|
PART I Background of the Subject Literature A. Descriptions of major fields in the study of Jazz:
Jazz scholars and critics: -- -- Back to top Alan Bargebuhr is a widely-published Jazz critic for Cadence Magazine. Bob Blumenthal has written about jazz since 1975 for the Boston Globe and received a Grammy for best album notes in 2001 for Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961. John Corbett has been Downbeat jazz critic since 1990. Francis Davis is the author of The History of the Blues, Bebop and Nothingness and a forthcoming biography of John Coltrane. A contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly, he also writes regularly about jazz for the Village Voice and the New York Times. Gary Giddons is a longtime columnist for the Village Voice, won the National Book Critics Circle Award For Criticism in 1998 for Visions of Jazz and has written books on Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. Jim Macnie has been Billboard's jazz contributing editor since 1995, and his byline also has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Creem, Details, Guitar World, and numerous other publications. Howard Mandel is president of the Jazz Journalists Association, and editor of its website Jazzhouse.org. He writes for Down Beat, Jazz Times, Swing Journal, the Wire, Signal to Noise, and Musical America. His book Future Jazz (Oxford University Press 1999) is now available in paperback. Dan Morgenstern, a jazz historian, author, editor, and archivist active in the jazz field since 1958, has been the Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University since 1976. 2004 Jazz Journalists nominations for Best Website concentrating on Jazz: AllAboutJazz.com at http://www.allaboutjazz.com/ JazzCorner.com at http://www.jazzcorner.com/index2.html Allmusic.com at http://www.allmusic.com/ JazzTimes.com at http://www.jazzweekly.com/interviews/corbett.htm Important Jazz composers include: -- -- Back to top Brubeck, Dave Ellington, Duke (1899-1974) Goodman, Benny (1909-1986) Joplin, Scott (1868-1917) Mingus, Charles (1922-1979) Monk, Thelonious (1917-1982) Shaw, Artie Strayhorn, Billy (1915-1967) Jazz performers -- -- Back to top Artists are usually associated with a genre: Jazz genre include: [terminology courtesy of Apassion4jazz.net] Acid Jazz - The term Acid Jazz is loosely used to cover a wide range of music. Although it is not a true style of Jazz music that has evolved from traditional stems, it is too significant to ignore as a member of the genre. Afro-Cuban Jazz - also known as Latin Jazz, is a combination of Jazz improvising and highly infectious rhythms Bebop - Developed in the early 1940's, Bop had established itself as vogue by 1945. It's main innovators were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Bossa Nova - A blend of West Coast Cool, European classical harmonies and seductive Brazilian samba rhythms. Chicago Style - Chicago was the breeding ground for many young, inventive players characterized by harmonic, inovative arrangements and a high technical ability of the players. Classic Jazz - At the beginning of the 1900's, Jazz styles took the form of small band music and its origin credited to New Orleans. This musical style is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Dixieland" but is less solo-oriented. European - At the end of the 20th century, many Scandinavian and French musicians, feeling that Mainstream American Jazz expression had retreated into the past, began creating a new style nicknamed "the European." Free Jazz - Sometimes referred to as "Avante Garde", true Free Jazz soloists shed even the ensemble arrangement structure, giving for a totally "free" impulse experience to the music. Fusion - By the early 1970's, the term "Fusion" had come to identity a mixture of Jazz improvisation with the energy and new rhythms of Rock music. Groove - An off-shoot of Soul Jazz, Groove draws its tones from the blues and focuses mainly on the rhythm. Gypsy Jazz - Originated by French guitarist Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Jazz is an unlikely mix of 1930s American swing, French dance hall "musette" and the folk strains of Eastern Europe. Hard Bop - An extension of Bebop that was somewhat interrupted by the Cool sounds of West Coast Jazz. Hot Jazz - c.1925 Louis Armstrong recorded the first of his Hot Five band records, the first time he recorded under his own name. The records made by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands are considered to be absolute Jazz classics and speak of Armstrong's creative powers. The bands never played live, but continued recording until 1928. Kansas City Style - During the Depression and Prohibition eras, the Kansas City Jazz scene thrived as a mecca for the modern sounds of late 1920s and 30s. Mainstream - After the end of the Big Band era, as these large ensembles broke into smaller groups, Swing music continued to be played. Some of Swing's finest players could be heard at their best in jam sessions of the 1950s where chordal improvisation now would take significance over melodic embellishment. Modal - Soloists free themselves from the restrictions of dominant keys and shift the tonal centers to form new harmonics within their playing. New Orleans style, or "Classic Jazz" originated with brass bands that performed for parties and dances in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Post Bop - The terms Modern Mainstream or Post Bop are used for almost any style that cannot be closely associated with historical types of Jazz music. Ragtime - The origins of Jazz, vitalized by the opposing rhythms common to African dance, was vibrant, enthusiastic and often extemporaneous. Smooth Jazz - Evolving from Fusion, but leaving behind the energetic solos and dynamic crescendos, Smooth Jazz emphasizes its polished side Soul Jazz - Derived from Hardbop, Soul Jazz is perhaps the most popular Jazz style of the 1960's. Swing - The 1930s belonged to Swing. During that classic era, most of the Jazz groups were Big Bands. Vocalese - The art of composing a lyric and singing it in the same manner as the recorded instrumental solos. |