Showing posts with label Jazz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jazz. Show all posts

Monday, March 13, 2017

Jazz Gets Contemporary With ACID JAZZ

I think anyone and everyone that likes music, or who has a particular musical genre preference, can admit that sometimes the same music gets stale. You hear the same songs over and over again and begin to feel your passion slowly slip away. For me, this means that it is time to search for new avenues. So, the question that is presented to you here is do you need to update your jazz selection?

Erykah Badu
 Erykah Badu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Many people may not realize how much jazz has to offer. There are so many branches that your search may possibly be endless. An excellent contemporary category of jazz is acid jazz. Do not underestimate the awesome power that acid jazz possesses.

Now, you may be wondering, “What exactly is acid jazz?” Acid jazz combines different musical elements and instruments to create a unique blend of jazz, electronic and even hip hop at times. This does not mean that the genre lacks the same soul you would find in traditional jazz tunes. Just the opposite! In fact, Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd are credited as precursors to the acid jazz movement.

Even though the genre possesses a variety of instruments, including many that are electronic, artists still play live shows. This allows more room for creativity and free flowing sound since the songs are easy to manipulate while performing. Traditional jazz instruments are still incorporated in this genre.

One accredited artist that fits this category and is held in high esteem is Jamiroquai. As a prominent figure in the acid jazz community, Jamiroquai began their journey as artists in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. The most famous of their songs, “Virtual Insanity,” hit the charts and was a number one across the globe. Other notable artists that fit into this category that can be mentioned are Erik Truffaz, Erykah Badu, Incognito, and Groove Collection.

While this genre is thought by many to be genius, it is difficult for traditional jazz listeners to dig into these futuristic sounds. The argument is that acid jazz does not possess the same soul and groove that traditional jazz offers. Others dare to say that acid jazz offers just the same things as classic jazz since its forerunners were one in the same. Instead of debating, just let your ears settle the argument for arguments’ sake. Of course we are all allowed to have our own opinions, but it never hurts to keep an open mind and consider new avenues. If you were or are a fan of jazz-funk, jazz-house, and jazz-fusion, you will love exploring this genre further. Take a look at different artists to explore the variety of sounds that is this wonderful musical creation.


For more information or for questions on buying or selling used Jazz, Acid Jazz and any other genre of music CDs, visit www.used-jazz.com. If you have any questions please email at customerservice@secondspin.com.


Sunday, March 5, 2017

JAZZ as DANCE

While few people understand the true origins of Jazz as a music form, fewer people still understand the origins of jazz as a style of dance. Jazz is very much a fatherless child. More than that however, jazz as music and dance seem to have many mothers despite the fact that they have no father. By this I mean that there are many influences to this colorful form of music and dance though no one influence is notable enough in the new creation to be considered the 'father' or 'mother' for that matter of jazz.

English: Jazz dancers adapted from flickr phot...
Jazz dancers adapted from flickr photo by Alvaro Arriagada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though jazz has many supposed birth places it really only has one true home and that home would be New Orleans. Much like the music this city is famous for, New Orleans is a city without a father too. New Orleans was a melting pot in the truest sense of the word before we had any real clue what it meant to be a melting pot. From the influences of the French, Spanish, German, English, and of course the population of former slaves and black free men and women, New Orleans was the perfect place for this blended and mixed style of music and dance to call home.

It is no wonder that jazz dance emerged as the result of jazz music. There are simply no adequate dance steps for the delightful music we have come to know over the years as jazz. For this reason something new and a little bit off the main path was needed in order to keep time and pace with the new music that was emerging.

As a style of dance, jazz was much more 'brazen' than dances in the past had been and in some circles considered to be singly unseemly. Polite society certainly had no interest in this particular form of dance. The good news for those who enjoyed this style of dance is that there were plenty of places in which jazz, as a form of dance and music, was readily embraced. You had to go off the beaten path a little in order to find it but for many it was well worth the effort.

Jazz music and dance was popular for quite a while and then seemed to go underground except in cities such as Memphis, New Orleans, Kansas City, and St. Louis where it was an ingrained part of the history and culture. We have seen a reemergence of this once popular style of music and dance in recent years however with some notable musicians bringing back the swing and 'big band' sound that went hand in hand with jazz as both a music form and a style of dance.

You should understand however, that when it comes to jazz dance, much like the music, there are no definitive rules that you must follow in order for it to be jazz. There are no rigid dance steps that must be adhered to for the 'jazz' effect. Jazz dance is often confused as 'tap dance' because tap music was often set to jazz music. It is important however to realize that jazz isn't limited to tap dance and that other styles of dance fall under the rather large umbrella of 'jazz dance'.



Some of the more common jazz dances include: Black Bottom, Boogie Woogie, the Cakewalk, the Charleston, the Jitterbug, the Lindy Hop, and swing dancing. Each of these styles of dance seems to be making a rather remarkable comeback in popularity over the course of the last two decades and are very interesting to watch, as well as in which to participate should you ever have the opportunity.

If you have considered jazz dance lessons for you or your children, I hope you will decide to indulge. Not only is the music for this type of dance excellent and uplifting but also the style of dance in and of itself is quite fun and enjoyable. There are very few styles of dance that can compete when it comes to allowing artistic license, going with the flow, and simply dancing for the sheer joy of dancing. As an art form and as a form of entertainment jazz music and dance are tops in my book.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

JAZZ MUSICIANS and the Art of Transcribing Jazz Solos


English: Head and shoulders portrait of jazz m...
Head and shoulders portrait of jazz musician
Louis Armstrong. (Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
Every great jazz musician has, at one time or another, transcribed jazz solos from recordings.  Since jazz is an art from that is aural in nature, it makes complete sense that listening and copying the improvisations of earlier jazz masters helps one become a more consistent and skilled jazz improviser.

Transcribing a jazz solo involves the repetitive listening and notation of a recorded jazz solo.  To get maximum benefit from the process, the person studying the solo through transcription should memorize and internalize every note and every inflection played by the improviser.  "Transcribing" refers to the activity of notating on paper the exact notes and rhythms played by the improviser.
Evolving Technologies of Transcribing Jazz Solos

Charlie Parker could arguably be called the most influential jazz artist of the 20th century. His inventive jazz improvisations changed the face of jazz and ushered in one of the most exciting eras of jazz: the bebop era.

Charlie Parker was born with a huge amount of natural talent, but that does not mean Charlie never worked hard at his honing his craft.  History reveals that Charlie spent almost a year early on in his music career memorizing - note by note - the jazz solos of Lester Young from 78 RPM recordings.
Before jazz became widely available on 78 RPM recordings, musicians relied on listening and learning in "real time".  The only way to learn jazz improvisation in the early days of jazz was to listen to live musicians and pick up what you could from what they played.  Once played however, the music was gone forever.

I Remember Charlie Parker
I Remember Charlie Parker
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
During the 1920s, artists such Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and many others began recording their music and jazz improvisations onto 78 RPM acetone discs.  This leap in technology opened the door for future musicians to "study" the improvisations of their jazz predecessors.

The 1950s saw the introduction of reel to reel tape machines and ultimately cassette tape recordings. Magnetic tape made it possible for jazz musicians to forward and rewind the tape to exact locations of solos and specific passages of a solo.  No longer did musicians have to "drop the needle" on worn out discs to learn a solo or tune.  Some cassette tape players were made specifically for musicians, allowing them to slow down parts or all of a recording at half or quarter speed.  This proved to be helpful, but slowing down analog tape created problems with pitch and fidelity that was annoying to say the least.

In recent years, computers have assisted jazz musicians transcribe recordings in ways that were once considered impossible.  Inexpensive or free computer programs have made it possible to slow down fast passages without changing fidelity or pitch.  Other advantages of computer assisted transcription include the ability to change key, precise looping of passages for ease in learning, and even help with notating pitches that are played.

    By James P Martin
    Transcribing and studying great jazz solos can be one of the smartest and beneficial activities any jazz musician can undertake to help hone his or her craft.  Even with the marvels of modern technology, the process still takes time and effort however.  Don't forget to use the knowledge and skills you acquire from transcribing jazz solos to performing with live musicians.  Nothing will replace the experience of playing jazz with others!
    PDF big band, combo and vocal charts by top jazz writers are available at http://www.pdfjazzmusic.com - all for less than twenty bucks.
    Article Source: EzineArticles