The name of a jazz band. Abstract - jazz - a music phenomenon of the 20th century

Jazz is a movement in music that was founded in the USA in the state of New Orleans, then gradually spread throughout the world. This music enjoyed the greatest popularity in the 30s; it was during this time that the heyday of this genre, which combined European and African culture, fell. Now you can hear many subgenres of jazz, such as bebop, avant-garde jazz, soul jazz, cool, swing, free jazz, classical jazz and many others.

Jazz combined several musical cultures and, of course, came to us from African lands, this can be understood by the complex rhythm and style of performance, but this style was more reminiscent of ragtime, eventually combining ragtime and blues, the musicians received a new sound, which they called jazz. Thanks to the fusion of African rhythm and European melody, we can now enjoy jazz, and virtuoso performance and improvisation make this style unique and immortal, as new rhythmic models are constantly introduced and a new performance style is invented.

Jazz has always been popular among all segments of the population, nationalities, and it is still of interest to musicians and listeners all over the world. But the pioneer in the fusion of blues and African rhythm was the Chicago Art Ensemble; it was these guys who added jazz forms to African motifs, which aroused extraordinary success and interest among listeners.

In the USSR, the Jazz tour began to emerge in the 20s (as in the USA) and the first creator of a jazz orchestra in Moscow was the poet and theater figure Valentin Parnakh, the concert of this group took place on October 1, 1922, which is considered to be the Birthday of jazz in THE USSR. Of course, the attitude of the Soviet authorities towards jazz was two-sided, on the one hand they did not prohibit this genre of music, but on the other hand, jazz was subjected to harsh criticism, after all, we adopted this style from the West, and everything is new and alien at all times was severely criticized by the authorities. Today, jazz music festivals are held annually in Moscow, there are club venues where world-famous jazz bands, blues performers, and soul singers are invited, that is, for fans of this type of music there is always time and place to enjoy the lively and unique sound jazz

Of course, the modern world is changing, and music is also changing, tastes, styles and performance techniques are changing. However, we can say with confidence that jazz is a classic of the genre, yes, the influence of modern sounds has not bypassed jazz, but nevertheless you will never confuse these notes with any others, because this is jazz, a rhythm that has no analogues, rhythm that has its own traditions and has become World Music.

Jazz– a unique phenomenon in world musical culture. This multifaceted art form originated at the turn of the century (19th and 20th) in the USA. Jazz music has become the brainchild of the cultures of Europe and Africa, a unique fusion of trends and forms from two regions of the world. Subsequently, jazz spread beyond the United States and became popular almost everywhere. This music takes its basis in African folk songs, rhythms and styles. In the history of the development of this direction of jazz, many forms and types are known that appeared as new models of rhythms and harmonics were mastered.

Characteristics of Jazz

The synthesis of two musical cultures made jazz a radically new phenomenon in world art. The specific features of this new music were:

• Syncopated rhythms giving rise to polyrhythms.
• The rhythmic pulsation of music is the beat.
• Complex deviation from the beat - swing.
• Constant improvisation in compositions.
• A wealth of harmonics, rhythms and timbres.

The basis of jazz, especially in the first stages of development, was improvisation combined with a thoughtful form (at the same time, the form of the composition was not necessarily fixed somewhere). And from African music this new style took the following characteristic features:

• Understanding each instrument as a percussion instrument.
• Popular conversational intonations when performing compositions.
• Similar imitation of conversation when playing instruments.

In general, all directions of jazz are distinguished by their own local characteristics, and therefore it is logical to consider them in the context of historical development.

The emergence of jazz, ragtime (1880-1910s)

It is believed that jazz originated among black slaves brought from Africa to the United States of America in the 18th century. Since the captive Africans were not represented by a single tribe, they had to seek a common language with their relatives in the New World. Such consolidation led to the emergence of a unified African culture in America, which included musical culture. It was not until the 1880s and 1890s that the first jazz music emerged as a result. This style was driven by global demand for popular dance music. Since African musical art abounded in such rhythmic dances, it was on its basis that a new direction was born. Thousands of middle-class Americans, unable to learn the aristocratic classical dances, began dancing to ragtime pianos. Ragtime introduced several future bases of jazz into music. Thus, the main representative of this style, Scott Joplin, is the author of the “3 versus 4” element (cross-sounding rhythmic patterns with 3 and 4 units, respectively).

New Orleans (1910–1920s)

Classic jazz appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century in the southern states of America, and specifically in New Orleans (which is logical, because it was in the south that the slave trade was widespread).

African and Creole orchestras played here, creating their music under the influence of ragtime, blues and songs of black workers. After the appearance in the city of many musical instruments from military bands, amateur groups began to appear. The legendary New Orleans musician, creator of his own orchestra, King Oliver, was also self-taught. An important date in the history of jazz was February 26, 1917, when the Original Dixieland Jazz Band released its first gramophone record. The main features of the style were laid down in New Orleans: the beat of percussion instruments, masterful solos, vocal improvisation with syllables - scat.

Chicago (1910–1920s)

In the 1920s, called the “Roaring Twenties” by classicists, jazz music gradually entered mass culture, losing the titles “shameful” and “indecent.” Orchestras begin to perform in restaurants and move from the southern states to other parts of the United States. Chicago becomes the center of jazz in the north of the country, where free nightly performances by musicians become popular (during such shows there were frequent improvisations and outside soloists). More complex arrangements appear in the style of music. The jazz icon of this time was Louis Armstrong, who moved to Chicago from New Orleans. Subsequently, the styles of the two cities began to be combined into one genre of jazz music - Dixieland. The main feature of this style was collective mass improvisation, which elevated the main idea of ​​jazz to the absolute.

Swing and big bands (1930s–1940s)

The continued rise in popularity of jazz created a demand for large orchestras to play dance tunes. This is how swing appeared, representing characteristic deviations in both directions from the rhythm. Swing became the main style direction of that time, manifesting itself in the work of orchestras. The performance of harmonious dance compositions required a more coordinated playing of the orchestra. Jazz musicians were expected to participate evenly, without much improvisation (except for the soloist), so the collective improvisation of Dixieland became a thing of the past. In the 1930s, similar groups flourished, which were called big bands. A characteristic feature of orchestras of that time was competition between groups of instruments and sections. Traditionally, there were three of them: saxophones, trumpets, drums. The most famous jazz musicians and their orchestras are: Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington. The last musician is famous for his commitment to black folklore.

Bebop (1940s)

Swing's departure from the traditions of early jazz and, in particular, classical African melodies and styles, caused discontent among history experts. Big bands and swing performers, who increasingly worked for the public, began to be opposed by the jazz music of small ensembles of black musicians. Experimenters introduced super-fast melodies, brought back long improvisation, complex rhythms, and virtuoso control of the solo instrument. The new style, which positioned itself as exclusive, began to be called bebop. The icons of this period were outrageous jazz musicians: Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The revolt of black Americans against the commercialization of jazz, the desire to return intimacy and uniqueness to this music became a key point. From this moment and from this style, the history of modern jazz begins. At the same time, big band leaders also come to small orchestras, wanting to take a break from the big halls. In ensembles called combos, such musicians adhered to a swing style, but were given freedom to improvise.

Cool jazz, hard bop, soul jazz and jazz-funk (1940s–1960s)

In the 1950s, the genre of music such as jazz began to develop in two opposite directions. Supporters of classical music “cooled down” bebop, bringing academic music, polyphony, and arrangement back into fashion. Cool jazz became known for its restraint, dryness and melancholy. The main representatives of this direction of jazz were: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck. But the second direction, on the contrary, began to develop the ideas of bebop. The hard bop style preached the idea of ​​returning to the roots of black music. Traditional folklore melodies, bright and aggressive rhythms, explosive soloing and improvisation have returned to fashion. Known in the hard bop style are: Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane. This style developed organically along with soul-jazz and jazz-funk. These styles moved closer to the blues, making rhythm a key aspect of performance. Jazz-funk in particular was introduced by Richard Holmes and Shirley Scott.

Blues

(melancholy, sadness) - initially - a solo lyrical song of American blacks, later - a direction in music.

In the 20s of the twentieth century, classic blues was formed, which was based on a 12-bar period corresponding to a 3-line poetic form. Blues was originally music performed by blacks for blacks. After the emergence of blues in the southern United States, it began to spread throughout the country.

Blues melody is characterized by a question-and-answer structure and the use of the blues scale.

The blues had a huge influence on the formation of jazz and pop music. Elements of the blues were used by composers of the 20th century.

Archaic Jazz

Archaic (early) jazz– Designation of the oldest, traditional types of jazz that have existed since the middle of the last century in a number of southern states of the USA.

Archaic jazz was represented, in particular, by the music of black and Creole marching bands of the 19th century.

The period of archaic jazz preceded the emergence of the New Orleans (classical) style.

New Orleans

The American homeland, where jazz itself arose, is considered the city of songs and music - New Orleans.
Although there is debate that jazz arose throughout America, and not just in this city, it was here that it developed most powerfully. In addition, all the old jazz musicians pointed to the center, which they considered New Orleans. New Orleans provided the most favorable environment for the development of this musical trend: there was a large black community and a large percentage of the population were Creoles; Many musical trends and genres actively developed here, elements of which were later included in the works of famous jazzmen. Different groups developed their own musical styles, and African-Americans created a new art that has no analogues from a combination of blues melodies, ragtime and their own traditions. The first jazz recordings confirm the prerogative of New Orleans in the birth and development of the art of jazz.

Dixieland

(Dixie Country) is a colloquial term for the southern states of the United States, one of the varieties of traditional jazz.

Most of the blues singers, boogie-woogie pianists, raigtime performers and jazz bands came from the South to Chicago, bringing with them the music that was soon nicknamed Dixieland.

Dixieland- the broadest designation for the musical style of the earliest New Orleans and Chicago jazz musicians who recorded records from 1917 to 1923.

Some historians attribute Dixieland only to the music of white bands playing in the New Orleans style.

Dixieland musicians were looking for a revival of classic New Orleans jazz.

These attempts were successful.

Boogie Woogie

Piano blues style, one of the earliest varieties of black instrumental music.

A style that turned out to be very accessible to a wide listening audience.

Full-voiced boogie-woogie style appeared due to the need that arose at the beginning of the twentieth century to hire pianists to replace orchestras in inexpensive honky-tonk cafes. To replace an entire orchestra, pianists invented different ways of playing rhythmically.

Characteristic features: improvisation, technical virtuosity, a specific type of accompaniment - motor ostinato figuration in the left hand part, a gap (up to 2-3 octaves) between the bass and the melody, continuity of rhythmic movement, refusal to use a pedal.

Representatives of classic boogie-woogie: Romeo Nelson, Arthur Montana Taylor, Charles Avery, Mead Lux ​​Lewis, Jimmy Yankee.

Folk Blues

Archaic acoustic blues, based on the rural folklore of the black population of the United States, in contrast to the classic blues, which had a predominantly urban existence.

Folk blues- This is a type of blues performed, as a rule, not on electric musical instruments. It covers a wide range of playing and musical styles, and can include unpretentious, simple music played on the mandolin, banjo, harmonica and other non-electric instruments designed like jug bands. Folk blues creates an impression crude, somewhat informal music. In a word, this is real folk music, played by the people and for the people.

Within folk blues there were more influential singers than Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and Alger Alexander.

Soul

(literally – soul); the most popular style of music in the 60s of the twentieth century, which developed from the cult music of American blacks and borrowed many elements of rhythm and blues.

In soul music, there are several directions, the most important of which are the so-called “Memphis” and “Detroit” soul, as well as “white” soul, characteristic mainly of musicians from Europe.

Funk

The term was born in jazz of the 50s of the twentieth century. The “funk” style is a direct continuation of “soul” music. One of the forms of rhythm and blues.

The first performers of what would later be classified as “funk” music were jazzmen who played a more energetic, specific type of jazz back in the late 50s and early 60s.

Funk, first of all, is dance music, which determines its musical characteristics: the extreme syncopation of the parts of all instruments.

Funk is characterized by a prominent rhythm section, a sharply syncopated bass guitar line, ostinato riffs as the melodic-thematic basis of the composition, an electronic sound, upbeat vocals, and a fast tempo of music.

James Brown and George Clinton created an experimental funk school with the groups PARLAMENT/FUNKDEIC.

Classic funk records date back to the turn of the 1960s and 1970s.

free funk

Free funk– a mixture of avant-garde jazz with funk rhythms.

When Ornette Coleman formed Prime Time, it became a "double quartet" (consisting of two guitarists, two bassists and two drummers, plus his alto), playing music in free keys but with eccentric funk rhythms. Three members of Coleman's band (guitarist James Blood Ulmer, bassist Jamaaladin Takuma, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson) later formed their own free-funk projects, and free-funk was a major influence of m-bass artists, including violists Steve Coleman and Greg Osby.
Swing

Bop- a jazz style that developed in the mid-40s of the twentieth century and is characterized by a fast tempo and complex improvisations based on playing harmony rather than melody. Bebop revolutionized jazz; boppers created new ideas about what music was.

The bebop phase marked a significant shift in the emphasis of jazz from melody-based dance music to the less popular, more rhythm-based "musician's music." Bop musicians preferred complex improvisations based on strumming chords instead of melodies.

Bebop was fast, harsh, and “cruel with the listener.”

Jazz Progressive

In parallel with the emergence of bebop, a new genre was developing in the jazz environment - progressive jazz. The main difference of this genre is the desire to move away from the frozen cliché of big bands and outdated techniques of the so-called. symphonic jazz.

The musicians who performed progressive jazz sought to update and improve swing phrase models, introducing into the practice of composition the latest achievements of European symphonism in the field of tonality and harmony. The greatest contribution to the development of “progressive” was made by Stan Kenton. The sound of the music performed by his first orchestra was close to the style of Sergei Rachmaninov, and the compositions bore the features of romanticism.

The series of recorded albums “Artistry”, “Miles Ahead”, “Spanish Drawings” can be considered a kind of apotheosis of the development of progressive music.

(Cool Jazz), one of the styles of modern jazz, formed at the turn of the 40s and 50s of the twentieth century based on the development of the achievements of swing and bop.

Trumpeter Miles Davis, an early pioneer of bebop, became an innovator of the genre.

Cool jazz is characterized by such features as a light, “dry” sound color, slow motion, frozen harmony, which creates the illusion of space. Dissonance also played some role, but with a softened, subdued character.

Saxophonist Lester Young first coined the term “cool.”

The most famous kula musicians are: Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, George Shearing, Milt Jackson, "Shorty" Rogers .
Mainstream

(literally - main current); a term in relation to a certain period of swing, in which performers managed to avoid the established cliches of this style and continued the traditions of black jazz, introducing elements of improvisation.

The mainstream is characterized by a simple but expressive melodic line, traditional harmony and a clear rhythm with a pronounced drive.

Leading performers: Ben Webster, Gene Krupa, Coleman Hawkins, and big band leaders Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.

(hard, hard bop), style of modern jazz.

It is a continuation of the traditions of classic rhythm and blues and bebop.

It arose in the 50s of the twentieth century as a reaction to the academicism and European orientation of cool and west coast jazz, which had reached its heyday by that time.

The characteristic features of early hard bop are the predominance of strictly accented rhythmic accompaniment, the strengthening of blues elements in intonation and harmony, the tendency to reveal the vocal principle in improvisation, and some simplification of the musical language.

The main representatives of hard bop are mostly black musicians.

The first of the ensembles of this style to record on records was Art Blakey's quintet JAZZ MESSENGERS (1954).

Other leading musicians: John Coltrane, Sony Rollins, Henk Mobley, Max Roach...

(literally – fusion, fusion), a modern style movement that arose on the basis of jazz rock, a synthesis of elements of European academic music and non-European folklore. Beginning not only from the fusion of jazz with pop music and rock, fusion as a musical genre appeared in the late 1960s under the name jazz-rock.

Larry Coryell, Tony Williams, and Miles Davis introduced elements such as electronics, rock rhythms, and extended tracks, eliminating much of what jazz was based on—the swing beat.

Another change was in the area of ​​rhythm, where swing was either revised or ignored altogether. Pulsation and meter were no longer an essential element in the reading of jazz.

Free jazz continues to exist today as a viable form of expression, and is in fact no longer as controversial a style as it was perceived to be in its early days.

The fusion of Latin rhythmic elements was present almost from the beginning in the melting pot of cultures that originated in New Orleans. Latin musical influence spread in jazz not only to orchestras and groups with top-notch Latino improvisers, but also to a combination of local and Latin performers, creating some of the most exciting stage music.

And yet, today we are witnessing the mixing of an increasing number of world cultures, constantly bringing us closer to what, in essence, is already becoming “world music” (world music).

Today's jazz can no longer help but be influenced by sounds penetrating into it from almost every corner of the globe.

The potential opportunities for the further development of jazz are currently quite large, since the ways of developing talent and the means of its expression are unpredictable, multiplying by the combined efforts of various jazz genres encouraged today.

As one of the most revered musical art forms in America, jazz laid the foundation for an entire industry, introducing the world to numerous brilliant composers, instrumentalists and vocalists and spawning a wide range of genres. 15 of the most influential jazz musicians are responsible for a global phenomenon that has occurred over the last century in the history of the genre.

Jazz developed in the late years of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th as a movement combining classical European and American sounds with African folk motifs. The songs were performed with a syncopated rhythm, giving impetus to the development, and subsequently the formation of large orchestras to perform it. Music has made great strides from the days of ragtime to modern jazz.

The influence of West African musical culture is obvious in the kind of music that is written and how it is performed. Polyrhythm, improvisation and syncopation are what characterize jazz. Over the past century, this style has changed under the influence of contemporaries of the genre, who brought their ideas to the essence of improvisation. New directions began to appear - bebop, fusion, Latin American jazz, free jazz, funk, acid jazz, hard bop, smooth jazz, and so on.

15 Art Tatum

Art Tatum was a jazz pianist and virtuoso who was practically blind. He is known as one of the greatest pianists of all time, who changed the role of the piano in the jazz ensemble. Tatum turned to the stride style to create his own unique style of playing, adding swing rhythms and fantastic improvisations. His attitude towards jazz music radically changed the meaning of the piano in jazz as a musical instrument compared to its previous characteristics.

Tatum experimented with the harmonies of the melody, influencing the chord structure and expanding it. All this characterized the bebop style, which, as we know, would become popular ten years later, when the first recordings in this genre appeared. Critics also noted his impeccable playing technique - Art Tatum was able to play the most difficult passages with such ease and speed that it seemed that his fingers barely touched the black and white keys.

14 Thelonious Monk

Some of the most complex and varied sounds can be found in the repertoire of the pianist and composer, one of the most important representatives of the era of the emergence of bebop and its subsequent development. His very personality as an eccentric musician helped popularize jazz. Monk, always dressed in a suit, hat and sunglasses, openly expressed his free-spirited approach to improvised music. He did not accept strict rules and formed his own approach to creating essays. Some of his most brilliant and famous works were Epistrophy, Blue Monk, Straight, No Chaser, I Mean You and Well, You Needn’t.

Monk's playing style was based on an innovative approach to improvisation. His works are distinguished by shock passages and sharp pauses. Quite often, during his performances, he would jump up from behind the piano and dance while the other band members continued to play the melody. Thelonious Monk remains one of the most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre.

13 Charles Mingus

The recognized double bass virtuoso, composer and band leader was one of the most extraordinary musicians on the jazz scene. He developed a new musical style, combining gospel, hard bop, free jazz and classical music. Contemporaries called Mingus "the heir to Duke Ellington" for his fantastic ability to write works for small jazz ensembles. His compositions demonstrated the skill of playing by all members of the group, each of whom was also not just talented, but was characterized by a unique playing style.

Mingus carefully selected the musicians who made up his band. The legendary double bassist had a temper, and once even hit trombonist Jimmy Knepper in the face, knocking out his tooth. Mingus suffered from a depressive disorder, but was not ready to allow it to somehow affect his creative activity. Despite this disability, Charles Mingus is one of the most influential figures in jazz history.

12 Art Blakey

Art Blakey was a famous American drummer and bandleader who made waves in his drumming style and technique. He combined swing, blues, funk and hard bop - a style that is heard today in every modern jazz composition. Together with Max Roach and Kenny Clarke, he invented a new way of playing bebop on drums. For more than 30 years, his band The Jazz Messengers gave a start to big jazz to many jazz artists: Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Curtis Fuller, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, etc.

The Jazz Ambassadors didn't just create phenomenal music, they were a kind of "musical testing ground" for young talented musicians, like the Miles Davis group. Art Blakey's style changed the very sound of jazz, becoming a new musical milestone.

11 Dizzy Gillespie

The jazz trumpeter, singer, composer and bandleader became a prominent figure in the times of bebop and modern jazz. His trumpet playing influenced the styles of Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro. After his time in Cuba, upon his return to the United States, Gillespie was one of those musicians who actively promoted Afro-Cuban jazz. In addition to his inimitable performance on the characteristically curved trumpet, Gillespie could be identified by his horn-rimmed glasses and incredibly large cheeks while playing.

The great jazz improviser Dizzy Gillespie, as well as Art Tatum, innovated harmonies. The compositions Salt Peanuts and Goovin' High were rhythmically completely different from previous works. Remaining true to bebop throughout his career, Gillespie is remembered as one of jazz's most influential trumpeters.

10 Max Roach

The top ten of the 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre includes Max Roach, a drummer known as one of the pioneers of bebop. He, like few others, influenced modern drumming. Roach was a civil rights activist and even recorded the album We Insist! with Oscar Brown Jr. and Coleman Hawkins. – Freedom Now (“We insist! – Freedom now”), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Max Roach has an impeccable playing style, capable of performing extended solos throughout the entire concert. Absolutely any audience was delighted with his unsurpassed skill.

9 Billie Holiday

Lady Day is the favorite of millions. Billie Holiday wrote only a few songs, but when she sang, she captivated her voice from the first notes. Her performance is deep, personal and even intimate. Her style and intonation are inspired by the sounds of musical instruments that she has heard. Like almost all the musicians described above, she became the creator of a new, but already vocal style, based on long musical phrases and the tempo of their singing.

The famous Strange Fruit is the best not only in Billie Holiday’s career, but in the entire history of jazz due to the singer’s soulful performance. She was posthumously awarded prestigious awards and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

8 John Coltrane

The name of John Coltrane is associated with virtuoso playing technique, excellent talent for composing music and a passion for exploring new facets of the genre. On the threshold of the origins of hard bop, the saxophonist achieved enormous success and became one of the most influential musicians in the history of the genre. Coltrane's music had an edgy sound, and he played with great intensity and dedication. He was capable of both playing alone and improvising in an ensemble, creating solo parts of incredible length. Playing tenor and soprano saxophone, Coltrane was also able to create melodic compositions in the smooth jazz style.

John Coltrane is credited with rebooting bebop by incorporating modal harmonies. While remaining a major figure in the avant-garde, he was a very prolific composer and continued to release discs, recording about 50 albums as a band leader throughout his career.

7 Count Basie

A revolutionary pianist, organist, composer and bandleader, Count Basie led one of the most successful groups in jazz history. For 50 years, Count Basie Orchestra, including incredibly popular musicians such as Sweets Edison, Buck Clayton and Joe Williams, has earned a reputation as one of America's most sought-after big bands. Winner of nine Grammy awards, Count Basie instilled a love of orchestral sound in more than one generation of listeners.

Basie wrote many compositions that became jazz standards, such as April in Paris and One O'Clock Jump. Colleagues described him as tactful, modest and full of enthusiasm. Without Count Basie's orchestra in the history of jazz, the big band era would have sounded different and probably would not have been as influential as it became with this outstanding band leader.

6 Coleman Hawkins

The tenor saxophone is a symbol of bebop and all jazz music in general. And for that we can thank Coleman Hawkins. The innovations that Hawkins brought were vital to the development of bebop in the mid-forties. His contributions to the instrument's popularity may have shaped the future careers of John Coltrane and Dexter Gordon.

The composition Body and Soul (1939) became the standard for tenor saxophone playing for many saxophonists. Other instrumentalists were also influenced by Hawkins: pianist Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Miles Davis, and drummer Max Roach. His ability for extraordinary improvisations led to the discovery of new jazz sides of the genre that were not touched upon by his contemporaries. This partly explains why the tenor saxophone has become an integral part of the modern jazz ensemble.

5 Benny Goodman

The top five 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre opens. The famous King of Swing led almost the most popular orchestra of the early 20th century. His 1938 Carnegie Hall concert is recognized as one of the most important live concerts in the history of American music. This show demonstrates the advent of the jazz era, the recognition of this genre as an independent art form.

Despite the fact that Benny Goodman was the lead singer of a large swing orchestra, he also participated in the development of bebop. His orchestra was one of the first to combine musicians of different races. Goodman was an outspoken opponent of the Jim Crow Law. He even canceled a tour of the Southern states in support of racial equality. Benny Goodman was an active figure and reformer not only in jazz, but also in popular music.

4 Miles Davis

One of the central jazz figures of the 20th century, Miles Davis, stood at the origins of many musical events and oversaw their development. He is credited with innovating the genres of bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, free jazz, fusion, funk and techno music. Constantly searching for a new musical style, he always achieved success and was surrounded by brilliant musicians, including John Coltrane, Cannoball Adderley, Keith Jarrett, JJ Johnson, Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. During his lifetime, Davis was awarded 8 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Miles Davis was one of the most active and influential jazz musicians of the last century.

3 Charlie Parker

When you think about jazz, you remember the name. Also known as Bird Parker, he was a pioneer of jazz alto saxophone, bebop musician and composer. His fast playing, clear sound and talent as an improviser had a significant influence on the musicians of that time and our contemporaries. As a composer, he changed the standards of jazz music writing. Charlie Parker became the musician who cultivated the idea that jazzmen were artists and intellectuals, and not just showmen. Many artists tried to copy Parker's style. His famous playing techniques can also be traced in the style of many current beginning musicians, who take as a basis the composition Bird, which is consonant with the nickname of the alt-saccosophist.

2 Duke Ellington

He was a great pianist, composer and one of the most outstanding orchestra leaders. Although he is known as a pioneer of jazz, he excelled in other genres including gospel, blues, classical and popular music. It is Ellington who is credited with elevating jazz to its own art form. With countless awards and honors to his name, the first great composer of jazz never stopped improving. He was an inspiration to subsequent generations of musicians, including Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson, Earl Hines, and Joe Pass. Duke Ellington remains a recognized genius of the jazz piano - instrumentalist and composer.

1 Louis Armstrong

Unquestionably the most influential jazz musician in the history of the genre, Satchmo is a trumpeter and singer from New Orleans. He is known as the creator of jazz, who played a key role in its development. The amazing abilities of this performer made it possible to elevate the trumpet into a solo jazz instrument. He is the first musician to sing in the scat style and popularize it. It was impossible not to recognize his low, “thundering” voice.

Armstrong's commitment to his own ideals influenced the work of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Louis Armstrong influenced not only jazz, but also the entire musical culture, giving the world a new genre, a unique style of singing and style of playing the trumpet.

After Christopher Columbus discovered a new continent and Europeans settled there, ships of traders in human goods increasingly headed to the shores of America.

Exhausted by hard work, homesick and suffering from the cruel treatment of their guards, the slaves found solace in music. Gradually, Americans and Europeans became interested in unusual melodies and rhythms. This is how jazz was born. What is jazz and what are its features, we will consider in this article.

Features of the musical direction

Jazz includes music of African-American origin, which is based on improvisation (swing) and a special rhythmic structure (syncopation). Unlike other genres, where one person writes the music and another performs it, jazz musicians are also composers.

The melody is created spontaneously, the periods of composition and performance are separated by a minimum period of time. This is how jazz comes about. orchestra? This is the ability of musicians to adapt to each other. At the same time, everyone improvises their own.

The results of spontaneous compositions are stored in musical notation (T. Cowler, G. Arlen “Happy All Day”, D. Ellington “Don’t You Know What I Love?”, etc.).

Over time, African music was synthesized with European music. Melodies appeared that combined plasticity, rhythm, melody and harmony of sounds (CHEATHAM Doc, Blues In My Heart, CARTER James, Centerpiece, etc.).

Directions

There are more than thirty styles of jazz. Let's look at some of them.

1. Blues. Translated from English, the word means “sadness”, “melancholy”. Initially, the blues was the name given to the solo lyrical song of African Americans. Jazz-blues is a twelve-bar period corresponding to a three-line poetic form. Blues compositions are performed at a slow tempo, and there is some understatement in the lyrics. blues - Gertrude Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and others.

2. Ragtime. The literal translation of the name of the style is torn time. In the language of musical terms, "rag" refers to additional sounds between the beats of a measure. The trend appeared in the USA after people overseas became interested in the works of F. Schubert, F. Chopin and F. Liszt. The music of European composers was performed in the jazz style. Later original compositions appeared. Ragtime is typical for the works of S. Joplin, D. Scott, D. Lamb and others.

3. Boogie-woogie. The style appeared at the beginning of the last century. Owners of inexpensive cafes needed musicians to play jazz. It went without saying that such musical accompaniment requires the presence of an orchestra, but inviting a large number of musicians was expensive. The pianists compensated for the sound of different instruments, creating numerous rhythmic compositions. Boogie features:

• improvisation;
• virtuosic technique;
• special accompaniment: the left hand performs a motor ostinant configuration, the interval between the bass and the melody is two or three octaves;
• continuous rhythm;
• pedal exclusion.

Boogie-woogie was played by Romeo Nelson, Arthur Montana Taylor, Charles Avery and others.

Style legends

Jazz is popular in many countries around the world. Everywhere has its own stars, surrounded by an army of fans, but some names have become real legends. They are known and loved all over. Such musicians, in particular, include Louis Armstrong.

It is unknown what the fate of the boy from a poor black neighborhood would have been like if Louis had not ended up in a correctional camp. Here the future star was enrolled in a brass band, although the band did not play jazz. and how it was performed, the young man discovered for himself much later. Armstrong gained world fame thanks to diligence and perseverance.

Billie Holiday (real name Eleanor Fagan) is considered the founder of jazz singing. The singer reached the peak of her popularity in the 50s of the last century, when she changed the scenes of nightclubs to the theater stage.

Life was not easy for the owner of a three-octave range, Ella Fitzgerald. After the death of her mother, the girl ran away from home and led a not very decent lifestyle. The start of the singer’s career was her performance at the Amateur Nights music competition.

George Gershwin is world famous. The composer created jazz works based on classical music. The unexpected manner of performance captivated listeners and colleagues. The concerts were invariably accompanied by applause. The most famous works of D. Gershwin are “Rhapsody in Blue” (co-authored with Fred Grof), the operas “Porgy and Bess”, “An American in Paris”.

Also popular jazz performers were and remain Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Miles Davis and others.

Jazz in the USSR

The emergence of this musical movement in the Soviet Union is associated with the name of the poet, translator and theatergoer Valentin Parnakh. The first concert of a jazz band led by a virtuoso took place in 1922. Later, A. Tsfasman, L. Utesov, Y. Skomorovsky formed the direction of theatrical jazz, combining instrumental performance and operetta. E. Rosner and O. Lundstrem did a lot to popularize jazz music.

In the 1940s, jazz was widely criticized as a phenomenon of bourgeois culture. In the 50s and 60s, attacks on performers stopped. Jazz ensembles were created both in the RSFSR and in other union republics.

Today, jazz is performed freely in concert venues and clubs.