More Jazz Styles

In a previous post we discussed Swing (aka Big Band) Jazz. Swing Jazz is only one example of jazz music. There are many styles of jazz. The following list will give you a quick overview of the more common jazz styles.

Dixieland

Dixieland jazz is the type of jazz associated with the early days of jazz in New Orleans, with its marching brass bands. The tone is usually cheerful. The orchestration often includes the trumpet that plays the main melody and the trombone that plays the counter-melody. A clarinet usually improvises on the chords, which is often provided by a banjo and piano. Rhythm is provided by a tuba and/or drums. Dixieland jazz usually has a strong one-two-one-two rhythm (2/4 measure).



Hot Jazz

In between New Orleans’ Dixieland and Swing Jazz there was Louis Armstrong and his “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” – ensembles consisting of five or seven members. Louis Armstrong and his “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” was so influential that his style of jazz became known as Hot Jazz, and the music created by them is considered some of the best jazz music in jazz history.

The song “Heebie Jeebies” has one of the first examples of scat singing.



Swing Jazz (Big Band Jazz)

We discussed Swing Jazz in our main discussion on "What is Jazz?"

Bebop

Because Big Band Jazz (Swing) tended to be somewhat fixed (not much improvisation) it created in some jazz musicians the need for more freedom. Bebop (sometimes just called “bop”) is in a sense a reaction against Big Band Jazz. Bebop has smaller ensembles and more improvisation. Crossroads in Music (179) explains that Bebop “…employed complex harmony and required great technical facility of its players. Its tempos were very fast and discouraging to a swing era audience that loved to dance. However, for musicians who loved to listen, it was a very exciting style. The characteristic ensemble was a quintet with two players (usually sax and trumpet) on the frontline and a three-piece rhythm section. Typically, the opening and closing of a song featured the ‘horns’ (wind instruments) playing in unison. Between the opening and closing, lots of space was provided for improvised solos.”



Cool Jazz

Many people found Bebop’s melodic complexity too confusing. Cool Jazz is a reaction against the intensity of Bebop. Cool Jazz is easier to listen to, with more emphasis on “subtlety” with some influence from classical music. (Crossroads in Music, p. 181, 182.)

In the excerpt below from “The Subject is Jazz,” Billy Taylor explains “Cool Jazz.” Below that is a YouTube-video with Miles Davies giving a typical Cool Jazz performance.





Hard Bop

Again in reaction to Cool Jazz came Hard Bop, which is basically a return to Bebop. However, Hard Bop is not merely a repetition of Bebop; instead it incorporates Gospel and blues music to give it a more emotional feel (Source: Air Judden)

The “Hard Bop Saxophone Quartet” performs “Gospel Fever!” below.



Third Stream

During the 1950’s there was a movement to fuse jazz and classical music. This resulted in what is known as “Third Stream.” George Russell was a major player in this movement.



Modal Jazz

Some jazz musicians became tired with the typical structure of jazz that consisted of 32 measures and specific chord progressions. Modal jazz was an attempt to move away from this form so that the soloists can freer to improvise more, based on scales rather than chords. Read this page for a more detailed explanation. Modal jazz is also sometimes related with blues and Cool Jazz. Loren Schoenberg describes Modal Jazz in the video below.



Free Form Jazz

Free From Jazz focusses on extreme improvisation. This style of jazz seems somewhat haphazard, with very high tonal and rhythmic density, and is sometimes described as “angry.”



Bossa Nova Jazz

A fusion of Latin Bossa Nova music and Cool Jazz results in Bossa Nova Jazz. This is a popular type of jazz and was especially common in the 60s.




Fusion & Jazz-Rock

Fusion Jazz refer to the fusion of jazz with other styles, specifically rock music; aka Jazz-Rock. A good example would be Tony Williams’s “Lifetime” album. The main difference between Fusion and Jazz-Rock is that "Fusion" is primarily instrumental, while "Jazz-Rock" includes a lead vocalist. Fusion and Jazz-Rock were especially popular in the 70s and 80s.




Neoclassicism

Crossroads in Music (p. 266) describe Neo-classical jazz as “the application of modern techniques to older styles and structures. For the most part, the return is to the chord changes, acoustic instruments, and structure of bebop with the addition of modern performance possibilities such as collective improvisation, variable formal structure, rhythm, and meter and the use of modal, tonal, or chromatic melodies.”



Acid Jazz

Acid Jazz refers to the fusion of Jazz with dance music.