Jazzin' 'bout Jazz

Well, after one and a half months of "jazzin'" 'bout all kinds of stuff, I think it's time to serve up some real JAZZ.

So, just what is Jazz?

"Jazz is an Artform. Jazz is a musical form of expression. Jazz is about listening. Jazz is about hearing. (Yes, there can sometimes be a big difference between listening and hearing.) Jazz is about feeling. Jazz is about seeing, Jazz is about experiencing. Jazz is mood altering. Jazz can be inspiring. Jazz can be uplifting. Jazz can be motivational. Jazz is an escape. Jazz can quicken your pulse or it can totally relax you. Jazz can be romantic. Jazz can be funny. Jazz can be sad. Jazz can be fiery. Jazz can be disturbing. Jazz can take you on a journey of the mind. Jazz can take you on a journey of the spirit. Jazz can speak to your soul. Jazz is a memory recalled, and Jazz can be anything you want it to be."

"For someone wanting to truly understand Jazz, it is important to note that this is what the Jazz musician continually strives to achieve. The experience of being in the moment; being swept away, losing all track of time and space; or going with the flow; is the place where all Jazz musicians work towards.

When a musician plays Jazz, particularly while soloing, they do not think of categorizing the content of their musical offering. Instead, they fully invest themselves into responding to the song as it is taking place, making a statement based on some aspect of the melody, chords, or rhythm. They work toward allowing the music they are playing to take them on a journey that is timeless and without defined parameters."

Excerpts from "The Beginner's Guide to Understanding Jazz"
www.thedanbodanisband.com
Copyright © 2004 Dan Bodanis


"Jazz is not the result of choosing a tune, but an ideal that is created first in the mind, inspired by one's passion, and willed next in playing music. Its unique expression draws from life experience and human emotion as the inspiration of the creative force, and through this discourse is chronicled the history of a people."

A Passion for Jazz!™ © 1998-2007


As you can see, Jazz cannot be easily described in one short sentence. It is also a very tricky subject to learn and teach. The best way to do that, is to do a great deal of listening. Listening to what? Well, listening to the different Jazz styles and picking the ones that appeal to you. There's:

• Early/Traditional (Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman)
• Big Band/Swing (Stan Getz, Errol Gardner, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson)
• Bebop (George Benson, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins)
• Hardbop (Art Blakely, Clifford Brown, Ron Carter, Sonny Clark)
  
• Cool (Dave Brubeck, Gil Evans, Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan)
• Smooth (Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Martin Taylor)
• Fusion (Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Branford Marsalis, Horace Silver)
• Free/Avant Garde (John Coltrane, Carla Bley, Charles Mingus)
• Vocal (Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra)
  

Plus, having a passion for it makes all the difference.


Henrik Eriksson in his (excellent) blog (http://swingjazzblues.blogspot.com) puts it as...

"Often Jazz improvisation is similar to a good conversation. You both take turns talking and listening. You say your next sentence built on what the other person just said. Reacting but also adding new angles and introducing new topics.

Sometimes the conversation can get a little bit heated and turn into a dispute. This is shown excellently by "weepingprophet" in this video clip where he illustrates a Jazz dispute between Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) and Charlie "Bird" Parker (sax).

The music in this video clip is "Leap Frog" from the album Bird and Diz."

He cleverly illustrates Jazz improvisation in a visually hilarious but effective way.





Hope you enjoyed the video and understood a little bit more about Jazz. I leave you with this...

--- Jazz quote of the day ---

"Life is a lot like Jazz. . . it’s best when you improvise. . ."
George Gerswhin