Text: Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 7:36:43 -0700 From: "Michael Riversong" To: svpvril@yahoogroups.com Jazz is a fascinating study in itself. There are so many genres within the field, that it quickly becomes a lifetime work. Its root lies in the forced Americanization of African people. They had to cope with a totally unreasonable situation, and so worked out the basic rules under great duress. Some of the basic rules of jazz include free use of the Blues form, which is actually descended from the ancient African village storytelling formats. Other basic rules include improvisation within the melodic structure, harmony among certain instruments, and a characteristic rhythmic background. Its beginnings were not recorded at all. Sound recording began with Edison in the late 1890s, i believe. Like the majority of Americans at that time, he was totally disinterested in anything Black people did. The first jazz recording, which I have in our collection, wasn't made until 1917, and was a White band. I don't know of any jazz recordings by Black musicians until around 1921, which would be around 30 years after the beginning of jazz. As we all know, jazz has split up into several subcategories, some of which bear no resemblance at all to the original patterns of the music. For future reference, since this will probably be edited and saved somewhere on my web site, here are some comments on the subcategories. Big Band This is the type of jazz which enjoyed the most popularity for the longest time. Its peak years were from about 1921 through 1949. Fletcher Henderson is generally regarded as the first successful Big Band leader. Other notable leaders were Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller. This music appears to stimulate creativity and cooperation simultaneously. We can be fairly certain that the inspiration from this music was a large factor in our winning World War II. Jazz was thoroughly prohibited under the Nazi government. German military units had to wait for parts which precisely fit their machines and weapons -- no creativity could be allowed. American units literally repaired everything with bits of wire and metal that we found, and thus could keep moving. Note how after the war, the music suddenly fell off in popularity. This was due to a number of factors, including a recording strike by mus! icians, but it's probable that a lot of people had to disassociate themselves from the traumas of the war, and ditching the predominant music was one part of that. BeBop After the war, a small number of intellectuals began to appreciate this form. It sounds fairly chaotic to most people. Many of the musicians, particularly the greatest innovator, Charlie Parker, lived short, intense, drug-addled lives. This was an obvious response to increasing cacophany as American society went into a consumerist "high gear". Easy Listening This is not strictly considered a form of jazz. But it had origins in a blend of jazz and classical music principles. Debussy developed a certain characteristic of creating chords that instantly resolved, creating a sense of satisfaction without effort. This characteristic was picked up by Big Band leaders Paul Whiteman and Guy Lombardo, who attained great popularity in their time and are almost forgotten today. A parallel movement developed in England, under leaders such as Ted Heath and Frank Chacksfield. This music grew in popularity until by the mid-1950's it was played literally everywhere in America as a background. Then, in the 1980's, it passed away almost unnoticed. Modern The intense consumerism of the 1950's generated a need for relaxation. For the majority of Americans, "easy listening" music was most used for that purpose. However, intellectuals needed more stimulation, so a significant minority began appreciating jazz done by small combos. Some former Big Band leaders, such as Artie Shaw, formed small groups and recorded extensively. Other groups, such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, emerged at the time. This music deserves more appreciation, as it can provide a good balance of relaxation and intellectual stimulation, in some ways similar to Classical music. (Incidentally, noted producer Quincy Jones originated in this field.) Fusion In the 60's and 1970's, serious conflicts arose in America. Also, the country had reached a critical point of about 20 years after electric wiring became universal. This combination of factors made all musical forms branch out into more intense characteristics. Fusion, which was created mainly by noted wife-beater Miles Davis and also his protege Herbie Hancock, brought that intensity into a combination with jazz principles. This is now the dominant form of jazz in America, which would be almost unrecognizable to anyone who knew only the earlier forms of the music. Acid From Fusion, there has developed a more relaxed style within the past five years. At the moment, this genre is known to only a small number of people. It is programmed on DMX and can be found within the MP3.com site. Its rules are still being worked out. This is now the forefront of innovation within jazz. Jazz music has been a tremendous influence on the whole world. Its history parallels the development of our modern society. Thus, jazz embodies both the good and bad points of our society.

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