid; there were women performers; it was audience oriented; it was readily adopted by the white people; often time sex-oriented subjects; smooth-theatrical style; performed with instrumental accompaniment; steady tempo; little improvisation; standard blues chord changes and lengths
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Who was the father of the blues?
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WC Handy
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Who was WC Handy?
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father of the blues, largely resposnible for the spread and popularity of the blues, started a publishing company and began to publish his music, a cornetist who was mainly a composer
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What was WC Handy's most famous composition?
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St. Louis Blues
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Who was the Mother of the blues?
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MA Rainy
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Who was Ma Rainy?
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Mother of the Blues; early city blues role model; one of the first black females vocalists to perform blues with jazz band accompanying.
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Who was Bessie Smith?
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5"9, 210 lady who had a voice that was tremendous and imposing. She began making records for Columbia and made 20,000$ a year. Her records sold in large numbers, her value to club owners increased, and she received up to $2500.00 a week for personal appearances. She died in a car wreck in 1937 at age 43 y/o.
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What were the effects of the blues on instumental jazz?
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reasons why the blues became an important vehicle for jazz musicians; the blues is an extremely flexible form of music; the blues can be harmonically altered to be as complex as the composer/performer desires; and the blues is common to all jazz players which provides all future jazz players a common ground to work with.
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Where did the term Dixieland originate?
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From the 1920's when white groups began copying the black groups from the land of dixie.
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What were the standard instruments of the early New Orleans Dixieland?
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Cornet, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, banjo, and drums.
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What was the function of the Early New Orleans Dixieland?
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melody; arpeggios above cornet, fast lines, obligato; embellished bass lines; root or bottom note of chord; chords; rhythm and effects/primitive kit.
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What are the characteristics of Dixieland music?
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group or collective improvisation; horn players improvise contrapuntal melodies above the steady tempo of the rhythm section; flat "4" Rhythm; call and response; cornet/trumpet king; louis armstrong became the essence of dixieland music.
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Who was Buddy Bolden (Cornet)?
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He was responsible for fixing the instrumentation used in Dixieland groups; hailed as "King" Bolden.
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Who was Joseph "king" Oliver?
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He was a cornetist who was a mentor of Louis Armstrong. He lead the Creole Jazz Band and in 1918 he moved to Chicago, close of Storyville. He sent for Louis Armstrong to join his band; One of the early cornet soloists to employ different muted sounds such as the plunger and derby
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Who recorded the first Dixieland jazz record?
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Original Dixieland Jass Band
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Who was Ferdinand Joseph "Jelly Roll" Morton?
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He was born in New Orleans as Ferdinand LaMenth and introduced many new ideas and innovations to jazz.
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What were some of the ideas and innovations Jelly Roll Morton introduced to Jazz?
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Swing fell, various formal designs and styles, contrasts in musical compositions (Elegant vs Hard-Driving), Jazz's first great arranger, first to add piano to New Orleans bands, and started tradition as pianist as bandleader.
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What was Jelly Roll's best band?
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Red Hot Peppers
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What was a hit by the Red Hot Peppers?
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Climax Rag
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Why did Chicago Style Dixieland move from New Orleans to Chicago?
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jobs, technology
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What were the differences between New Orleans and Chicago style Dixieland?
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sax replaces clarinet, guitar replaces bajo, intros ending more arranged, more complex harmonies added, individuals soloists featured/longer solos, less emphasis on "flat 4" rhythm
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What were some of Louis Armstrong's nicknames?
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Pops, Satchmo
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Who is Louis Armstrong?
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he grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood in New Orleans then was sent to Colored Waif's home where he became bugler with the help of Peter Davis. He studied with King Oliver, then joined Oliver's Creole Jazz band in Chicago where he musically and technically surpassed all other band members. His tone was so powerful that he was placed 20 feet behind other band members during his first recording session.
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What were some of Louis Armstrong's accomplishments between 1924-1929?
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He joined Fletcher Henderson's band in NYC and instantly gains admiration for his great abilities; then, he recorded Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions; landmark jazz recordings.
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Who was America's first jazz ambassador?
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Louis Armstrong which he became on his trip to England.
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What was another accomplishment of Louis Armstrong besides music?
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He starred in several motion picutres
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What was Louis Armstrong's most popular recording of his career, even though it wasn't musically valuable?
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Hello Dolly
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What are some contributions to Jazz that Louis Armstrong made?
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1. first great Jazz soloist 2. Transcended his instrument to influence all instrumentalists and vocalists 3. records first scat solo 4. extends role of soloist 5. expands range and technical possibilities of the trumpet 6. use of wide range dramatic effects; vibrato glissandi, etc. 7. great improvisor; solos seems like compositions, have great communication and form 8. unparalleled sense of rhythm and timing
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Two very popular Louis Armstrong hits?
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What a wonderful World I've gotta right to sing the blues
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Who was Bix Beiderbecke?
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a cornetist with an exquisite chime like tone quality; he played more subdued and lower than Louis Armstrong and was known as a stylist. He was the first white jazz musician to be copied by black musicians. It was HOW he played, not what he played. he was a precursor to the cool school of jazz and experimented with impressionistic harmonies.
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How Did Bix die?
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alcohol related issue at age 24
