Interpretations Of Jazz
November 4, 2008
Jazz as defined by Answers.com:
A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom.
Tracing the origins of jazz by RedHotJazz:
Tracing the origins of Jazz in the formative years (1895-1917) is not an easy task. Recordings of Jazz did not begin until 1917, and even then the severe technical limitations of the primitive acoustical recording equipment distorted the true sound of the bands as they would have been heard in person. Ear-witness accounts of early Jazz bands of the turn of the century, like Buddy Bolden’s band, vary widely. Nothing that they played was written and even if it was, it would be of little value. No musical notation has yet been devised that accurately describes the feel of an improvised performance. (Continue Reading…)
Some great quotes from jazz musicians:
“Jazz is the big brother of the Revolution” -Miles Davis
“Jazz has always been like the kind of man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.” -Duke Ellington
“Life is a lot like jazz–it’s best when you improvise.” -George Gershwin
“It’s a shame that jazz is now being turned into dried fruit. It’s becoming quantized, diced, and defined. To me, jazz is more like a process than it is a thing,” -Pat Metheny
“I don’t know where jazz is going. You can’t make anything go anywhere. It just happens.” -Thelonius Monk
Miles Davis performs “Tutu”:
Grant Green:
Pat Metheny:
John Coltrane performs “My Favorite Things”:
Lionel Hampton:
Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”:
