Jazz Style Essay
The interpretation of jazz style is crucial to the element of rhythmic groove in any jazz ensemble performance. Today, many written arrangements for both large and small jazz ensembles are well marked with articulations and expression markings. However, in some cases there is nothing to guide the instructor or student. This book addresses some of the articulation and style situations that are commonly found in jazz music. These situations can be generalized into a set of guidelines that can be used to guide decisions regarding the treatment of notes and rhythms in the swing and Latin styles of the jazz idiom. Armed with this set of general guidelines, it will be easier to sound more stylistically accurate and authentic. Keep in mind that both instrumentalists and vocalists can apply all of these articulation guidelines and exercises. The ultimate goal of this book is to
…show more content…
provide useful tips and exercises for helping your students understand jazz articulation and style.
Jazz encompasses many styles from Dixieland to big band swing to bebop and fusion. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, by far, the most challenging style for both instrumentalists and vocalists to interpret is swing.
Much of today's printed jazz music in the swing style is based on performance practices established in the big band and bebop eras of the 1930's and 40's. In the swing styles of jazz what you see on the page is an approximation of the actual sounds when the music is performed. In Latin jazz styles, a long history of the close relationship between music and dance has guided the development of performance practices and stylistic nuances in this genre. It should be noted that jazz from its inception has always been a performer and arranger’s music rather than a composer's music. Thus, interpretations of style have varied from individual to individual and band to band throughout the course of the history of the music. This makes generalizations about stylistic performance even more challenging. Despite that challenge, there are a number of standard articulations and ways to interpret certain rhythm patterns that have been practiced by all of the great jazz performers and
bands.
The repertoire of charts for present-day instrumental school jazz ensembles often consists of vintage charts from the libraries of the Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Kenton bands, as well as arrangements of jazz standards and originals by a host of talented young composers and arrangers. While school vocal jazz ensembles have not been around for quite as long, the repertoire for these ensembles is populated with great arrangements of jazz classics, songs from great vocal groups such as Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross; Manhattan Transfer, the Hi-Los, and New York Voices, as well as originals by talented young writers in this genre.
A number of attempts have been made to codify the commonly found articulation and style used by most players. These codification efforts have been undertaken in order to make the music more accessible to students and young performers. The Music Publishers Association and organizations such as The National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC), the now disbanded International Association for Jazz Education, and the Jazz Education Network have made much progress in the standardization of jazz markings and articulations in today's published jazz material. Still, it must be remembered that because jazz has its roots in the aural tradition of African American culture, the printed page only approximates the ultimate sound. What happens in the actual performance is far more crucial than what is on the printed page.
provide useful tips and exercises for helping your students understand jazz articulation and style.
Jazz encompasses many styles from Dixieland to big band swing to bebop and fusion. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, by far, the most challenging style for both instrumentalists and vocalists to interpret is swing.
Much of today's printed jazz music in the swing style is based on performance practices established in the big band and bebop eras of the 1930's and 40's. In the swing styles of jazz what you see on the page is an approximation of the actual sounds when the music is performed. In Latin jazz styles, a long history of the close relationship between music and dance has guided the development of performance practices and stylistic nuances in this genre. It should be noted that jazz from its inception has always been a performer and arranger’s music rather than a composer's music. Thus, interpretations of style have varied from individual to individual and band to band throughout the course of the history of the music. This makes generalizations about stylistic performance even more challenging. Despite that challenge, there are a number of standard articulations and ways to interpret certain rhythm patterns that have been practiced by all of the great jazz performers and
bands.
The repertoire of charts for present-day instrumental school jazz ensembles often consists of vintage charts from the libraries of the Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Kenton bands, as well as arrangements of jazz standards and originals by a host of talented young composers and arrangers. While school vocal jazz ensembles have not been around for quite as long, the repertoire for these ensembles is populated with great arrangements of jazz classics, songs from great vocal groups such as Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross; Manhattan Transfer, the Hi-Los, and New York Voices, as well as originals by talented young writers in this genre.
A number of attempts have been made to codify the commonly found articulation and style used by most players. These codification efforts have been undertaken in order to make the music more accessible to students and young performers. The Music Publishers Association and organizations such as The National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC), the now disbanded International Association for Jazz Education, and the Jazz Education Network have made much progress in the standardization of jazz markings and articulations in today's published jazz material. Still, it must be remembered that because jazz has its roots in the aural tradition of African American culture, the printed page only approximates the ultimate sound. What happens in the actual performance is far more crucial than what is on the printed page.