Expanding definition and diversity of “jazz”

Conflict of values
Dominance of instrumentalists over vocalists
Fusion jazz; focus on rhythm section
Benefit to instrument companies
Smooth jazz – most financially successful, also
most controversial
George Benson and Grover Washington
Two camps- R&B fans vs. bebop/swing fans
Wynton (trumpet) and brother Branford (sax)
Stubbornly protected jazz’s essential elements
Rejection of smooth and contemporary jazz
Stanley Crouch, critic and jazz drummer
Jazz as “America’s Classical Music”
“Legitimate jazz must be based on blues sounds
and swing rhythm”
Attempt to re-elevate as art form
Marsalis today’s chief spokesman for jazz
New Orleans musical family
Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers 1980
Credited with raising the standard for jazz
trumpet technique- at age 18!
Two Grammys in 1983; two more in 1984
Post-bop influence in early albums
“Autumn Leaves” from Standard Time, Vol. 1
(1987) p. 379 listen on Napster
Metric modulation
New Orleans brass band sounds
Blood on the Fields 1997 jazz oratorio
Only jazz composition to receive Pulitzer Prize
“Soul for Sale” (p. 380) live performance
Young Lions built on Wynton’s historicism
Warmth of acoustic instruments and depth of
rhythm inherent in swing
“burn out”, modal chord changes
Dropping bombs, polyrhythms
“2 Down and 1 Across” 1997 (p. 381) live
performance
M-Base Collective began 1985
Way of thinking about music
Draws from bebop, funk, free jazz with odd meters
Gestural melodies
Electric bass guitar and R&B drum timbres
“Anatomy of a Groove” 1993 full album
Cassandra Wilson- vocalist with M-Base
One of the most recognizable singers of generation
Low range with smoky rustic tone
Successful solo singing career in 1990s
Miles Davis (is still here!)
Collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller
Kept sound in line with teenage generation
Incorporated hip-hop in last album, released 1992
Acid jazz: classic jazz with techno dance
Started with London club DJs “Cantaloop” 1993
Jam bands
Jazz/rock fusion with long vamps, much improv.
Medeski Martin and Wood (MMW) trio
Acoustic bass, Hammond Organ, unprocessed drum
“Southern Pacific” 1997 (listen on Napster)
Pat Metheny- guitarist – early success as sideman
Later records blend intensity of guitar solo with
Brazilian rhythms, percussion, pop harmonies and
melodies often doubled with wordless vocals.
“Have you Heard” 1993 (p. 386) live performance

Michael Brecker- tenor sax, inspired by Coltrane

Technical stunts: altissimo and multiphonics
Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI)
“Original Rays” 1987 live performance 1989
“Delta City Blues” 1997 live performance 1998
Jazz became international in 1918
Sidney Bechet in London
Glocalization: local culture absorbs American
jazz style, adapting to its own practices
Dates to 1922 in China, India, Paris
Globalization became trend during fusion era
Zawinul Syndicate
Now, countless examples (Belgian harmonica!)
Latin Jazz most fruitful example with salsa,
bossa nova
Craze for Cuban music began in the 1930s
Rumba most popular in 30s, mambo in 40s
Gillespie and Kenton’s first experiments in mid 40s
Descarga: Latin jam session
Clave and montuno rhythmic patterns
There is much more to say about Latin jazz, so I
leave you with “The Peanut Vendor” 1927
Moises Simons; best selling Cuban song of all time
Often quoted by jazz musicians in improv
Live performance at MSJC Menifee
Congratulations on being such an awesome class

Good luck on the final!