Jazz

Jazz as a genre can be seen as very broad. Originally categorized in the 1900’s, it was seen as a "distinct expressive culture", one that expressed the anguish of enslavement during that era. Noted for it’s African-American heritage, it is very difficult to define but much easier to identify. Characteristics that are prevalent through each of it’s sub-genre’s that could be an indication of it’s categorization would be improvisation. It is an important key element that labels a tune or composition as a jazz inspired piece. Though race was originally seen as an indication of a lyrical jazz piece, over a spanned period of time, as the genre began to broaden so did it's the influence on other cultures. Jazz as a whole can be seen as an expression of thought and emotion. To be rooted up from backgrounds spanning over hundreds of years, it has been well known to convey the inner turmoils that frenzied the era of it's time.

As the genre evolved, the music split into a number of different styles, from fast-paced hard-pumping rhythms of bebop to laid-back and calm mellows of cool jazz to even the earthy harmonics of soul jazz. What linked these all together was the foundation of the blues. A musical form that depended on group interactions and unpredictable improvisations. A broader definition that encompasses all of the different eras of jazz has been proposed by Travis Jackson: he states that "it is music that includes qualities such as swing, improvising, group interaction, developing an 'individual voice', and being open to different musical possibilities .”

Origins and History
Originating from the South, specifically New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 1800's Jazz was derived from Blues. An evolution of hymns, work songs and field hollering that were used to accompany spiritual, work and social functions. It soon become popularized in the 1900's where improvisation, the most defining feature of jazz, was born. Jazz musicians play from printed music and they improvised solo. As the culture expanded so did the demand for faster paced- high pressure souls of sound. Swing was born around the mid- 1930's to compensate the change. One explanation for swing music’s popularity was that its driving intensity and abandon represented pleasure and freedom in a time when the country was steeped in hard times. The Great Depression caused Americans to suffer, and dancing to swing music was a way for people to forget their worries. During the 1930s, swing came to symbolize joy and ease, the weight of which was reflected in Duke Ellington’s piece, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

World War II brought an end to the heyday of swing. Big bands began to shrivel, as musicians were sent overseas to fight. For this reason, the 1940s saw a surge in smaller ensembles. Smaller groups meant that the focus shifted from intricate arrangements to improvisation and group interaction. This notion of modern Jazz, was noted as "Bebop". Many aspects of swing were imported, including the triplet-based swingfeel and the lyrically rich emotions that characterized the blues.

1920's & 1930's: Jazz Age
As it was the prohibition era in the United States, society inevitably gravitated towards music and dance as a form of expression. "African Americans began migrating to northern cities like Chicago and New York in search of better opportunity. With them, they brought the sounds of jazz and blues." Jazz music, derived from African American culture, was expanding and modernizing towards White Americans, particularly the middle class, who made it socially acceptable following Prohibition.

Novels and Books

 * The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
 * Jazz by Toni Morrison
 * Oh, Play That Thing by Roddy Doyle
 * The Blue Moment by Richard Williams

Plays and Films

 * Cabin in the Sky (Film) directed by Vincente Minelli


 * Mo better Blues (Film) directed by Spike Lee


 * Lady Sings the Blues (Film) directed by Sydney J. Furie

Characteristics & Customs
Though Jazz may be seen as a category that cannot be easily described, it does have it's components and qualites that do serve to define it as such. Aspects such as improvisation, and certain instruments used within a group setting, can be used as classifications of Jazz.

Instruments
Jazz and improvised music can be performed in groups made up of virtually any combination and number of instruments. Traditionally, however, big bands and small ensembles feature a small group of the family of instruments. Equipment such as the saxophone, piano, clarinet, and trumpet could be used as indicators of a Jazz ensemble.

Clarinet
In early jazz styles through the era of swing music, the clarinet was one of the most prominent instruments in jazz. Today the clarinet is not as common in jazz, but when it is included it gets special attention because of its warm, round tone. " The clarinet can be made of wood or plastic, and its tone is produced when the reed on the mouthpiece vibrates." Many jazz saxophonists also play clarinet, because of the many similarities between the two instruments.

Saxophone
The saxophone is one of the most vibrant instruments in jazz. The flexible, voice-like tone of the saxophone has made it a prominent jazz instrument since almost the very beginning of jazz. "A member of the woodwind family, the saxophone is actually made out of brass. Its tone is created by blowing into the mouthpiece, on which a reed made out of cane vibrates." The saxophone is an instrument which can only play one note at a time.

Trumpet
The trumpet is the instrument perhaps most widely associated with jazz, partly because it was played by the iconic Louis Armstrong. "The trumpet is a brass instrument, which means both that it is made of brass, and also that its tone is created when the lips are buzzed in its mouthpiece. Pitches are changed by changing the shape of the lips, and by fingering its three valves." The trumpet's brilliant tone has made it an essential part of the jazz ensemble from early jazz through contemporary styles.