From the end of 19, jazz was based on traditional British and American music, and it was a product of "mixed blood", combining blues, ragtime and other music types.
African-American music retains many African characteristics, obvious rhythm characteristics and collective improvisation characteristics.
The combination of this tradition and the music (mainly vocal music) of the new residence not only produces a new sound, but also produces a brand-new musical expression.
The most famous African American music is religious music.
These beautiful and moving songs are also listened to by white people, but they are more fashionable than those sung in rural black churches.
The gospel music known today more accurately reflects the emotional strength and sense of melody of early African-Americans, rather than the religious inheritance of Fisk Jubilee singer's music in the first decade of the 20th century.
Other early musical forms, including labor songs, nursery rhymes and dance music dating back to slavery, have become important musical heritages, especially considering that musical activities were severely restricted under the system at that time.
The birth of Bruce
After the abolition of slavery and its liberation, African-American music developed rapidly.
The abandoned musical instruments of military bands and the newly acquired freedom of migration form the basis of jazz: brass music, dance music and blues.
As a form of music, blues seems simple, but in fact it can change almost infinitely. It has always been an important part of any kind of jazz and has successfully maintained its own independent existence.
It can be said that there would be no rock music today without blues.
Briefly explain the characteristics of the general blues: music composed of eight or twelve bars, with compact lyrics. The reason for its melancholy (blue) feature is that the "mi" sound and "si" sound in the scale are reduced by one and a half tones.
In fact, blues is a secular music form corresponding to religious music.
By the end of 1980s, brass bands, dance bands and concert bands appeared in most southern cities of the United States.
At the same time, black music in the northern United States tends to be European.
During this period, ragtime music began to take shape.
Although ragtime music is mainly played on the piano, some bands have begun to play it.
The golden age of Ragtime was probably from 1898 to 1908, but its time span was actually very large and its influence was endless.
In 2000, it was discovered again. The new ragtime is characterized by charming melody and extensive use of syncopation, but its blues factor has almost disappeared.
Ragtime is closely related to early jazz, but it is certain that the rhythm of Ragtime is relatively stable.
The most famous composer of ragtime music is scott Jopling (1868- 19 17).
Other famous Ragtime masters include James Scott, Louis Shawenke Yubi Blake (1883- 1983) and Joseph Lamb. Although the latter is white, he fully absorbed the connotation of this music form.
New Orleans played a key role in its birth and development.
Here, the early history of jazz has been studied and recorded more deeply than anywhere else.
During the period from 1895 to 19 17, New Orleans may have more and better jazz than other places, but this does not mean that New Orleans is the only place where jazz is produced.
The music produced by every southern American city with a considerable number of blacks should be regarded as an early jazz.
For example, W.C. Handy (1873-1958), a blues composer and collector, appeared in Memphis.
Other cities include Atlanta and Baltimore.
At that time, New Orleans stood out because of its very open and free social atmosphere.
People of different faiths and races can communicate with each other, so there are rich musical traditions in this easy-to-communicate environment, including French, Spanish, Irish and African.
In this way, it is not surprising that New Orleans has become a fertile ground for jazz.
If it is exaggerated to say that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, but it is still true, then it is totally nonsense to say that jazz was born in the red light district.
Although New Orleans does legalize prostitution, and as a result, it has produced some of the most exquisite and tasteful "gymnasiums" in the United States, the music played in these places, if any, is only piano solos.
In fact, people first heard jazz in a completely different place.
At that time, there were many societies and fraternity organizations in New Orleans, which was very striking. Most of them sponsored or hired a band to play in different occasions, such as indoor or outdoor dances, picnics, store opening ceremonies, birthdays or anniversary parties.
Of course, playing jazz is also a feature of the funeral procession, which is still the case today.
According to tradition, the band * * * played solemn marches and sad hymns at the church gate and led the funeral procession slowly to the cemetery.
On the way back, people's footsteps accelerated, and the elegy was replaced by brisk marches and ragtime dances.
This kind of parade always attracts many people to watch, which is of great significance in the development of jazz.
It was at this time that the trumpet player and clarinet player showed their creative talents, and the drummer also played a rhythmic beat, which became the basis for making the beat swing.
Generally speaking, jazz is two beats, two beats or four beats per bar.
This double-beat rhythm background always exists in the bass, which makes jazz have a stable and regular rhythm foundation.
Above the rhythmic bass, there are parts with irregular stress positions such as melody, harmony and counterpoint, and their syncopation effect is in sharp contrast with the regular bass parts.
In these early bands, most musicians were craftsmen (carpenters, bricklayers, tailors, etc.). ) or workers who perform music on weekends or holidays to earn a little money.
The first famous musician in New Orleans was Buddy Bolden (1877- 193 1), the first jazz musician. He was a barber.
1In the late 1990s, he played the cornet and formed a band.
He may be the first person to combine root and rough blues with traditional band music, which is of great significance in the history of jazz development.
Because of a psychotic episode, Bolden lived in a carnival performance and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital for stubborn patients.
It is said that he recorded records, but so far he can't prove it.
What we know about his music comes from the memories of other musicians who heard him play when they were young.
Bunk Johnson (1889-1949) played the second cornet in the last band in Bolden.
In the last ten years of his life, Bunk Johnson made great contributions to the revival of people's interest in classical jazz in New Orleans.
He is an outstanding storyteller with a colorful personality.
Most legends in New Orleans are related to him, but what he tells himself is basically exaggerated.
Many people, including some experienced jazz fans, think that early jazz musicians were self-taught geniuses, and that they didn't know music and didn't have a day of music lessons.
This statement is not only romantic, but a thousand miles away.
Almost all the important figures in early jazz have a solid foundation in orthodox music at least, and some of them have deep attainments.
Nevertheless, their innovative spirit in the use of musical instruments is still unique.
The most notable example is Joseph Oliver (1885- 1938), a cornet player and band leader.
He used all kinds of things he could find, including water cups, buckets filled with sand and plastic water plugs in the bathtub, to make his cornet play all kinds of timbre changes.
Freddie Cappade (1889- 1933) is Oliver's main competitor. Keppard does not use mute equipment, which makes him proud to be the brightest trumpeter in New Orleans.
Coppard was also the first New Orleans man to bring jazz to other parts of the United States. 19 15, he performed a vaudeville with the original Creole Orchestra in new york.
By about 19 12, the instruments of a typical jazz band include cornet (or trumpet), trombone, clarinet, guitar, double bass and drums.
Piano is seldom used because it is inconvenient to carry.
Jazz gives the impression that banjo and tuba stand out from the crowd. In fact, it took several years for jazz bands to start using it, because the early recording technology could not connect softer guitars and bass.
In the jazz band at that time, the trumpet was the lead singer, and the trombone echoed it in the bass area in a sliding way, and the clarinet played a decorative role in both.
The clarinet player is the earliest improviser in jazz, and Sidney Bochet (1897- 1959) is one of them.
He became a skilled musician before he was ten years old, and later he turned to playing tenor saxophone.
He was also the first jazz musician to become famous abroad.
He visited Britain and France in 19 19 and Moscow in 1927.
Most jazz musicians claim that their music has no other name except ragtime and syncopation.
Jazz was originally used by the band of thom browne, a white trombone player from New Orleans.
He used the word 19 15 in Chicago.
The origin of this word is unknown, and its original meaning has always been controversial.
The first band to use the word "jazz" and make it popular was also a white band, which also came from New Orleans and was the "earliest Dixieland jazz band".
This band achieved great success in 19 17, 19 18. They were more or less the first jazz band to record.
Most members of this band have worked in the band of "Dad" Jack Lane (1873- 1966).
Jack Ryan is a drummer and is considered to be the first white jazz musician.
In any case, the characteristics of music fusion in New Orleans are obvious.
Some African-Americans who are not too dark have "mixed in" with white bands.
By 19 17, many important jazz musicians left New Orleans for the north, including whites and blacks.
The reason is not to close the notorious red light district in New Orleans, but only economic reasons.
The European war made American industry flourish, and these musicians, like millions of workers, flocked to the north, where they guaranteed better jobs.
When Oliver invited Armstrong to join his band in Chicago, Riruge became the new world jazz center.
Although new york is a place where the Original Dixieland Jazz Orchestra (ODJB) has achieved great success, and the atmosphere of dancing to music caused by them is a fashion, new york's band seems to have just inherited ODJB's acrobatic style, but failed to learn its musical essence.
They just imitated (the first and most successful one was Ted Lewis).
At that time, there were few southern musicians in new york, which could not bring the pure style of New Orleans.
But things are different in Chicago, where there are many musicians from New Orleans.
Prohibition has just been lifted, and the nightlife in this city is rich and colorful.
King Joseph Oliver's Creole Jazz Band is much better than other bands here, especially after louis armstrong 1922 came to Chicago.
This band represents the last glory of the classical jazz ensemble style in New Orleans, and also indicates the beginning of a new style.
In addition to these two trumpeters, other stars in the orchestra include the Dodds brothers, namely clarinetist Johnny Dodds (1892- 1940) and drummer Baby Dodds (1898- 1959).
Baby Dodds has raised the exquisiteness and internal motivation of jazz drum rhythm to a new height. Together with another New Orleans-born drummer, Zutty Singleton (1897-1975), he brought the concept of "swing" to jazz drum performance.
But the "missionary" of swing music is undoubtedly louis armstrong.
The first jazz record
Creole jazz band began to make records in 1923. Although this is not the first black band in New Orleans to set a record, it is the best.
Their records are widely distributed all over the country, and the influence of the orchestra on other musicians is also great.
Two years ago, the trombone Kid ory (1886-1973) became the first band to make jazz records, but they did it in a humble California company, which soon went bankrupt, so their records were rarely heard.
Also on 1923, the white band "King of the Rhythm in New Orleans", which is active in Chicago, started recording.
This band is far more complicated musically than the original Dixieland Jazz Band.
In a recording, they invited Ferdinand Morton, a famous pianist and composer from New Orleans, nicknamed "Jelly Roll".
In the same year, Ferdinand Morton also began to record his own records.