Bebop

Music today is all because of changes then. The musicians today were influenced by those before them. Joe King Oliver influenced Louis Armstrong by training him and because of Oliver moving to Chicago, Armstrong got his start in Kid Ory’s band. Jelly Roll Morton, Joe King Oliver, Sidney Bichet, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington all changed things for musicians today. Jelly Roll Morton grew up in New Orleans and started playing piano at the age of 10. In 1904 he began traveling, playing the…

Charlie Parker, or the ‘Bird’, was one of the best saxophone players in the world. His unique style of playing combined with this ability to combine chords rarely used in jazz, flowing seamlessly between them made Parker one of the greats. As a teenager, Parker was allowed the opportunity to play with the famous drummer Jo Jones, drummer of the Count Basie band, a most popular swing bands of the time. Parker enters his solo and starts to show off his unique style, but then he messes up, losses…

World War II was not only a time of destruction, but also a time of creation. Many new music styles appeared during this time period. One of these great innovators was George Gershwin, who created Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin’s introduction of a new music style in his first performance sent waves around the country that pulled in people of all music preference. The musical genius, Gershwin, created a new rhythm and style by combining Classical and Jazz music. In the time before Gershwin rose to…

Frankie Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra a actor/singer from Hoboken, New Jersey, started off with nothing but a ukulele and his back yard, to bright lights and all the fame a man could want. (“Frank Sinatra Biography”) Frank Sinatra was a mastermind when it came to singing and acting, he was one of the most famous men in the world. He was called the “Swing Eras” (1935-1946) best singer and actor (“Frank Sinatra Biography Film Actor, Singer”). Frank Sinatra was known by everyone back then, everyone…

The song “Flamenco Sketches” by the Miles Davis Sextet has the cool jazz sound with the modal jazz style. The song has a light and soft sound with simple melodic improvisations. A traditional rhythm section maintains a steady rhythm throughout the song, but this rhythm section uses countermelodies to add colorations during the improvisations. The pianist is constantly playing a soft melody underneath the improvisations and sometimes mirroring the melody played by the improviser. The bassist…

Trumpeter-composer Wadada Leo Smith owns an inimitable avant-jazz voice and an out-of-the-box creativity that is patented throughout a prolific career. If last year he delighted me twice with A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke (duo record with pianist Vijay Iyer) and America’s National Park, this year he strikes again with another couple of powerful albums, Solo Reflections and Meditations on Monk and Najwa, the object of this review and a bow to major American jazz artists. The album’s acute bite…

Around the turn of the 1930s, music took an interesting ride with the earliest fully documented particular style of Jazz music emerging, which was centered in New Orleans, Louisiana; swing. It was not only a musical pastime, but a way of life; as those who brought it to us will live on forever. Duke Ellington was a pioneer of Renaissance jazz and one of the great elite jazz artists of his time. His most popular 1930 piece was "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing". Around 1931,…

Sarah Cabral’s work “is as authentic and inviting, as it is sophisticated” -- QUOTE. Born in southern Brazil, Sarah Cabral grew up in a time of great influence from North American pop music and music contained within telenovelas. Despite this, and having moved to the United Stated in the early 2000’s, Cabral never lost touch with the deep roots that exist in Brazilian music. This deep connection permeates throughout her debut, self-titled album, which Cabral also produced. In it she draws on…

Living a life faced with adversity it is truly remarkable the lasting impact Billy Strayhorn was capable of having on the development of jazz. He is acknowledged for being an exceptional pianist, composer, arranger and possessing one of the greatest compositional voices in the 20th century. He was truly an under appreciated revolutionary force decades ahead of his time, even while being the first closeted then out black gay man in a particularly homophobic environment of an all black male jazz…

English saxophonist Paul Dunmall has built strong reputation in the European free jazz scene throughout the years. From soliloquies to large ensembles, Dunmall never ceases to surprise through his dashing improvised statements and writing skills. Among his successful past collaborations, saxophonist Elton Dean and drummer Tony Bianco come first in the list, while the improvising quartet Mujician with pianist Keith Tippett, bassist Paul Rogers, and percussionist Tony Levin will be always…