Jazz 7 - Lecture notes 7 PDF

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HARD BOP -50s saw small group movement of the bebop era take hold and become the standard size for jazz groups -cool style jazz become quite popular as did a new offshoot of bebop tradition known as Hard Bop -in addition to small group explosion, renewed interest in some big bands including established bands led by Ellington, Basie, along with newer bands led by Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and others -large number of very good jaz musicians on the scene-all of whom were excellent improvisers in addition to being outstanding musicians on a given instrument -some musicians drawn to cool jazz sound, others worked in the big bands and others became involved with hard bop sound 0many jazz musicians would participate in more than one of the various jazz styles of the day, an indication of the continued development of the typical modern jazz musician, an artist well-versed in many musical styles and improvisational skills, allowing him/her to perform in a variety of musical settings -bebop style small group became the standard hard bop instrumentation: piano, bass, drums, trumpet, and sax -Trombone would be added for a three-horn sound in many groups, but the small band concept would rule -emphasis on arrangements became more important and improvised solos would become longer and more involved -b/c of change in recording technology, musicians were no longer limited to 3-minute recordings, and could now record longer works -recordings from this period are more like live performances with soloists taking a few minutes to build their improvisations and arrangers having a chance to write introductions and interludes within a composition -group interaction takes another step forward during this period as soloists and rhythm sections play to this day -another sub-style within the hard bop style was known as “funky” style (the first use of the word “funky” in music) -very earthy, blues, and gospel based style of jazz which utilized piano riffs, repeated bluesy figures and a driving repetitive drum beat -improvisations in this style were also “bluesy” and tended to shy away from bebop style lines and devices, relying on more vocal styled, blues influenced material HARD BOP CHARACTERISTICS: -Standard small group- trumpet, sax, bass, drums, piano -influence of blues and gospel music -arranging becomes more important in this style -more original compositions, often with challenging chord progression and non-standard forms -simpler melodies than bebop

Greater use of minor keys for original compositions -generally slower tempos than bebop -hard driving rhythmic feel -dominated by black musicians -some hard bop music was danceable and popular sounding -some hard bop music displayed Latin influences ART BLAKEY, HORACE SILER AND THE JAZZ MESSENGERS-drummer Art Blakley (1919-1990) and pianist Horace Silver (b. 1928) started a group known as the Jazz Messengers in 1953 ART BLAKLEY -veteran of the Billy Eckstine Band and had played with Parker, Gillespie, and Monk -drumming style was also influenced by his study of African drumming concepts, which he modified for the drum set -used techniques such as: an increased use of the tom toms (pitched drums mounted over the bass drum), changing pitch by pressuring the drum head with his elbow while playing the drum with the other hand, playing on the wooden side of the drum with the stick to create rhythmic patterns and a generally aggressive and heavy style of playing Horace Silver -influenced by jazz, gospel and blues music, and the folk music of Cape Verde, an island off the coast of West Africa where his father was born -Silver was especially interested in the music of Theolonius Monk and Bud Powell, providing him a solid bebop base of knowledge -in the early 1950’s Horace Silver worked in NY with such jazz artists as Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young -Silver began recording for Blue Note Records in 1952 as association that lasted the next 28 years -piano style was based in bebop, but also showed the influence of boogie-woogie, blues and Latin styles of music -bluesy and rhythmic style featured short, catchy, melodic phrases that were similar to the right hand riffs found in the boogie-woogie piano style -contributions as a composer are some of the most important in jazz -wrote hundreds of tunes for his groups, many of his recordings feature his music exclusively -variety of styles found in his compositions reflect the many concepts explored in the Hard Bop genre including blues and gospel based tunes, harmonically challenging, up tempo tunes, Latin influenced tunes and original ballads (slow tunes) Jazz Messengers -first album featured Horace Silver compositions and other works for a band that included sax Hank Mobley and trumpeter Kenny Dorham

-in 1956 Silver left Blakey to form his own group, the Horace Silver Quintet, a group that would record and perform actively for the next 40 years -Horace Silver Quintet group and the Jazz Messengers would become known as the groups which featured the best young talent in jazz, many of the alumni of these groups went on to become very important figures in jazz music -trumpet players who came through Silver’s group and the jazz messengers form a “who’s who” list of jazz trumpet players from the 50s-80s -sax and pianists from these groups of the 50s also become some of the most important figures in the 60s jazz scene -many of the jazz greats of the last half of the 20th century played with Silver of Blakey, or both, during their career Silver/ Jazz Messenger Alumni List Trumpet: Clifford Brown Kenny Dorham Lee Morgan Freddie Hubbard Donald Byrd Blue Mitchell Woody Shaw Randy Brecker Wynton Marsalis Sax: Hank Mobley Lou Donaldson Benny Golson Jackey McClean Johnnie Griffen Junior Cook Wayne Shorter Michael Brecker Brandford Marsalis Piano: Bobby Timmons Cedar Walton Keith Jarrett James Williams -Blakey continued to lead the Jazz messengers until his death in 1990 -group made hundreds of recordings and maintained an active performance schedule throughout his career -group changed personnel regularly, but always maintained a consistent hard bop sound -Blakey would encourage his musicians to write for the band and challenge them to extend their improvisations

-jazz messengers become known to musicians as the “School of Hard Bop” (a play on the phrase “School of Hard Knocks” as Blakey was known to be a demanding taskmaster) -some of the important composers got their start in the messengers, including Silver, Golson, and Shorter “Moanin” –Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers -classic cut written by pianist Bobby Timmons is an excellent example of the “funky” style of Hard Bop Jazz -using “call and response” technique found in gospel music and bluesy melodic ideas over a groove oriented “shuffle” beat, “Moanin” became one of the most popular tunes of this period -beat used in “Moanin” became such a trademark of Blakey’s drumming style that it became known as a “Blakey Shuffle” -sax Benny Golson and trumpeter Lee Morgan are featured, both going on to become a very important contributors to the hard bop era of jazz “Song for my Father” –Horace Silver Quintet -another classic, shows Silver’s interest in Latin music influences and his bluesy, riff styled piano playing -featured sax Joe Henderson, one of the greatest sax of the day, known for compositions Clifford Brown/ Max Roach/ Sonny Rollins Quintet-drummer Blakey (1919-1990) and pianist CLIFFORD BROWN -young trumpet sensation that made a splash on the jazz scene with Art Blakey’s jazz messengers in 1956 -toured with Lionel Hampton’s band the year before and had played with Tadd Dameron as well, but it was his messengers debut which made his presence known to the jazz world -after his stint with Blakey, Borwn teamed with veteran brother Richie on piano, George Morrow on bass and Harold Land on tenor sax -Land was replaced by Sonny Rollins in 1955 when the group became based in NY, establishing one of the most highly regarded had bop groups in jazz history -recordings made from 1956-1958 are an important part of the jazz legacy and helped to define the hard bop style -music features interesting arrangements, an emphasis on introductions and endings, and outstanding improvisations -Roach, Brown and Rollins are three of the greatest soloists in the history of jazz and their performances in this group represent some of their best work -became the most widely admired trumpeter of his generation, and is considered to be the next great trumpeter after Gillespie and Davis -ability to play long, well-designed improvised lines with a seemingly flawless technique, relaxed feel and warm sound, influenced all of the trumpet players to follow him

-wrote a number of compositions that are an important part of the jazz literature and are still played today -died tragic death at 36 in car accident, along with Richie Powell and Brown’s wife, Nancy -lost great musician in the prime of his career -influence as a clean living, responsible and good man was important to the new generation of jazz musicians _Rollins said “showed me that it was possible to live a good, clean life and still be a good jazz musician” “Cherokee” –Clifford Brown -cut showcases one of the most influential jazz trumpet soloists of all time, Clifford Brown -characteristic warm, full sound, well constructed and effortless sounding improvised lines and creative genius -also heard on this cut a solo from drum master Max Roach, known as the most creative drum soloists of the era SONNY ROLLINS – 1930 -grew up in Harlem, and was part of the jazz scene from a young age -high school band included other “jazz greats-to-be” Kenny Drew and Jackie McLean -in late 40s and early 50s he played and recorded with many of the significant jazz musicians of the day, including Parker, Powell, Fats Navarro, Roy Haynes, Thelonius Monk, and Miles Davis -recordings with Clifford Brown/ Max Roach/ Sonny Rollins Quintet from 1955-1956 are some of the classic Rollins solos -another recording he made in 1956 called Saxophone Colossus established Rollins as the premier tenor sax of the day, winning the 1957 Down Beat poll as new star of the tenor sax -“Blue Seven” (from a Sax Colossus) is often cited as being one of the greatest improvised solos in jazz history -shows the amazing creativity and use of the compositional techniques- such as theme and development and recapitulation – all while building and crafting a long solo which, although spontaneously improvised on that day in 1956, remains a musical marvel which is studied and analyzed to this day -theme and development- taking a short idea and developing it melodically -recapitulation- returning to themese which were presented earlier in the solo

“Blue Seven” –Sonny Rollins -from important album Saxophone Colossus, Blue Seven has been called one of the greatest improvised solos ever recorded -Rollins displays compositional techniques such as “theme and development” and “recapitulation” in his improvisation which is so well crafted that musicians study and analyze the solo -Rollins took a “sabbatical” from public performances in 1959-1961, when he spent long days practicing and working on his craft -spent many evenings practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan, a story that has become part of jazz legend -Rollins album called The Bridge with guitarist Jim Hall furthered the legend, and is one of the greatest recordings of the day CANNONBALL -Julian “cannonball” Adderley made his debut in NY in 1955, and played with the Miles Davis group from 1957-1959, participating in the legendary “Kind of Blue” recording among other Davis classics -1959 Adderley formed his quintet, with his brother Nat on cornet and pianist Bobby Timmons, a Jazz Messenger alumnus and composer of many “funky” style hard bop tunes -group made a live recording at the Jazz Workshop nightclub in San Fransico which found immediate success, as people responded positively to the bluesy, “funky” styled tunes and Cannonballs energetic style of playing -leader of the “funky” style, later becoming known as “Soul Jazz” cannonballs group utilized gospel and blues influences in their music and established a following which included a popular audience outside of the traditional jazz fan base -early 60s this group reflected the movement to reach back to African American Roots -active in Civil Rights arena, playing music at Jessie Jackson’s Project Hope rallies in Chicago and recording such titles as “Stand Tall” and Nat’s “Work Song” -Bobby Timmons, Nat Adderley and later Joe Zawinul composed many compositions that created the bluesy, gospel sound associated with the group “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” –Cannonball Adderley sextet -60s live recording displayed the “funky” hard bop or soul jazz sound which cannonball’s group was famous for -Joe Zawinul composition displays the gospel/soul music influence that would lead to experiments in Fusion Jazz -one of the sounds that crossed over from rhythm and blues to jazz was that of the Hammond B3 organ -Jimmy Smith became known as a master of that instrument and a leader of the organ tri style of jazz -organ tri features drums, guitar, and the organist who plays bass lines with his elft hand while “comping” or soloing with his right hand

-guitarist “comps” during organ solos and plays melodies and improvisations -sound became a standard jazz genre, and Jimmy Smith Trio its best-known practitioner -at times Smith added horns to the group, and helped to establish the career of sax Stanley Turrentine with a 1958 recording entitled “Back at the Chicken Shack” -known for his “down home” blues compositions and improvisations, Smith could also play at extremely fast tempos and improvise over complex harmonies -having roots in the rhythm and blues tradition and the jazz tradition made him a popular artist in the 50s and 60s and led to a very successful career WES MONTGOMERY 1923-1968 -born in Indianapolis -self taught guitarist who played jazz clubs at night after working a factory job all day to support his family -influenced early in his career by Charlie Christian, Montgomery spent a year learning most of Christian’s solos -played with Lionel Hampton for a short while and recorded with his brother, Monk Montgomery’s west coast band on accasion, but it was not until Cannonball Adderley heard him in 1959 and recommended Wed to Riverside Records that the rest of the jazz world became aware of his great talent -Montgomery’s Riverside recordings were an instant hit on the jazz scene and included original compositions as “West Coast Blues” that established him as an important jazz composer as well -developed a unique style of playing with his thumb, instead of a pick, which gave him a rich, warm sound -also liked to improvise solos in octaves, a sound many guitarists of every style of music now play that is forever associated with Wes style -also played his guitar in a “block chord” style, a technique usually associated with pianists -octave- interval of two notes, which sounds the “same” note higher or lower than the original, for instance, playing “middle C” and “high C” together on the piano -“block chord” style- sound in which the melody note is played as the top note of a chord, and the chords move with each melody note to the rhythm of the melody -became the best-known and respected jazz guitarist of his generation, winning Down Beat polls as “Best Guitarist” for a nmmber of years -recordings include some of the first attempts by 1960s record companies to popularize the “jazz Sound” using strings and playing pop tunes of the day -recordings became successful commercially, and brought on soeme criticism from jazz purists -played creative, thoughtful improvisations on these tunes, and much like Armstrong, often made great music from not so great popular tunes

-despite any jazz controversy about how “pure{ these recordings were, his jazz legacy is assured, as he is the best-known and imitated jazz guitarist in history -improvisations, innovations in jazz guitar performance practices and compositions establish him as one of the most important musicians in jazz, despite an early death from a heart attack in 1968 “Four on Six” –Wes Montgomery -most influential jazz guitarist in jazz -compositions, swinging time feel, tasteful improvisations and guitar innovations such as playing in octaves, using his thumb instead of a pick and using block chord style techniques influenced every jazz guitarist that followed him and many commercial guitarists as well JOHN COLTRANE -sax -became well-known in jazz circles when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955 -recordings and performances with that band catapulted him into stardom -Coltrane became known and respected for his adventurous improvisations and insatiable appetite for exploring new musical ideas -with Miles, Coltrane recorded some albums in his own name that have become some of the most important recordings in jazz history -album Blue Train featured his compositions, such as “Moments Notice” a complex harmonic progression at a fast tempo requiring a high level of improvisational mastery -next recording titled “Giant Steps” continued his exploration into new complex harmonic progressions played a fast tempos, challenging the improviser to think and create at the highest level -composition “Giant Steps” has become a “right of passage” tune for all aspiring jazz musicians. A test of skill that requires countless hours of practice and preparation in order to perform -one of Coltrane’s great legacies, he intense practice regimen and tireless study of music, the never-ending personal challenge to get better and achieve more -many stories about Coltrane’s practice schedult, including live performances where he would practice during the intermission after just getting through playing a 45 minute solo! -level of commitment and dedication resulted in John Coltrane becoming perhaps the greatest improviser in jazz history, certainly one of the most influential -his explorations into complex, harmonic material was followed by an intense study of modal improvisation, inspired by his participation on the Miles Davis Kind of Blue recording -continued to explore improvisational techniques, developed his mastery of the tenor sax to new levels, began playing soprano sax, and wrote numerous compositions that are an important par t of the jazz repertoire “Giant Steps” -John Coltrane -composition that John Coltrane wrote to explore non-traditional harmonic relationships

-practicing diligently to improve his ability to improvise in many different harmonic situations and devised this progression of chords which move by the interval of a major third, after exhausting years of practice over harmonic movements of a half step, whole step, etc. -“Giant Step” of a major third is not used very often in the harmonic language of American music, but Coltrane found a way to compose music that sounded good using this harmonic motion -Coltrane had developed extensive practice routines using this chord progression, which is obvious on this recording in the way he improvises though this unusual chord progression at such a fast tempo -other soloists on the recording are not able to improvise as well on “Giant steps” in part because the harmonic concept was new to them MILES DAVIS -1950s began his career as a leader, continued till death in 1991 -in addition to his personal trumpet style and thoughtful improvisations, it is Davis’ insightful vision as a leader of important groups throughout the 50s and 60s which establish him as one of the most important jazz musicians of the century -his Birth of the Cool recordings show an interest in exploring new sounds, and in collaborating with other musicians to discover new directions -exploratory sense would become the trademark of Miles’ music and would keep him at the cutting edge of new developments in jazz for the next 40 years -after birth of the cool group experiment, Miles recorded a number of different projects, including groups with 4-5 horns with music written by Davis and JJ Johnson, and a traditional quintet with sax Sonny Rollins that featured Davis and Rollins compositions along with jazz “standards” (tunes taken from jazz repertoire of favorite songs) -Davis became known for his personal renditions of “standards” and his lyrical melodic improvisations ...