EnjoyjJazz music

Birth of Jazz

Exactly when Jazz started up may not be so clear, but what we do know is that Jazz is natural to us all. It has a great swing rhythm and it is free flowing. Each member of the group is free to express them self through improvised music, but the whole blends into one following the same theme. The listener is attracted to the swing, but ever ready to hear the different improvisations of the individual members of the jazz band.

Dancing was very popular and swing bands provided the beat with the Glen Miller band playing in the mood in 1939 at the onset of world war two. From around 1927 in America a syncopated dance music was emerging. There were two competing genres the white band of Paul Whiteman including the famous Tommy Dorsey and the black band of black jazz composer Duke Ellington. Louis Armstrong who entered the world in July 1900, started his jazz career with King Oliver and then moved on to recording with his Hot Five band.  Satchmo as he was called was a class trumpet player who could not only hit the very high notes but also provided a swing in his playing using wa-wa mutes and vocal renditions in his deep throaty voice. Think New Orleans before the recent devastation and you will no doubt be thinking of jazz and the famed jazz musicians. They moved with the music and they moved the audiences who flocked to hear them.

Jazz To-day

The popularity of jazz was well established and is still today a popular form of music especially for the musicians because of the opportunity for freedom of expression and the improvisation, while retaining its appeal to the natural swing in our very being. To become proficient in this form of music it must be a good start to listen to the recordings made by these great artists. There is no restriction on the choice of instrument you would choose, however piano, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, clarinet and strings would appear to be the most popular, of course backed with percussion.

A Teacher will Speed you on your way

Unless you are very naturally gifted it is best to get a suitable teacher, because the method and style can all be learned and developed with practice. You obviously will need to have some proficiency on the instrument you will be playing, unless you intend jazz singing, which also relies on your proficiency with the instrument of voice. Particular jazz pieces may be selected to fit the mood, which could be melancholy, active and urgent or just in the mood, but always free and easy. A good starting point could well be improvisation around the well-known negro-spirituals, which not only added a characteristic but prove uplifting as well.

Like all skills, you need to start, so obvious but often the reason for regret, and you need to commit regular time and effort. You will be well rewarded and no doubt in time many others will be well rewarded as you show the newly acquired skill. For those already proficient on an instrument it should take little time to adapt to the rules, form and rhythm of jazz, especially as the rules are not too restrictive, but still necessary when playing in a group.

About the author: Ronald Heron is a predominantly self-taught musician who started with brass, especially trombone.