Jazz

Overview

Jazz is a type of music that originated in the southern states of America during the early 20th century. Over time, many different styles of jazz have developed, using all sorts of line-ups, from a single piano to a swing band.

The main element that unites most of these styles is improvisation.

Famous Musicians

  • Louis Armstrong – singer and trumpeter.
  • Duke Ellington – pianist.

Key Features

  • Syncopation and swung rhythms.
  • Walking bass.
  • Scat singing – singing to nonsense syllables instead of words.
  • 12-bar blues chord pattern.
  • Blues scale – a major scale with flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees.
  • Comping – rhythmic chordal accompaniment on the piano.
  • Stabs – usually on brass.
  • Glissando – a slide from one note to another.
  • Instrumental breaks.

Test Yourself

  • Name three instruments commonly found in the rhythm section of a jazz group.
  • What is comping?
  • Name a jazz musician associated with each of the following styles:
    • Bebop
    • Dixieland
    • Jazz Fusion
  • What is the name for a style of jazz singing that uses nonsense syllables?
  • What is a common structure for a jazz piece?
  • Describe how you would perform swung quavers.

Additional Links

BBC Bitesize - Jazz



At The Woodchopper’s Ball by the Woody Herman Orchestra 

Listen out for:

  • Harmonic structure based on the 12-bar blues.
  • Line up of trumpets, trombones, saxes and clarinet (the front line) and guitar, piano, drums and bass (the rhythm section).
  • Walking bass part (on pizzicato double bass).
  • Stabs in the brass section.