Jazz Music Research Paper

Jazz started out as music art transmitted by ear over the course of many generations dating back to the Civil War. It began as the blues, which started when slaves in plantations would sing about their experiences using it as a way of communication since plantation owners could not discern any kind of communication within the lyrics. The blues is composed of a one-four-five chordal structure containing a major melody line known as the head, followed by a bridge that leads to choruses of improvisation followed finally by an ending. From these early roots, this tradition would go on through a transformation all the way forward to modern times. This could not have happened if it was not for an individual named Count Basie. Count Basie made this form of music popular for the general public, which had not happened before this because of the principles of segregation that made large segments of the population unwilling to listen. Some of the famous players in his big band included Lester Young, and Buck Clayton. …show more content…
In New Orleans, it would become known as “Dixieland” jazz music. General instrumentation in these ensembles of Dixieland music was simple, consisting of rhythm section(drums, piano, etc.), clarinet and trombone early on. Some of the songs that came during this era include “When the Saints go Marching in”, and “Basin Street Blues”. This style of music combines earlier brass band marches, ragtime, and blues with improvisation. The other place jazz would soon travel after New Orleans is Chicago. Here, there was an expansion of the bules and the beginning of jazz dance music. This era of music was the precursor of the Rock and Roll era, where a major focus of their style centered around playing more power chords and ignoring the third of each given chord. Notable artists of the era would include Nat King Cole, Gene Ammons, and Benny