Directions and styles of jazz. Styles and directions of modern jazz. (1)

Apr 16, 2013

“Genuine jazz is opposed to clichéd musical crafts.”

Sergey Slonimsky

Main currents

Jazz is many-sided and versatile. It has many forms and styles due to its improvisational nature. We can distinguish such movements as traditional or New Orleans jazz, swing, bebop, big bands, stride, progressive jazz, cool and many, many other directions.

Jazz is music that enriches, fills and develops us. This is history, people, names, great personalities who created and performed it, who dedicated their whole lives to it...

A jazz musician is not just a performer. He is a true creator, creating his impulsive art in front of the audience - instantaneous, fragile, almost elusive.

Today we will talk about such a truly extraordinary musical genre as jazz, about its styles and directions, and, of course, about the people thanks to whom we can enjoy this amazing music...

“Don’t play what already exists! Play something that doesn’t exist yet!”

These words of the great American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis perfectly demonstrate the essence of jazz, its specificity.

Jazz, as a form of musical art, emerged at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in the United States of America. This genre- This is an original shake of European and African culture.

Jazz cannot be confused with other styles, because its character is unique - magical polyrhythm, inexhaustible improvisation, which is based on a hot rhythm.

Throughout the history of its existence, jazz has often changed, transformed, and opened up to performers and listeners from previously unknown sides due to the development of new harmonic models and musical techniques by composers and jazz musicians.

"The First Lady of Jazz"

As we said earlier, when talking about jazz music, it is impossible to leave its authors and performers in the shadow. One of the most iconic people in the history of jazz is Ella Jane Fitzgerald, the owner of a magnificent voice with a range of three octaves, a master of scat and unique voice improvisation. She is a legend and the “First Lady of Jazz.”

“If jazz has a female face, then it is the face of Ella,” one of the authoritative critics in the world of academic music once said. And indeed it is!

Ella Fitzgerald had the kindest and most compassionate heart. She helped those in need at City of Hope National Medical Center and the American Heart Association. And in 1993, the great vocalist opened the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, which provides assistance to young musicians and supplies them with everything they need.

This is the greatest female vocalist in history jazz music- 13-time Grammy Award winner, National Medal of Arts recipient, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and recipient of the Order of Letters and the Arts and many other awards.

Jazz in Russia

Along with the development of the jazz scene in the United States of America, jazz began to develop in the USSR around the 20s of the twentieth century.

October 1, 1922 can be called the starting point of Russian jazz. It was on this day that the 1st concert of the jazz orchestra took place under the direction of Valentin Parnakh, a great theater figure, dancer and poet.

Soviet jazz bands mainly specialized in performing compositions for such fashionable dances as the Charleston and foxtrot. This is how jazz began to gain popularity.

Composer and musician Eddie Rosner made a great contribution to the development of Russian jazz. Having started his career in European countries such as Poland and Germany, he later moved to the USSR, becoming the pioneer of swing in the country.

Eddie Rosner, Joseph Weinstein, Vadim Ludvikovsky and other outstanding Russian jazzmen trained a whole galaxy of endlessly talented soloists-improvisers and arrangers, whose work subsequently brought jazz in the USSR closer to world standards and brought it to a qualitatively new level. For example, Alexey Kozlov, being the founder of the legendary jazz band"Arsenal" and a composer, performer of many virtuoso jazz compositions, became the author of music for many theatrical productions and films.

The birth of jazz

Jazz came to us from African lands. And, as you know, traditional African music is characterized by a very complex musical rhythm. On the basis of this spontaneous and, at first glance, chaotic sound, an interesting and unusual musical direction was born at the end of the 19th century - ragtime. This style developed, intertwining with elements of classic blues, absorbing them into itself; as a result, it became the “parent” of the now well-known musical direction like jazz.

Among the many wonderful musicians performing jazz, one can also highlight the work of Igor Butman - People's Artist of Russia, an excellent saxophonist and jazzman. He graduated from famous College of Music Berklee in Boston with a double major as a composer and concert saxophonist. In the early 90s he moved to New York and became a member of the legendary Lionel Hampton Orchestra.

Since 1996, Igor Butman has lived in Russia. To date, this jazz musician has received many awards. And since 2009, he has been the owner of his own record label, Butman Music. A year ago he headed the Moscow Jazz Orchestra. His musical works stun the imagination with their liveliness and versatility of sound. Unusual jazz notes can be heard in almost every one of his works. He works real miracles!

An inexhaustible source of inspiration

Jazz is music that gives pleasure. She always inspires, helps to find meaning, teaches what is important and meaningful. Many books have been written about this musical genre, many films have been made and many words have been said...

“Jazz is ourselves in our best hours... when elation, frankness and fearlessness coexist within us...” - these words of Alexander Genis, a famous literary critic and writer, in our opinion, best demonstrate the essence of jazz music, its specificity and beauty.

True love for jazz cannot be measured, it can only be felt. This is complex and at the same time incredibly beautiful music, deep and emotional. Jazz is an art to which our heart responds.

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Jazz
How a type of music developed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. as a result of the synthesis of elements of two musical cultures - European and African. Of the African elements, one can note polyrhythmicity, repeated repetition of the main motive, vocal expressiveness, improvisation, which penetrated into jazz along with common forms of black musical folklore- ritual dances, work songs, spirituals and blues.
The word "jazz", originally "jazz-band", began to be used in the middle of the 1st decade of the 20th century. in the southern states to refer to the music created by small New Orleans ensembles (composed of trumpet, clarinet, trombone, banjo, tuba or double bass, drums and piano) in the process of collective improvisation on themes of blues, ragtime and popular European songs and dances.

Originated in the 1960s. He is characterized by the desire to free jazz from the “shackles” of harmony, rhythm, meter, traditional structure, to make it program music. Avant-garde jazz relies on new expressive means and technical techniques. It is completely subordinated to the goals of performing individual and collective self-expression.

The most famous representatives are Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Archie Shepp.

So what is Acid Jazz? This is a funky musical style with built-in elements of jazz, 70s funk, hip-hop, soul and other styles. It can be sampled, it can be live, and it can be a mixture of the latter two.
Basically, Acid Jazz focuses on the music rather than the lyrics/words. This is club music that aims to get you moving.
The first Acid Jazz single was "Frederick Lies Still" by Galliano. It was a cover version of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" from the movie "Superfly".
Gilles Peterson, who was a DJ at KISS FM, made a great contribution to the promotion and support of the Acid Jazz style. He was one of the first to found the Acid Jazz label. In the late 80s - early 90s, many Acid Jazz performers appeared, who presented themselves as “live” teams - De-Phazz, James Taylor Quartet, Galliano, Jamiroquai, Don Cherry, and studio projects - PALm Skin Productions, Mondo GroSSO, Outside, and United Future Organization.

Big Band
Of course, this is not a style of jazz, but a type of jazz instrumental ensemble, but still it was included in the table, because any jazz performed by a “big band” stands out very much from the background of individual jazz performers and small groups.
The number of musicians in big bands usually ranges from ten to seventeen people.
Formed in the late 1920s, it consists of three orchestral groups: saxophones - clarinets (Reels), brass wind instruments(Brass, later there were groups of trumpets and trombones), rhythm section (Rhythm section - piano, double bass, guitar, percussion musical instruments). The rise of big band music, which began in the United States in the 1930s, is associated with the period of mass enthusiasm for swing.
Later, right up to the present day, big bands performed and continue to perform music of a wide variety of styles. However, in essence, the era of big bands begins much earlier and dates back to the times of American minstrel theaters in the second half of the 19th century, which often increased the performing staff to several hundred actors and musicians. Listen to The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Benny Goodman And His Orchestra and you will appreciate the beauty of jazz performed by big bands.

Bebop
Jazz style that developed in the early to mid-40s of the 20th century and ushered in the era of modern jazz. Characterized by fast tempo and complex improvisations based on changes in harmony rather than melody.
The ultra-fast tempo of performance was introduced by Parker and Gillespie in order to keep non-professionals away from their new improvisations. Among other things, a distinctive feature of all bebopists was their shocking behavior. "Dizzy" Gillespie's curved trumpet, Parker and Gillespie's behavior, Monk's ridiculous hats, etc.
Having emerged as a reaction to the widespread spread of swing, bebop continued to develop its principles in use. expressive means, but at the same time discovered a number of opposing trends.
Unlike swing, which is mostly the music of large commercial dance orchestras, bebop is an experimental creative movement in jazz, associated mainly with the practice of small ensembles (combos) and anti-commercial in its orientation.
The bebop phase marked a significant shift in the emphasis in jazz from popular dance music to a more highly artistic, intellectual, but less mass-produced “music for musicians.” Bop musicians preferred complex improvisations based on strumming chords instead of melodies.
The main instigators of the birth were: saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, drummer Max Roach. If you want Be Bop, listen Chick Corea, Michel Legrand, Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Jan Garbarek, Charles Mingus, Modern Jazz Quartet.

Boogie Woogie
Boogie-woogie, in its "non-commercialized" forms, is an instrumental solo that combines elements of blues and jazz. From blues to boogie-woogie - a 12-bar progression and a peculiar “blues” sound with slides (the so-called sliding from a black key to a white one, performed with one finger), all kinds of melismas, trills, and indistinct “slipping” plucking of adjacent notes. From jazz comes the importance of the improvised solo, which is why pianists often turned to jazz standards in search of improvisational ideas.
Barrelhouse, honky-tonk, boogie-woogie - this is a designation of “lax” musical styles that are directly related to the places in which they were born, namely taverns, taverns, barns, saloons - because in the first place that was the name of the establishments themselves. Of course, musical instruments in such establishments were not best quality- this is the first thing. And secondly, due to “unacceptable” operating conditions. Therefore, what would become boogie-woogie was originally an adaptation of honky-tonk musicians to the constantly out-of-tune state of their instruments.
The beginning of boogie-woogie, the first piece in this style is considered to be “Pine Top's Boogie Woogie” by Clarence Pinetop Smith, a Chicago pianist for “custom” parties (December 1928). Hundreds of pianists from Count Basie, Albert Ammons, Clarence Lofton to Pinetop Perkins - adopted son of Pinetop Smith - recorded his version of the song, Clarence Smith used the term "boogie-woogie" to describe the syncopated bass figures and "wiggly" dances inspired by this music - these were the heydays of the 1930s and 1940s. boogie-woogie, after which sketchy and unimaginative songs replaced what was the newest style of piano playing in the early thirties (however, this genre of playing nevertheless developed, and did not stand still - such original pianists played in this style as as Piano Red, and Alex Moore and David Alexander are considered modern classics of this style).
The younger generation - Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnston - taxi driver friends turned boogie-woogie from dance music into concert music (that is, into the one that they only listen to). As instrumentalists, these are unsurpassed virtuosos, next to whom few can be compared. Pete Johnston used to practice by covering the keys with a rag and playing through it. Other names for boogie-woogie: breakdown (in Chicago), fast Texas blues and fast western (in the Midwest). Famous representatives of classic boogie-woogie: Pine Top Smith, Jimmy Yancey, Cripple Clarence Lofton, Fats Waller.

Bossa Nova
Rhythmically, the southern part of the New World has significantly influenced all popular (and jazz) world music in our century and contributed a lot to it in terms of rhythm. Over the course of a century, tango, rumba, beguine, cha-cha-cha, calypso, son, merengue, mambo and, of course, samba came from here, and in addition, many different Latin American percussion instruments (percussion) appeared on the pop stages of the world. ).
The mambo style and dance gained enormous popularity in America and Europe in the 50s - both in jazz and in popular music. It was a dance of Latin American origin, which was a type of fast rumba in musical size 4/4.
The “King of Mambo” in the USA was the leader of the dance orchestra Perez Prado (1916-1989), a Cuban by birth. But since many American cool-style musicians then regularly toured with concerts around the world, including South America, there they became closely acquainted with Brazilian samba. Thanks to this, a unique synthesis emerged - the rhythm of Brazilian samba combined with jazz improvisation in the style of "cool" (i.e. "jazz-samba", "ice and fire"), and this music called "bossa nova" ("new wave", "something new") became extremely popular in the USA, and soon it spread throughout America and Europe like wildfire, because it combined and irresistibly attracted swing, melody and poetry.
The most outstanding personality among bossa nova composers was, of course, Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994), and among American performers- saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd.
In February 1962, Getz and Byrd recorded their first disc, which was called “Jazz Samba,” and in the same year they received a Grammy Award for it, and in March 1963 Stan Getz recorded in New York another successful bossa nova album with Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto and A.K. Jobim himself at the piano. In the future, it would be difficult to name a jazz or popular artist who did not record themes in the spirit of bossa nova.

Classic Jazz
A generally accepted summary designation for early jazz styles, the existence of which is usually dated from the late 19th century to the second decade of the 20th century, that is, until the emergence of “white” orchestras playing in the Dixieland manner.
In the late 1930s, an attempt was made to restore old New Orleans jazz under the names New Orleans Renaissance and Dixieland Revival.
Traditional jazz, as all varieties of the New Orleans style and Dixieland and even swing were later called, became widespread in Europe and almost merged with the urban everyday music of the Old World - the famous three “B” in Great Britain - Acker Bilk, Chris Barber and Kenny Ball (the latter became famous for the Dixieland version of Moscow Evenings in the very early 1960s). In the wake of the Dixieland revival in Great Britain, a fashion arose for archaic ensembles of homemade instruments - skiffles, with which the members of the Beatles quartet began their careers.
We recommend: Louis Armstrong, Nino Katamadze, Ella Fitzgerald, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Bill Sharpe, Michel Petrucciani, Wynton Marsalis, Greg Grainger.

Cool Jazz
One of the styles of modern jazz, formed at the turn of the 40s - 50s of the 20th century based on the development of the achievements of swing and bop. The origin of this style is primarily associated with the name of the Negro swing saxophonist L. Young, who developed a “cold” style of sound production (the so-called Lester sound) that was opposite to the sound ideal of hot jazz; It was he who first introduced the term “kul” into everyday use. In addition, the prerequisites of cool jazz are found in the work of many bebop musicians - such as C. Parker, T. Monk, M. Davis, J. Lewis, M. Jackson and others.
However, cool jazz has significant differences from bop. This was manifested in a departure from the traditions of hot jazz that bop followed, in a rejection of excessive rhythmic expressiveness and intonation instability, and in a deliberate emphasis on specifically black flavor. This style was played by: Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Modern Jazz Quartet, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Zoot Sims, Paul Desmond.

Jazz– a unique phenomenon in world musical culture. This multifaceted art form originated at the turn of the century (XIX and XX) 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 styles 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 look for mutual language with 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 was replete with similar rhythmic dances, and 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. The legendary New Orleans musician, creator of his own orchestra, King Oliver, was also self-taught. Important date In the history of jazz it became 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 This style became collective mass improvisation, which erected main idea jazz absolutely.

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 folk 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.

Jazz is a musical movement that originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States. Its emergence is the result of the interweaving of two cultures: African and European. This movement will combine spirituals ( church hymns) American blacks, African folk rhythms and European harmonious melody. Its characteristic features are: flexible rhythm, which is based on the principle of syncopation, the use of percussion instruments, improvisation, and an expressive manner of performance, characterized by sound and dynamic tension, sometimes reaching the point of ecstasy. Jazz was originally a combination of ragtime and blues elements. In fact, it grew out of these two directions. The peculiarity of the jazz style is, first of all, the individual and unique play of the jazz virtuoso, and improvisation gives this movement constant relevance.

After jazz itself was formed, a continuous process of its development and modification began, which led to the emergence various directions. Currently there are about thirty of them.

New Orleans (traditional) jazz.

This style usually means exactly the jazz that was performed between 1900 and 1917. It can be said that its emergence coincided with the opening of Storyville (New Orleans' red light district), which gained its popularity due to bars and similar establishments where musicians playing syncopated music could always find work. The previously widespread street orchestras began to be replaced by the so-called “Storyville ensembles,” whose playing was increasingly acquiring individuality compared to their predecessors. These ensembles later became the founders of classical New Orleans jazz. Vivid examples Performers of this style are: Jelly Roll Morton (“His Red Hot Peppers”), Buddy Bolden (“Funky Butt”), Kid Ory. It was they who carried out the transition of African folk music into the first jazz forms.

Chicago Jazz.

In 1917, the next important stage in the development of jazz music began, marked by the appearance of immigrants from New Orleans in Chicago. New jazz orchestras are being formed, the playing of which introduces new elements into early traditional jazz. This is how an independent style of the Chicago school of performance appears, which is divided into two directions: hot jazz of black musicians and Dixieland of whites. The main features of this style: individual solo parts, changes in hot inspiration (the original free ecstatic performance became more nervous, full of tension), synthetics (the music included not only traditional elements, but also ragtime, as well as famous American hits) and changes in instrumental playing (the role of instruments and performing techniques has changed). Fundamental figures of this movement (“What Wonderful World”, “Moon Rivers”) and (“Someday Sweetheart”, “Ded Man Blues”).

Swing is an orchestral style of jazz of the 1920s and 30s that grew directly from the Chicago school and was performed by big bands (The Original Dixieland Jazz Band). It is characterized by the predominance of Western music. Separate sections of saxophones, trumpets and trombones appeared in the orchestras; The banjo is replaced by a guitar, tuba and sassophone - double bass. The music moves away from collective improvisation; the musicians play strictly adhering to pre-written scores. A characteristic technique was the interaction of the rhythm section with melodic instruments. Representatives of this direction: , (“Creole Love Call”, “The Mooche”), Fletcher Henderson (“When Buddha Smiles”), Benny Goodman And His Orchestra, .

Bebop is a modern jazz movement that began in the 40s and was an experimental, anti-commercial movement. Unlike swing, this is a more intellectual style in which great attention There is a focus on complex improvisation and the emphasis is on harmony rather than melody. Music of this style is also characterized by a very fast tempo. The brightest representatives are: Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Charlie Parker (“Night In Tunisia”, “Manteca”) and Bud Powell.

Mainstream.

Includes three movements: Stride (northeastern jazz), Kansas City style and West Coast jazz. Hot stride reigned supreme in Chicago, led by such masters as Louis Armstrong, Andy Condon, and Jimmy Mac Partland. Kansas City is characterized by lyrical plays in the blues style. West Coast jazz developed in Los Angeles under the leadership of , and subsequently resulted in cool jazz.

Cool jazz (cool jazz) emerged in Los Angeles in the 50s as a counterpoint to the dynamic and impulsive swing and bebop. Lester Young is considered to be the founder of this style. It was he who introduced a style of sound production unusual for jazz. This style is characterized by the use of symphonic instruments and emotional restraint. Such masters as Miles Davis (“Blue In Green”), Gerry Mulligan (“Walking Shoes”), Dave Brubeck (“Pick Up Sticks”), Paul Desmond left their mark in this vein.

Avante-Garde began to develop in the 60s. This avant-garde style is based on a break from the original traditional elements and is characterized by the use of new techniques and means of expression. For the musicians of this movement, self-expression, which they carried out through music, came first. Performers of this movement include: Sun Ra (“Kosmos in Blue”, “Moon Dance”), Alice Coltrane (“Ptah The El Daoud”), Archie Shepp. Progressive jazz arose in parallel with bebop in the 40s, but it was distinguished by its staccato saxophone technique, a complex interweaving of polytonality with rhythmic pulsation and elements of symphonic jazz. The founder of this trend can be called Stan Kenton. Prominent representatives

Hard bop is a type of jazz that has its roots in bebop. Detroit, New York, Philadelphia - this style was born in these cities. In its aggressiveness, it is very reminiscent of bebop, but blues elements still predominate in it. Featured performers include Zachary Breaux (“Uptown Groove”), Art Blakey and The Jass Messengers.

Soul jazz.

This term is commonly used to describe all black music. It draws on traditional blues and African-American folklore. This music is characterized by ostinato bass figures and rhythmically repeating samples, due to which it has gained wide popularity among various masses of the population. Hits in this direction include the compositions of Ramsey Lewis “The In Crowd” and Harris-McCain “Compared To What”. Groove (aka funk) is an offshoot of soul, but is distinguished by its rhythmic focus. Basically, the music of this direction has a major coloration, and in structure it consists of clearly defined parts for each instrument. Solo performances

fit harmoniously into the overall sound and are not too individualized. Performers of this style are Shirley Scott, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Gene Emmons, Leo Wright. Free jazz got its start in the late 50s thanks to the efforts of such innovative masters as Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor. His characteristic features

are atonality, violation of the chord sequence. This style is often called “free jazz”, and its derivatives include loft jazz, modern creative and free funk. Musicians of this style include: Joe Harriott, Bongwater, Henri Texier (“Varech”), AMM (“Sedimantari”).

Fusion combined elements of almost all musical movements existing at that time. Its most active development began in the 70s. Fusion is a systematic instrumental style characterized by complex time signatures, rhythm, elongated compositions and the absence of vocals. This style is designed for a less broad masses than soul and is its complete opposite. At the head of this trend are Larry Corall and the band Eleventh, Tony Williams and Lifetime (“Bobby Truck Tricks”).

Acid jazz (groove jazz" or "club jazz") arose in Great Britain in the late 80s (heyday 1990 - 1995) and combined funk of the 70s, hip-hop and dance music of the 90s. The emergence of this style was dictated by the widespread use of jazz-funk samples. The founder is considered to be DJ Giles Peterson. Performers in this direction include Melvin Sparks (“Dig Dis”), RAD, Smoke City (“Flying Away”), Incognito and Brand New Heavies.

Post-bop began to develop in the 50s and 60s and is similar in structure to hard bop. It is distinguished by the presence of elements of soul, funk and groove. Often, when characterizing this direction, they draw a parallel with blues rock. Hank Moblin, Horace Silver, Art Blakey (“Like Someone In Love”) and Lee Morgan (“Yesterday”), Wayne Shorter worked in this style.

Smooth jazz - modern jazz style, which emerged from the fusion movement, but differs from it in the deliberate polished sound. A special feature of this area is the widespread use of power tools. Famous performers: Michael Franks, Chris Botti, Dee Dee Bridgewater (“All Of Me”, “God Bless The Child”), Larry Carlton (“Dont Give It Up”).

Jazz-manush (gypsy jazz) is a jazz movement specializing in guitar performance. Combines the guitar technique of the gypsy tribes of the Manush group and swing. The founders of this direction are the Ferre brothers and. The most famous performers: Andreas Oberg, Barthalo, Angelo Debarre, Bireli Largen (“Stella By Starlight”, “Fiso Place”, “Autumn Leaves”).

Ragtime originated among black amateur pianists. The peak of ragtime popularity occurred in the first decade of the 20th century, but they appeared twenty years earlier. The popularity of ragtime at the beginning of the 20th century was largely due to the massive demand for dance music. The phonograph had not yet been common, and masses of ordinary Americans were dancing to the piano. The danceable nature of ragtime, in contrast to “melodic” popular music with vocal roots, determined the rhythmic innovation of this genre.

Scott Joplin - "Maple Leaf Rag"

Daniil Kramer

Classical European dances were mainly the domain of aristocrats. To dance them, it was necessary to learn various steps and their combinations, sometimes quite complex, and people who were of a lower rank in their position simply did not want to bother themselves with this. Despite the lightness and simplicity of the rhythm, ragtime was played in exotic African pentatonic modes and using some techniques that were not familiar to white musicians. This combination of simple and new gave birth to an amazing pre-jazz type of music called ragtime.

Ragtime is not Liszt's rhapsody, not Chopin's concerto, not Beethoven's 5th concerto, not Mozart and not Bach. This is not that type of complexity, not technological or compositional complexity - this is stylistic complexity. For academic musicians of the early 20th century, such a style was quite difficult: these syncopations were not familiar to the ears of Europeans. So when early jazz first arrived on European shores in 1918, it was nicknamed "crazy syncopes"- “crazy syncopation.”

Syncopation is a sound in European music that begins on the weak beat of a bar and continues on the strong beat, which causes a shift in rhythmic accents and a separation of the melody from the accompaniment.

Ragtime is not jazz, it is played smoothly, it is clean water a polka that could be written by any composer wishing to write music that is not strictly classical. The "father of ragtime" Scott Joplin introduced several pre-jazz elements - such as the "3 versus 4" technique - and some intervals exotic for the time, such as sixths. In this case, a different type of rhythm is characteristic. In ragtime, the rhythm is counted from the second and fourth beats of the bar, plus every two bars a separate strong emphasis on the last, fourth, beat. These off-beat accents are superimposed with a separate syncopation of the melody.

Off-beat is a principle in which rhythmic accents shift from the “strong” beats of the bar - the 1st and 3rd - to the “weak” - the 2nd and 4th.

"3 versus 4" is the main type of cross-rhythm characteristic of West African music. Within one metric unit (beat), two rhythmic patterns sound in parallel, contrasting with each other. One of them, the main one, consists of four equal rhythmic units, the second, sounding on top of it, consists of three equal units.

2. Traditional jazz: New Orleans style and Dixieland. 1910-1920s

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were several dozen marching bands and dance music ensembles in New Orleans - mostly black and Creole. The music they played was influenced by ragtime, blues, marches, and black work songs. Made a significant impact on them musical culture Creoles, originally close to European home music playing. Later, when the creoles of the southern states were given equal rights with the blacks, the black and creole cultures came closer, which contributed to the emergence of new synthetic forms. After the end of the American-Spanish War, a large number of instruments from military bands appeared in the city, which contributed to the creation of amateur musical groups whose musicians were not familiar with musical notation. What exactly the music sounded like in New Orleans at this time can only be guessed from the playing of imitators of the New Orleans style on the first recordings, which appeared only in 1917. The concept of “Dixieland” was initially an analogue of the concept of “jazz,” invented among white musicians based on the conventional name of the southern states of the United States. Later, the Dixieland style was associated specifically with the “white” ensembles of early jazz, although the New Orleans style and Dixieland are often understood as synonyms. After the release of the first jazz record by a group of white musicians Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917, jazz as a new form of folk music during the modern era began to spread throughout the country.

Original Dixieland Jass Band - "Tiger Rag"

Vladimir Tarasov

drummer, member of the trio "GTC" (Ganelin-Tarasov-Chekasin)

It's surprising to hear from musicians that swing appeared after Dixieland. It turns out that Dixieland is not jazz. There is as much swing as you want in Dixieland. Just listen to the syncopated banjo and snare drum playing. Later, in the 1930-1940s, when new branches sprouted from this tree, including white ones, much changed in the language, and with it the feeling of swing.

Swing is the nature of the performance of a soloist or ensemble, based on constant deviations from the reference rhythm and creating the effect of “swinging” of the entire sound mass. Swing is characteristic of different styles and periods in the history of jazz. In the 1930s, the term began to refer to the popular style of jazz during the era of the spread of big bands.

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - “Dippermouth Blues”

Valery Kiselev

clarinetist, saxophonist, leader of the Classic Jazz Ensemble

New Orleans is a specific city; it was called the “Paris of the New World.” A port city at the mouth of the Mississippi that had a lot of business and a lot of visitors. There were picnics, parades, processions, so musicians in New Orleans always had a lot of work. If a respectable person died, then he was ordered to have a funeral with an orchestra - this was also a job for musicians. Almost everyone there was self-taught, did not know notes, played by ear, and King Oliver (a legend of the New Orleans style, in whose orchestra the young Louis Armstrong began to play. - Ed.) was self-taught. Some people confuse Dixieland and New Orleans style. New Orleans is a blues style, they did not play dominants, diminished seventh chord, as later in Dixieland.

The New Orleans Rhythm Kings - “She's Crying for Me”

Yuri Chugunov

composer, arranger, teacher

The improvisational principle in jazz has never lost its role. The main textural principle of the New Orleans style was spontaneous polyphony. This polyphonic beginning was based on the simultaneous improvisation of several wind soloists (trumpet, trombone and clarinet). In addition, simple chords sounded completely new thanks to the blues mode. Over the continuous beat of the rhythm section, the soloists could allow rhythmic freedom in improvisation. All these features led to the fact that jazz began to be perceived by the public as something new and unprecedented, which led to its rapid spread throughout the world. Jazz was initially programmed for rapid development. The prospect of this development was determined by the combination of two elements: the folk (blues) beginning and the use of symphony orchestra instruments, including the piano.

Polyphony - the principle of construction piece of music(warehouse), in which separate melodic voices, equal in function, sound in parallel. It is contrasted with the homophonic structure, in which the upper voice performs the function of melody, and the other voices support it harmoniously.

3. Chicago style. 1920s

The 1920s saw important social changes. This era went down in history as the “Roaring Twenties.” Writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald put it differently in his famous stories - “the age of jazz.” In the early 30s, he wrote: “The word “jazz,” which no one now considers indecent, meant first sex, then a dance style and, finally, music. When they talk about jazz, they mean a state of nervous excitement, approximately the same as what reigns in big cities when the front line approaches them.” In the 20s, jazz began to move into restaurants and dance halls, becoming an important part of popular culture. The essence of jazz is expressed in the very manner of performance, which cannot be recorded on paper, and thanks to the development of the recording industry, jazz begins to be replicated on a mass scale, well illustrating Walter Benjamin’s thesis about “a work of art in the era of its technical reproducibility.” In the 1920s, the migration of jazz musicians to northern industrial cities intensified, with Chicago becoming the center. At this time, they also became widespread jam sessions- free performances in taverns after midnight for a small audience of connoisseurs, based on the spontaneous improvisation of several soloists. The arrangements begin to become more complex and the individual soloist is contrasted with the whole ensemble.

Louis Armstrong - "West End Blues"

Daniil Kramer

A jazz ensemble is built on a completely different principle than a Dixieland ensemble. Dixieland is built on the principle of two lines, with a rhythm section playing in the background - bass, banjo and drums. And in front there are polyphonic lines of, say, trumpet, trombone and clarinet. And these polyphonic lines are continuously intertwined, one of them is the main one, and the rest frame it. At the same time, the rhythmic basis is off-beat, the harmonic principle is much simpler. In a jazz ensemble, the rhythmic basis is the fourth beat, not the off-beat. If there are several soloists, then they do not frame the main line, but each improvise independently. And finally, much more complex arrangements of jazz pieces. The jazz feeling is the feeling of a bow being drawn. This rhythmic component, called drive, an unstoppable rhythmic flow, is present in Bach, to a somewhat lesser extent in Mozart, and begins to be lost among the romantics. Jazz musicians took this drive to a new level. I realized where it comes from when I was in Africa and saw how village African musicians played: it is in their blood.

Four-beat is a type of rhythm in which all four beats of the measure are evenly emphasized - strong and weak.

From Dixieland and early jazz ensembles, I would highlight the ensembles of Louis Armstrong - Hot Five And Hot Seven. Personally, I find Armstrong's drive closer to King Oliver's or Bix Beiderbeck's. Perhaps no one at this time has such a drive - very tough and at the same time beautiful.

Bix Beiderbeck - “Singin' the Blues”

Oleg Grymov

clarinetist, saxophonist, Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra

In early jazz, swing was different, more grotesque, both among white and black musicians. And later, with Hawkins, Lester Young, it became smoother. Bix Beiderbecke is a great cornet player, but if you listen to his swing, you can see that the corners are a little sharper. This early swing was more like ragtime.

I come to the conclusion that great artists, the older they got, the more they strived for simplicity. It’s just that many didn’t live long enough, like Young or Parker, and left at takeoff. Armstrong lived a long time, but just as he started with this simplicity, he ended with it. Moreover, this simplicity also contained the depth that intellectuals needed. It seems to me that the main thing is naturalness. If this complexity is not forced, then it must exist; if simplicity is not a gaping void, then let it exist. Armstrong was the quintessence of his time. This is the Johann Sebastian Bach of jazz. Too much coincided in this man. There were many very good musicians of that time for whom everything did not coincide as well as for him. A lesser-known musician is Sidney Bechet. Bechet was a very passionate person, just listen to his recordings to be convinced. He was a man of extremes and everything he did was as passionate as his playing. As his student Bob Wilber remembers him, Bechet could be very kind and caring, but if he felt some kind of disdain in your words, he could be very angry and vindictive. If Bechet had not existed, it is unknown whether we would have learned about John Hodges (the famous alto saxophonist from the Duke Ellington orchestra. - Ed.), because Hodges listened to Bechet all his life and even took several lessons from him. You can hear it, such a New Orleans approach to the instrument. Bechet has a very bright, original sound, a very frequent vibrato, which is difficult to copy. Perhaps the most famous composition performed by him is Summertime George Gershwin. For many soprano saxophonists it has become a performance template. I personally really love the recording. Black Stick Blues, there he plays the clarinet - he started out as a clarinetist. Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet said about him that there is such a musician from the orchestra Southern Syncopated Orchestra- this is a true genius. Then he played the clarinet.

Sydney Bechet - "Summertime"

Vibrato is a rapid pulsation of one sound with a periodic change in its pitch by less than a semitone. The result is a continuous wavy line.

Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra - "Basin Street Blues"

Roswell Rudd

trombonist, composer, New York Art Quartet

Dixieland is the music I learned from. I heard it in the 40s and 50s when I was young. What attracted me most to it was the collective improvisation. She was very open. There was a clear structure, but in this structure people created music by listening to each other. It amazed me then and still does. I think collective improvisation is what my twenty-year-old peers and I brought back to jazz in the 60s. When we first appeared in front of the public, we included collective improvisation in our playing. It was natural for me because I came from Dixieland and I had a sense of how to play to someone else - an improvisational question and answer. Groups of Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor; Sun Ra - they all engaged in collective improvisation and did it very beautifully. These people revived old music and at the same time created something modern.

Responsor technique (question-answer) - fundamental compositional principle, in which all elements musical form are arranged in complementary pairs, where the first element, unstable and incomplete, implies the presence of a subsequent, logically completing element.

Jack Teagarden is our American monument; he's like JJ Johnson (the legendary trombonist of the bebop era. - Ed.). He epitomizes a certain style of trombone playing - very clean, fresh and punchy. I like it more early music Teagarden, when he was more of an experimenter. When I was young I heard a lot of his later stuff live and it was beautiful. But I missed his “mistakes.”

All jazz is “free”, not just free jazz. It all depends on which musicians you are talking about. Jazz is, in essence, the first music. It can be found all over the world, because when people improvise, that is the first music. Dixieland, collective improvisation, is the most avant-garde form you can achieve, and if you do it well, put real feeling into it and don't overdo it with intellectualism, then you get great music. Free jazz, new music, free improvisation - it all means the same thing to me, it's all just music. Collective improvisation is at the core of what I do. You can analyze certain periods and styles - Congo Square (an area near New Orleans where in the 18th - early 19th centuries the black population was allowed to gather for trading, singing and dancing. - Ed.), New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, New York, West Coast, etc. Or the great pioneers of styles - Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell, John Birks Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, etc. But what distinguishes each of them is precisely unique way improvisation, and when it happens collectively, it results in free “symphonic” music. I call it Dixieland.

Bud Freeman - "The El"

Oleg Grymov

Bud Freeman is a wonderful musician. He was such a dandy, he always looked very stylish and played just as beautifully. Many critics credit him with influencing Lester Young. Indeed, at concerts in the late 1960s, if you close your eyes, it seems like Lester Young. Lester, I think, denied it, but he spoke very highly of Bud Freeman. Freeman worked a lot with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey. He typical representative swing, but also played with Dixieland musicians. He has a lot of records where he plays in Dixieland lineups, where it seems like there should be a trombone, and then Bud Freeman plays tenor saxophone, it turns out a completely different sound, more mobile, less obligate. He was born and died in Chicago. Many great musicians lived there at this time - for example, Jimmy Noone. I hear a clear influence of Nun in the recordings from the 1930s. It is quite obvious that they went to each other’s performances, took and borrowed something. So it's all mixed up: with Freeman you find Jimmy Noone, with Lester you find Freeman and Frankie Trumbauer. This is such mixed soil, from which beautiful flowers then grow. In general - despite the dominant role of black musicians - it is unknown how things would have turned out if there had not been New Orleans, where there were huge French and Spanish colonies. Creoles are the illegitimate children of French and Spanish colonists from their slaves. In early jazz, it was customary to use shallow vibrato on wind instruments, especially towards the end of a phrase. The most extreme example is Bechet, who had French blood. It seems to me that even this showed some kind of genetic French influence: if you take the singing of French chansonniers, you can hear it.

4. Swing era, big band era. 1930s

The growing popularity of jazz created a demand for large dance music orchestras. This, in turn, required more coherent, organized playing and more complex arrangements. The style of hot jazz becomes familiar to the general public and begins to move into the mainstream. What becomes especially important is how the whole orchestra “swings”.

Fats Waller - "Honeysuckle Rose"

Daniil Kramer

Swing is a natural syncopation based on a continuous rhythmic flow called drive, combined with various variable ratios of real and felt rhythms, which, according to some opinions, including mine, is one of the meanings of the term “beat” (another meaning is beat, method of intra-bar accentuation). When three components exist in a complex - beat, drive and natural syncopation, then, strictly speaking, jazz begins. Fats Waller already has both swing and established jazz harmonic complexes in full force. One person will speak with an accent, another will say the same words, but without an accent. Fats Waller already speaks without an accent, it’s an established language. There is already a swinging four-beat. In jazz music, the soloist plays either with the rhythm or slightly behind, but never in front. The triplet in jazz music swings within itself, the rhythm is counted from the weak, third beat of the triplet and descends to the strong, first, as if from a wave.

A triplet is a way of grouping three notes of equal duration, which in total last as long as two notes of the same duration.

Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - "Copenhagen"

Valery Kiselev

Fletcher Henderson belonged to that black circle that rose to the upper strata, and was very proud of it. They valued their position very much; they did not allow their children to play with black children: when a white man misbehaves, it’s one thing, but when a black man acts out, everything is different. Fletcher received a good education. He is actually considered the founder of the modern big band. In a Dixieland ensemble, the trumpet leads the main melody, the clarinet plays the so-called obbligato, and the trombone leads the harmonic voice. Four or five instruments, then there will be a cacophony - there is nowhere to expand. When orchestras began to play in respectable houses, where more musicians were needed, it was somehow necessary to organize them in a new way. And then Fletcher Henderson and his colleague Don Redman came up with the idea of ​​​​comparing groups - three saxophones and three copper tools As a rule, these were two trumpets and a trombone. Constant juxtaposition, the saxophones play the theme, the background plays the brass, then the brass takes over the melody, the saxophones take over the accompaniment. These are already the first signs of a big band, a competition between sections of instruments.

Big band is a jazz ensemble with more than ten members. The big band is characterized by a more thorough arrangement, a more complex texture, and a stronger role for the ensemble leader.

Glenn Miller Orchestra - "In the Mood"

saxophonist, composer, leader of the Round Band

For me, the period of jazz music that sounded before bebop was mysterious for a long time. To be honest, I don’t listen to this music very often, and now, when I turn, for example, to the recordings of the 30s of the last century, it seems a little strange not to hear typical bop chants, clichés, and alterations in the playing of swing musicians. But, delving into the study of this style, the manner of playing of musicians, their linguistic features, harmony, improvisation, you understand - this is an extraordinary artistic layer, a huge direction, without which a new step would be impossible. The world of the “swing era” is, I would say, a special worldview. The playing of the musicians seems to splash out with a stream of emotions, sometimes even unformed, unrealized ideas in the form of various melodic structures, sometimes even arguing, interrupting each other, with bright contrasting images, for brass players, for example, containing either a passage element, or a long wheeze on one note. Perhaps this is the influence of hot jazz, in which musicians tried to achieve greater freedom and expressiveness in solos, in which you can hear African origins.

Hot jazz is a type of jazz characterized by an enhanced improvisational beginning, the primacy of intonation and rhythmic expressiveness over composition. “Hot” from the very beginning of jazz meant “authentic,” as opposed to white musicians imitating the New Orleans style and the commercial version of jazz, which used only some of the characteristic elements of the jazz language. While in the 1920s there was a sharp contrast between hot jazz and the commercial version of jazz - sweet jazz, in the 1930s hot jazz in the form of swing became a commercially successful popular music and moved into the mainstream.

But at the same time, in the era of swing, in the 30s, musicians, while expressing their ideas, have a thorough, sometimes even rational playing, in which a clear rhythmic organization is always heard, and an integral swing with a special rhythmic delay inherent in this period of jazz. One gets the feeling that the musicians are trying to say with the help of their instruments what they cannot say in words. But even at the same time, in their playing one can hear a clear stability, loyalty to their style, manner, language, melody, and meter rhythm. By the way, regarding the rhythm is a separate conversation. After all, let’s say, if we talk about the pre-Bop period in general, the rhythmic organization was built and perceived by musicians in different ways. Let's say the bends of Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman are not only different melodic and improvisational concepts, but also different approaches to meter-rhythmic solutions.

Count Basie Orchestra - "Swingin' the Blues"

Vladimir Tarasov

We jazzmen had a famous saying that parodied party members: when we say “jazz,” we mean “swing,” and vice versa. Until now, no one has been able to specifically describe what swing is. What is this special swinging style of sound production with syncopation? I once simplified and came to the conclusion that if it is performed simply in eighth notes, then for me it is not jazz, but if musical phrases are built through an eighth with a dot and a sixteenth, then jazz. And it doesn’t have to be at a regular pace. Previously, musicians in Russia for some reason stubbornly believed that swing was when you needed to play a little in front or a little behind, then everything would work out. Today, fortunately, there are many musicians who can play with swing. I also know many classical music performers who, in my opinion, have excellent swing.

Benny Goodman - "Sing, Sing, Sing"

Valery Kiselev

My acquaintance with jazz occurred in 1963, when I was in the 7th grade. My older friend invited me to the regional House of Culture, where they showed the film “Sun Valley Serenade” with Glenn Miller. With this film, jazz, big band, swing entered me. Swing jazz was very important in the 1930s. This, in modern language, was the only “pop”. In the 30s in New York there were more than a hundred big bands with famous names. By the end of the 30s, America was covered by a network of radio stations, and people could listen to jazz, dance, and have fun from morning to evening. Before the start of the war, a huge number of gramophone records were produced. With the help of records, orchestras gained fame, went on tour, people bought their records and went to dances. When VCRs appeared in the Soviet Union and we saw these orchestras live, we were amazed: how come such stars play at dances! In general, it was not customary to buy tickets, sit in a chair and listen to jazz. Jazz played where people drank, ate, and danced.

The Lindy Hop is the main dance of the Swing Era.

All the musicians of the swing era went to dances. When I learned these dances, I truly understood what swing is. A non-dancing person perceives music with his ears, and swing dancing is based on bounce, on the swaying of the body. Only in January 1938 was the first jazz concert of the Benny Goodman Orchestra organized at Carnegie Hall, where symphonic music was usually played. This music came from the grassroots and had to make its way to the concert hall.

Bounce - performance at a moderately fast tempo with an “elastic” rhythmic flow, characteristic of swing. Also a type of swing dance.

The Savoy was the first dance hall where mixed couples, black and white, were allowed to dance. As a rule, in such halls there were two orchestras - one internal, the other invited; There was a competition between them. When Benny Goodman created his orchestra, he had a problem: as they put it then, he did not have his own “portfolio” - a repertoire. He was advised to turn to Fletcher Henderson, who had recently disbanded his orchestra, for arrangements. Fletcher Henderson had already given his works to Chick Webb. And the two orchestras played the same notes. Someone came up with the idea of ​​organizing a competition between a white and black orchestra. A recording of this concert has been preserved. I never believed that black orchestras were better swingers, but playing the same notes, Benny Goodman's orchestra seemed much weaker. I would not separate white and black culture in America. They all grew up in this culture - you just have to live in America.

There were a lot of very similar orchestras, pass-through things for dancing. But there were also many bright orchestras, arrangers, and soloists. Some were more, in modern terms, promoted, some less. Benny Goodman was a great clarinetist, but also a great businessman. One critic said of two friends who worked together for Ben Pollack in his youth, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller: If these two guys had gone into any other business, they would have succeeded. Glenn Miller counted every penny. Not a particularly talented musician, he assembled an orchestra, arrangers and became great.

In the 1930s, soloists played a lesser role. The play had to fit in just three minutes. That's why the soloists never played perfect square in 32 bars. All soloists played solos in pieces, dividing the square into parts. Therefore, soloists could not express themselves as in bebop.

A square is a harmonic grid (chord sequence) lasting a certain number of bars (most often 32), underlying the main theme, onto which improvisation is superimposed when repeated. A jazz composition most often consists of a series of such squares.

Duke Ellington - "Take the A Train"

Vladimir Tarasov

The big band era was wonderful. I myself started with a big band and adored the orchestras of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Don Ellis, Gil Evans, who shaped the compositional thinking of Miles Davis. Important for a big band competent work arranger and the talent of a leader and conductor. I listened to the Duke Ellington Orchestra for twelve concerts. They hardly improvised at all in the generally accepted sense of the word, they played the same program, but each concert was different. This is where the skill of a musician lies - here and now, in a given time and space. They played absolutely amazing. Duke Ellington himself sounded and was part of what he played. The charisma of the artist and leader “started” the orchestra. When Ellington passed into another world, I heard literally a month later how this orchestra played with the same composition, only his son Mercer Ellington conducted. There was the same program, the same musicians, but completely different music. In art, there are still three gradations - amateur, professional and master. Duke Ellington was a great master. There are many professionals in Russia today, but only a few masters. It's not about technique. We all know how to read music and books, but we still have to understand the meaning of the text. This is what good orchestra leaders (and not just jazz ones) are for - they reveal to us the “story” inherent in the sound.

5. Jazz in academic music and saxophonists of the 30s

"Porgy and Bess"

German Lukyanov

trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, leader of the ensemble "Kadans"

Shostakovich attended the premiere of Porgy and Bess in Leningrad. My mother knew him, she learned how he spoke about opera: “Thirty percent good music.” I wouldn’t give it 100% either - there are some weaknesses, it’s impossible to say that this is an impeccable masterpiece. But thirty percent is very little. Of course, more than half of the good music is there. This is music that contains elements of jazz art. Gershwin was sympathetic to jazz, this is quite obvious. If this were not so, jazzmen would not play his themes. They felt something familiar in it - in harmony, in rhythm, in aesthetics. But he was eager for symphonism; the scale of jazz seemed small to him.

Coleman Hawkins - "Body and Soul"

Oleg Grymov

Hawkins took a harmonic approach to improvisation. He dug up every square centimeter of the musical fabric, trying to reveal all the facets of jazz harmony. Before him, few people played the tenor saxophone so masterfully.

Lester Young - "Way down Yonder in New Orleans"

Alexey Kruglov

Among the musicians who emerged in the 1930s, the personality of Lester Young is especially interesting to me as a saxophonist. This is an amazing musician who, although completely in the style of the swing improvisational direction, is still significantly different from other swing saxophonists, in particular Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. This is in many ways an all-encompassing personality. Firstly, he clearly did not gravitate toward “hot” playing; he often had cool intonations, which he may have anticipated the emergence of cool as a style. Lester Young sometimes uses alterations and plays that have become the cornerstone of boppers. Of course, this point was not his main line, often his solos are built on the usual seventh chord row using blues turns, but nevertheless the creation of harmonic tension due to the use of partial bop with alterations, coupled with cold playing, makes a unique impression.

Alteration is raising or lowering the pitch of a sound without changing its name.

I think it was not only Lester Young who, even if unwittingly, went beyond the boundaries of his style. This issue is still worth studying, since the topic of performing skills in this direction only seems at first glance to be an easy task. After all, jazzman is a special worldview, and even more so in the Dobop period, where each musician did not try to be like someone else, but followed his own original path.

To be continued