Listening Examples – Jazz


It is near impossible to find an example of a musical piece that fits clearly into one musical genre. There are, however, certain characteristics in a piece of music that allow it to be classisfied within a category, with other pieces, with similar traits. Very often (and particularly with Jazz Music!), a piece will fit into several categories.

The examples below are meant only as a guide and a platform for more discussion with your teacher/students regarding the classification into that genre.


Sub-Genre

Description

Song

Artist

Listen Now

The (early) Blues

– Often follows a 12-bar blues chord progression in 4/4 time

– Usually uses the blues scale for melodic material (flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th)

– Lyrics are often themed around sadness, pain, or unrequited love

– Lyrics are in AAB form

– Uses a shuffle feel and a walking bass line

Dallas Blues

George Lewis and His Band

YouTube

Shake That Thing

Kokomo Arnold

YouTube

Back Water Blues

Bessie Smith

YouTube

Blue Spirit Blues

Bessie Smith

YouTube

Billie’s Blues

Billie Holiday

YouTube

Crazy Blues

Mamie Smith

YouTube

Ragtime

– Written in 2/4 or 4/4 time

– Bass notes generally played on beats 1 & 3, while chords are played on 2 & 4

– Often contain four distinct sections or themes

– Highly syncopated, with rhythmic accents on weak beats

Maple Leaf Rag

Scott Joplin

YouTube

Sensation

Joseph Lamb

YouTube

Rusty Rags

Vess Ossman

YouTube

A Ragtime Medley

Vess Ossman

YouTube

The Mississipi Rag

William H. Krell

YouTube

12th Street Rag

Euday L. Bowman

YouTube

New Orleans (Dixieland)

– Combined brass band marches, ragtime and blues with collective improvisation

– Trumpet, trombone & Clarinet was the ‘front line’ while any combination of guitar, banjo, tuba, bass, piano and drums made up the rhythm section

– Rhythm section plays chordal accompaniment underneath melody (homophonic) but has a ‘polyphonic’ feel, due to multiple melodies being played at the same time.

Basin Street Blues

Louis Armstrong

YouTube

When The Saints Go Marching In

Dukes of Dixieland

YouTube

Dippermouth Blues

King Oliver

YouTube

Dixie Jazz Band One-Step

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

YouTube

Potato Head Blues

Louis Armstrong

YouTube

Original Jelly Roll Blues

Jelly Roll Morton

YouTube

Stockyard Strut

Freddie Keppard and His Jazz Cardinals

YouTube

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans

Kid Ory

YouTube

Swing

– Generally played by big bands (more than 10) and orchestras

– More melodic structure than New Orleans – less polyphony and improvisation

– Arrangers and band leaders adapted compositions to suit their own orchestras and often, individual musicians

– Call and response was regularly used between instrumentalists and sections

– Primarily for dancing

Wrappin’ It Up

Fletcher Henderson

YouTube

One O’ Clock Jump

Count Basie

YouTube

The New East St. Louis Toodle-o

Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra

YouTube

Jumpin’ At The Woodside

Count Basie

YouTube

Main Stem

Duke Ellington

YouTube

Sing, Sing, Sing

Benny Goodman

YouTube

It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

Duke Ellington

YouTube

Don’t Be That Way

Benny Goodman

YouTube

Bebop

– Often uses a very fast tempo

– Melodies are intricate and difficult to play

– Rapid harmonic rhythm (frequent chord changes)

– Smaller formations of musicians resulted in more freedom in melodic interpretation and more soloing opportunities

Salt Peanuts

Dizzy Gillespie

YouTube

Shaw ‘Nuff

Dizzy Gillespie

YouTube

Koko

Charlie Parker

YouTube

Now’s The Time

Charlie Parker

YouTube

Groovin’ High

Dizzie Gillespie Sextet

YouTube

Tempus Fugue-It

Bud Powell

YouTube

Blue Monk

Thelonious Monk

YouTube

How High The Moon

Ella Fitzgerald

YouTube

Cool Jazz

– Brings back simpler melodic and harmonic structures, but maintains the phrasing of Bebop

– Often filled with silence and great expression

– Is generally thought to be more ‘listenable’ than Bebop

– Was the precursor to the fusion of several styles with Jazz ie. rock, rhythm and blues, soul, funk etc.

Israel

Miles Davis

YouTube

Take 5

Dave Brubeck

YouTube

Boplicity

Miles Davis

YouTube

Bernie’s Tune

Gerry Mulligan Quartet

YouTube

Hard Bop

– Not ‘harder’ or ‘heavier’ than Bebop as many expect

– Generally a slower tempo than Bebop

– Stronger rhythmically as the drums take on more of a role

– A rection to Cool Jazz, it was influenced by rhythm and blues, blues and gospel

Giant Steps

John Coltrane

YouTube

Nica’s Dream

Horace Silver

YouTube

Walkin’

Miles Davis

YouTube

Moanin’

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers

YouTube

St. Thomas

Sonny Rollins

YouTube

Free Jazz

– Typically played in small groups

– Generally busy, aggressive and dissonant

– Improvisation is at the heart of Free Jazz

– Often uses a pulse, but not in any particular meter

Enter, Evening

Cecil Taylor

YouTube

Lonely Woman

Ornette Coleman

YouTube

Fusion

– Also known as Jazz-fusion and Jazz-rock

– Uses amplified instruments and takes characteristics from jazz, rock, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and even Classical music

The Spin

The Yellowjackets

YouTube

Chameleon

Herbie Hancock

YouTube

Birdland

Weather Report

YouTube

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

YouTube

Spacy Country

Uzeb

YouTube

Smooth Jazz

– Usually a more relaxed tempo than Fusion

– Melody is usually played by sax, piano or guitar and has Jazz characteristics of syncopation and exploration of tone colour (but not to the extent of the other styles!)

– An easier to listen to, more ‘commercial’ form of Fusion

– Smooth Jazz emerged in the mid 1970s and 80s. Definitley not to be confused with the more recent ‘elevator music’ and ‘easy listening’ background music.

Morning Dance

Spyro Gyra

YouTube

Breezin

George Benson

YouTube

Mountain Dance

Dave Grusin

YouTube

Mister Majic

Grover Washington

YouTube

A Change Of Heart

David Sanborn

YouTube

Latin Jazz

– This style combines rhythms from African and Latin-American countries with Jazz harmonies from the US

– There are two main categories of Latin Jazz…

1. Afro-Cuban Jazz includes salsa, merengue, songo, son, mambo, bolero, charanga and cha cha cha

2. Brazilian jazz includes bossa nova and samba

The Girl From Ipanema

Antonio Carlos Jobim

YouTube

500 Miles High

Chick Corea

YouTube

Song For My Father

Horace Silver

YouTube

Desafinado

Stan Getz / Joao Gilberto

YouTube

Acid Jazz

– Also known as Groove Jazz or Club Jazz

– Combines Jazz influences with soul, funk, disco and dance music

– Repetitive beats and grooves are a feature

– Modal harmony is common

Radio

Jamiroquai

YouTube

Worlds Keep Spinning

The Brand New Heavies

YouTube

Mystic Voyage

Ronny Jordan

YouTube

 

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