According to the American heritage dictionary Jazz is ‘A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic under structure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom’. Jazz music originated with the southern black Americans in the 19th century. It mostly comprised of heavily accented rhythms, rubato, individualized melodic variations and the unusual tone on the trumpet.
Jazz style of fusion was named after the blending of rock and jazz music the singers of jazz music were exempted from the ban since they were not members of the federation. Many musicians found this genre of music to be very enticing though the rhythm bases of the two styles were not compatible. A number of masterpieces were created from the fusion of jazz and rock by Habbi Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, and the band steps
The world war two made jazz music to go under a period of struggle as the government imposed a 20 percent entertainment tax which resulted in the closure of all ballrooms in the country amid night curfews and blackouts. In 1942, the American federation of musicians ordered a recording ban on all its members; however the recording ban had an indirect impact on jazz
Louis Armstrong is considered as a person who taught the world to swing and is one of the most important impoverishers in jazz. He won the heart of the people everywhere due to his instantly recognizable gravelly voice and infectious wide grin. He spread the jazz music around the world, and his profound work of music is still felt in the 21st century. Armstrong came from a very poor family in New Orleans, and he received the first formal music lesson from the colored waif’s home for boys. He joined the Ory’s band after Joe Oliver moved to Chicago, after a year; he was hired to work on riverboats.
In 1924, Armstrong moved to New York and joined Fletcher Henderson orchestra. He returned back to Chicago in the year 1925and made his first recording as a leader of His Hot Five band. His recording in 1929 introduced the use of pop in the interpretation of jazz music and therefore setting up the stage for jazz acceptance. Under the management of Joe Glasler, Armstrong transformed into an international star performing in films, dance halls, and nightclubs. He married Lucille Wilsonin 1942 and continues to appear in popular films in 1950s and 1960s.Up until his death in July 6, 1971 Armstrong remained active in jazz music and regularly performed in the orchestra and traveled to London twice
Ella Fitzgerald became an orphan at an early age and attended an orphanage school in New York. She became a celebrity in the swing era. For a long time, Fitzgerald has been considered as quintessential female jazz musician. Her voice is somewhat girlish in timbre and small but this disadvantages are offset by a wide range (d to c’s) which she has a remarkable ability which enables her to battle one of the best jazz artist in the world. She also has the gift of mimicry that enables her to perform music of other legendary jazz musicians such Armstrong and Aretha Franklin. She is unrivaled by her ability to slip in and out of the jazz idiom. She has been an influence to many international musicians such as the late Miriam Makeba
Work Cited
Burns, Ken. ‘Jazz’ a general motors mark of excellence presentation. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 6 Dec. 2014 < http://www.pbs.org/jazz/
Tudor, Dean, and Nancy Tudor. Jazz. Littleton, Colo: Libraries Unlimited, 1979. Print.
Ward, Geoffrey C, and Ken Burns. Jazz: A History of America's Music. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. Print.
