Blog Post 5: Jazz and Improvisation: Modern Juilliard

Blog Post #5

Jazz and Improvisation: Modern Juilliard

            The director of my high school jazz band always told me that improvisation was the essence of jazz.  At the time, I partially understood what he meant, but largely dismissed this observation for a number of reasons.  For one, I assumed that this observation was made almost solely to garner enthusiasm for solos in our performances, which many members of the group, myself included, often performed somewhat reluctantly or with trepidation.  However, perhaps one of the main reasons that I did not see jazz as improvisational was that, outside of the band’s performances, which followed written scores with some predesignated solo sections, I had only heard recordings of jazz.  Based on these recordings alone, which preserve a single performance played in a single style, I did not see jazz as an improvisational music, but viewed it as a more standard type of music that still focuses on the typical song structure (melody, harmony, rhythms, etc).  I acknowledged that the portions of jazz songs that I could recognize as “soloes” were typically the most interesting part of jazz songs, especially in bebop songs, so I somewhat agreed with the director on those terms; however, I still viewed the music as less spontaneous and more arranged and calculated.

            However, the content of this class has shown me the significance of improvisation in jazz.  In particular, the work of Miles Davis highlights just how important improvisation can be for jazz.  Having only been exposed to jazz in fixed performances or arranged scores, and being of such a frame of mind that I often had to write out my own solos in order to have a chance at performing well, I would have assumed that the method of producing jazz was less spontaneous and more scripted.  However, the work of Miles Davis is a strong antithesis to this thought, as his music often changed in form and style, both from day to day – Miles claimed that a musician will play differently “any time the weather changes” (300), and across the years as Miles constantly changed his style.  I was especially shocked to discover that Davis often did not write out songs before recording them, as was the case with Kind of Blue (234) ; this particular discovery was also somewhat ironic, as Kind of Blue was among the few jazz CDs I listened to, along with other recordings made mostly by bebop artists, who were also focused on improvisation.

            My misbelief as to the importance of improvisation in jazz seems, to me, to strike an odd parallel with a discussion in lecture about how classical music was originally improvisational.  Although the music was originally composed in spontaneity, when it is studied at places like Juilliard or performed it is treated with such rigid reverence that the thought of the music being spontaneous feels almost absurd.  It is, in part, this sterile treatment of music that drove Miles away from Juilliard to the streets, where true, spontaneous music was happening.  However, as a minor in the modern era, it was difficult to find live, authentic jazz – recordings cannot truly capture the improvisational nature of jazz since the performance that is recorded is fixed, and any live jazz bands I could find were either bands that exclusively covered the standards with little innovation or bands that played exclusively at adults-only clubs – so as a fan of jazz, I had no alternative to the modern Juilliard that is the 21^st century, and by this Juilliard I was grossly misinformed.

Commented on Hawken Ritter’s blog

Blog 4: "Write What You Know": The Connection between Community and Artistry

Blog Post #4

“Write What You Know”: The Connection between Community and Artistry

            One of the most common pieces of advice one might give to a novice writer is to “write what you know”.  The reasoning behind such advice is not difficult to discern: one can more realistically and deeply portray that which they have experienced firsthand, and readers, particularly those who have had similar experiences, will be able to sympathize with the work more easily.  This same reasoning holds just as well for any form of artistic expression, including jazz; therefore, it comes as no surprise that jazz music is often heavily influenced by the community from which it originates, and the music of Leimert Park and Thelonious Monk provide two clear examples of this connection.

            The conditions under which jazz was popularized in Leimert Park, Los Angeles clearly illustrate how the community can influence, and be influenced by, jazz.  Leimert Park was the site of a number of race riots during and after the Civil Rights Movement, and the community responded with a passionate pursuit of the arts, including jazz.  Jazz music in turn helped to unify the community, as people flocked to various jazz scenes in Leimert Park such as 5^th Street Dick’s, where they were able to meet and bond with other members of the community; and this strengthening of the community in turn allowed jazz to prosper.  This clearly shows the influence community can have on jazz: the music came about as a response to the community’s shared experience of violence and riots, and was accepted by members of this community who could sympathize with this experience.

            Perhaps an even clearer example of the influence of community can be found in the music of Thelonious Monk, which, according to Robin D. G. Kelley, has many attributes that clearly reflect his childhood experiences in San Juan Hill in New York.  The influence of the San Juan Hill community is similar in some regards to that of Leimert Park: San Juan Hill also had a history of violence and race riots (17), and Monk’s passion for music was likely driven by the praise and acceptance his music received during his youth.  However, the influence in Monk’s music is more readily apparent and concrete than with the music of Leimert Park; that is, there are specific aspects of the San Juan Hill community that one can hear in his music.  In all honesty, it would be odd if one could not find some influence, as Monk was surrounded by music of all sorts throughout his youth:  Monk received musical training from a number of sources, including his mother, who exposed him to hymnal music, the classically trained Simon Wolf, and stride pianist Alberta Simmons. (26-28) Moreover, Monk was surrounded by musicians in San Juan Hill; as Mary White Ovington discovered when she visited the area, nearly “every household had a musical instrument.”(20)  As one would expect, Monk’s music did display some of these influences; for example, pieces such as Bye-ya and Bemsha Swing are heavily influenced by Caribbean rhythms to which he was exposed in San Juan Hill (23), and the dissonance in his music may reflect the strong racial tensions that Monk witnessed firsthand in the community.  This type of influence is what one signifies when one states “What is jazz? New York, man!”.  The actual choice of New York, while appropriate in my opinion, is irrelevant – the Leimert Park musicians were probably wont to say “What is jazz? Los Angeles, man!” – the point being that the music reflects the experiences of that community.

            Clearly, the music of Monk and Leimert Park display the relationship between jazz (and, in fact, all artistic expression) and the community from which it develops – the music is influenced by the experiences the creator has in the community, and members of the community are able to sympathize with these experiences, and by extension the music.

Commented on Prikita Nandakumar’s blog

Blog #3: Radio and Increasing Racial Tension in the 1930s

Radio and Increasing Racial Tension in the 1930s

            The interaction and conflict between Blacks and Whites has always been an important topic in the development of jazz.  The racial tension is evident in a number of aspects of the music’s history, from the appropriation of jazz from African Americans by white bands such as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band to the numerous locales, such as the Cotton Club in Harlem, where Black bands like Duke Ellington’s performed for all-White audiences.  If race was not explicitly discussed in connection with jazz before the Swing Era, it was not because the topic was irrelevant; only a spark, some event that either aggravated the problems originating from the racial conflict in jazz or brought the music into the view of the general public, was needed to ignite debate over the topic, and the advent of the radio, along with the Great Depression, served to do just that.

            The advent of the radio had a wide variety of effects on the jazz industry, perhaps the most noteworthy of which was turning jazz into an industry.    The radio allowed artists to appeal to audiences that were otherwise unreachable; for example, Benny Goodman’s performances on the show “Let’s Dance” allowed him to gain popularity in California, leading to his favorable reception at the Palomar concert of 1935 (Gioia, 132).  These new audiences created a high demand for swing music, which allowed certain jazz musicians to prosper, and doubtlessly encouraged many others to imitate them in the hopes of achieving similar success.  This prospect of success, paired with the Great Depression, which left many unemployed and desperately searching for opportunity in any form, led to the formation of many jazz bands, both black and white. 

However, the same factors that led to the creation of more jazz bands also made it difficult for many to survive; the Great Depression limited the disposable income of would-be listeners, and the increased demand for jazz practically required bandleaders to make deals with agents to survive (Swing Changes, 103), and those that did not were practically doomed to failure.  The agencies played a large role in making race a prominent issue in jazz in a number of ways.  For one, it could be said that they embodied the exploitative relationship between Whites and Blacks, as the agents made significant profits off of the talent of the musicians.  Additionally, the agents “served as gatekeepers of the venues and media that enabled swing to become a national phenomenon” (Swing Changes, 103), and as such had nearly complete control over what bands were heard by the public.  This in itself would not necessarily signify the racial tension present in jazz; however, when the industry became “glutted with more bands than the industry could possibly sustain, blacks were the first to be pushed out” (Swing Changes, 122).  Because white bands “were more readily accepted by mainstream America” (Gioia, 133), the agencies chose to promote them over black bands, allowing white musicians to thrive playing black music and forcing many black bands to disband.  Two of the most successful bandleaders of this era also highlight the racial tension in jazz: Duke Ellington, who was accused by many, such as John Hammond, of “[shutting] his eyes to the abuses being heaped upon his race” (Swing Changes, 51) in order to allow his band to survive, and Benny Goodman, the so-called “King of Swing”, who became ludicrously popular by heading a white band playing black music.

The main sources of racial tension in jazz – namely, the limited potential for success of black artists due to segregation and prejudice, and the contrasting popularity of white imitators – were present long before the Swing Era; however, the nationalization of the music via radio and the consequences of that spread aggravated these problems and brought them to the attention of the general public, and thus, as the music spread like wildfire, it sparked explicit discussion of race.

Commented on Steven Bennett’s blog 

Blog 2: Stride Piano and Jazz in New York

Stride Piano and Jazz in New York

Albeit both Chicago and New York contributed greatly to the development of jazz, New York played a more important role in popularizing jazz and evolving it beyond its New Orleans roots.  The city of New York had many social, cultural, and political aspects that allowed jazz to be properly cultivated in the city.  For instance, there was a strong cultural conflict between African Americans of status and new arrivals in the city, which mirrors the conflict between Creoles and Blacks that played a significant role in the development of jazz in New Orleans. (“James P. Johnson”)  The economic situation of Blacks also contributed, as poor economic conditions required Blacks to throw parties to earn their monthly rent, and these rent parties provided opportunities for jazz musicians to earn a living and hone their skill.(Gioia, 90)   However, perhaps the most important factor in the development of jazz in New York was the influence of the stride pianists.  While most of the other factors present in New York were present, in some way, shape, or form, in Chicago, the stride pianists of New York provided a strong stylistic influence that was unique to New York and had no appropriate parallel in Chicago.  Although jazz musicians in Chicago introduced some stylistic differences to the existing New Orleans jazz paradigm, these differences are subtle enough that some (such as the author of “The Chicagoans”) to conclude that Chicago jazz “was not a style at all”; meanwhile, the influence of stride piano on New York Jazz is unmistakable, to the point that one could claim that this influence is the defining characteristic of New York Jazz. 

While the exact essence of stride piano is hard to capture – when investigating why it is called “stride piano”, the author of “James P. Johnson” came to the conclusion that the name “simply exists to confuse the layman” – the music incorporated elements of ragtime, jazz, and classical music, and the result could perhaps be described as a very “virtuosic” evolution of ragtime (Gioia, 92)  This virtuosity may be in part due to the very competitive nature of the Harlem music scene; the piano was nearly ubiquitous in New York, so naturally there were many piano players who had to compete for opportunities to perform, and the need to “one-up” other pianists, both at their performances and at the so-called “cutting contests”, likely pushed musicians to perform more technical and complex music.( Gioia, 93)  This virtuosity is perhaps epitomized by Art Tatum, whose piano skill is practically unmatched even to this day, and whose work developed stride piano to the point that some may claim he exhausted its possibilities. (Gioia, 97)  The rhythmic complexity and breakneck speed of his work clearly reflects the fast-paced lifestyle of New York.  The virtuosic nature of stride piano exerted a strong influence on New York Jazz, and is paralleled by the increasing focus on improvisation; take, for instance, the Henderson band’s performance of “The Stampede”, which not only borrowed specific rhythms from stride piano, but also focused so completely on rhythmic complexity that the melody “is left almost entirely for the soloists to provide” (“Fletcher Henderson”) 

Harlem stride piano clearly played an important role in the development of New York jazz, and consequently on the development of jazz as a whole, which is why New York was the more important city for the development of jazz in the 1920s.

Blog Post 1: New Orleans as the Site of Social and Musical Syncretism

               There are a wide variety of factors that contributed to the emergence of jazz from New Orleans in the early 1900s.  One such factor, according to Gioia, was the declining economy of the city in the late 1800s. New Orleans’ economy was based primarily on trade via steamboat, so when the railroad grew in prominence and allowed for faster trade by land, the city’s revenue steeply decreased.  This economic trouble was accompanied by a high mortality rate; in the 1880s, New Orleans’ mortality rate was 56% higher than for an average American city.  The citizens of New Orleans responded to these poor conditions, according to Gioia, by distracting themselves from their troubles through celebration. (Gioia, 28)  Such celebrations, which prominently featured music, provided many opportunities for musicians to perform, and the nearly ubiquitous nature of music, especially of the brass band variety, in the city provided constant exposure to a variety of musical styles.

                In my opinion, the most important aspect of New Orleans that caused it to become the birthplace of jazz was the city’s diverse population.  As an important trading center, New Orleans attracted a wide variety of people, from whites and French to Mexicans, Creoles, and Blacks.  The syncretism of these groups was a key component in the creation of jazz, as jazz was formed as the gestalt of a number of aspects contributed by each group.  For instance, the Mexicans in New Orleans played a significant role in the creation of jazz by providing classical music instruction for many later jazz musicians, and are also largely responsible for the popularization of woodwind instruments in early jazz bands, the saxophone having been introduced to New Orleans by Mexican saxophonist Florencio Ramos (Johnson, “Sobre Las Olas”)  Their influence can also be noticed in the music itself; as Jelly Roll Morton claimed, “tinges of Spanish” form an essential part of the “right seasoning” of jazz. (Gioia, 6)  However, the most important aspect of the cultural diversity in New Orleans that contributed to the creation of jazz was the social conflict between Blacks and Creoles.  Unlike the majority of the United States at the time, New Orleans followed the Latin Code in regards to slavery, under which the offspring of relationships between free people and slaves were considered free people.  These people were referred to as Creoles, and occupied a social class situated between that of Blacks and Whites before the Civil War.  The Creoles often tried to distance themselves from Blacks to retain their higher social status; however, after slavery was abolished, and particularly after Louisiana Legislative Code No. 111, which “designated anyone of African ancestry as a Negro” (Gioia, 32), was passed, this distance began to diminish, and Creoles and Blacks were forced to associate.  The Creoles continued to try to distance themselves from Blacks; for instance, Jelly Roll Morton fervently insisted that he had no African roots, claiming “All my folks came directly from the shores of France” (Gioia, 38).  However, Jelly Roll Morton’s actions, such as his criminal activity, do not fit in with the Creole archetype either, suggesting that he, through the interactions of Blacks and Creoles, formed a complex identity that cannot be cleanly classified as either.  This defiance of existing labels parallels that of jazz, which contains elements of ragtime and blues but is not simply one or the other, and since I would argue that music is often a way of expressing one’s identity, I would suggest that the syncretism of the identities of Blacks and Creoles was a key factor in the creation of jazz.  Moreover, perhaps the most distinctive aspect of New Orleans jazz is the interaction between members of the ensemble, which echoes the social interactions of the many different peoples in the city of New Orleans.

-Commented on Addison Jerlow's post