Read an introduction to jazz in the culture section of the site.

SOLOISTS

As jazz reached larger audiences due to early recordings, it attracted a completely new legion of practitioners. Jazz music gained worldwide recognition in the 1920s before the depression and World War II took the bottom out of the music business. Though, for a short time, the breath of fresh air that jazz brought into the music scene made the 1920s roar.

With the huge jazz explosion of the 1920s came a completely new crop of talented musicians. A few great musicians or bandleaders gained international acclaim. However, it is doubtful whether any jazz player, past of present, was as famous as the incomparable Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) is often called the “father of jazz”. A trumpeter from New Orleans, Louis has often been cited for single-handedly bring critical attention to jazz music. Louis was also instrumental in the popularization of the role of jazz soloist. Louis is thought by many to be the ultimate jazz soloist. Considering his talent and many accolades, it becomes apparent that without Louis Armstrong, jazz would not be as musically rich as it is today.

Another aspect of jazz popularized but not monopolized by Louis Armstrong is the blues singer. The life-giving undercurrent of jazz has always been the blues. The same raw, mournful, heartfelt singing style of the black slaves gave rise to a completely new breed of powerful vocalists. A few of these bluesy songbirds are Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and of course Billie Holiday.

SWING BANDS

When you get a bunch of jazz musicians together, they will inevitably form a band. There have been a number of notable bands throughout the decades, but a small group of groundbreaking bands in the 1930s and 40s invented a danceable style of jazz known as “swing”.

One of the most famous of these swing bands was the Count Basie Band. The New Orleans pianist known affectionately as Count Basie founded his band in Kansas City of the mid-thirties. Basie’s band was known for its smooth swing style. The “smooth” came from the band’s renowned rhythm section. Comprised of Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on stand-up bass, Freddie Green on guitar, and Basie himself on piano, these four were famous for keeping a steady, laid-back, yet rock-solid rhythm for the band. The band was also home to one of jazz’s greatest saxophone players, Lester Young. Young, nicknamed “Prez”, is considered the first of the great saxophone soloists.

There were many other great bands around in the mid-thirties. The band that probably introduced the world to swing music was led by a clarinet player named Benny Goodman. This shows the difference between the public acceptance of white and black music. Even with the many outstanding black bands, it was not until white bandleaders like Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller entered the arena that the public accepted black jazz music.

BE-BOP

After World War II, the state of popular jazz music was dominated by big bands comprised of primarily white musician. Starting in the late 1940s and into the 50s, there was a movement of black musicians to reclaim the experimental inventiveness of jazz. This highly experimental stage of jazz development came to be known as Be-Bop.

Be-bop was characterized by small combos, syncopated rhythms, and very colorful personalities. Be-bop was home to a number of legendary musicians, such as Charlie “the bird” Parker who is known as on of the five great saxophonist in jazz. Some of the other famous Be-bop virtuosos were Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and even a young John Coltrane.

The main trend that separates Be-bop from other forms of jazz is the composition. Composition for Be-bop was an illogical departure from anything that came before it. Before, what was thought to be awkward or backwards was incorporated into the standard Be-bop form.