This will be home base for the tunes we are going to study.
Here is a quick history of jazz. The dates are general time periods are for the beginnings of the style. All the styles still exist in some fashion.
1895 Ragtime and Blues begin to blend. Trumpeter Buddy Bolden was very popular during this time.
1917 First Jazz and Instrumental Blues recording, The Original Dixieland Band
1917 -1930 This style has several names Dixieland, Traditional Jazz, New Orleans Jazz, or Chicago Style. Major Artists: Louis Armstrong (tpt), Jelly Roll Morton (pn), Bix Beiderbecke (tpt), Jack Teagarden (trb)
1930-1945 Swing Era. Major Artists: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton
1945-1950 Bop. Major Artists: Charlie Parker (sx), Dizzy Gillespie (tpt), Thelonious Monk (pn), Bud Powell (pn), Max Roach (dr), Slam Stewart (bs), Milt Jackson (vbs)
1950-1960 Hard Bop, Soul/Funky Jazz (added elements of blues and gospel) Major Artists: Miles Davis (tpt), Art Blakey (dr) and the Jazz Messengers, Hoarce Silver (pn), Clifford Brown (tpt), John Coltrane (sx), Sonny Rollins (sx)
1950 Cool, West Coast. Major Artists: Miles Davis (tpt), Jazz Messengers, Stan Getz (sx), Gerry Mulligan (sx), Chet Baker (tpt), Dave Brubeck (pn), Paul Desmond (sx)
1960 Modal Jazz Major Artists: Miles Davis (tpt), Herbie Hancock (pn), Wayne Shorter (sx), Ron Carter (bs), Tony Williams (dr)
1960 Avant Guarde. Major Artists: Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane (sx), Cecil Taylor (pn)
1969 Fusion. Major Artists: Miles Davis (tpt), Herbie Hancock (pn), Weather Report with Wayne Shorter (sx) Joe Zawinul (key), Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea Return to Forever (key)
Links for Individual students.
Bass for Zac
The first song will be Moanin’ by Bobby Timmons (the pianist with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers , which is considered a great example of Soul Jazz, a wing of the Hard Bop. One of the roots of Blues and Jazz are a category of songs called work songs. Work songs are sung by the workers and accompany the tempo of the work they are doing: picking crops, rowing boast, chopping wood, etc.
Although this song is not in the Blues Form, the melody notes come from the F Blues Scale. Listen to these versions with special attention to your instrumental function.
Here is an excellent LESSON in improvising to Moanin’
Moaning’ Backing Track
OTHER VERSIONS OF MOANIN’
Here is a live version with the same players as above.
Here is a version from 1988 with different players.