The 1950s: Cool, Hard Bop, etc.
AFRICAN AMERICAN ART MUSIC Diversifies to a greater extent
I. Rhythm and blues continues entertainment and extends into Rock & Roll (Louis Jordan - Caldonia)
II. Female vocalists become independent but aim for popular appeal with artistic integrity intact. Less experimental than instrumentalists, however (Ella Fitzgerald - Lemon Drops)
III. Cool Jazz - mainly West Coast. Conservative compared to Bop. Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis. Became some of the most popular musicians in Modern Jazz. European American musicians had access to college campuses (Miles Davis - Deception, Budo)
A. Music was softer and less difficult than bop
B. Term had been applied to Lester Young's style earlier
C. Often experimented with instrumentation
D. Many musicians consciously diminished the degree of emotion in the music
IV. Hard Bop
A. More activity in drumming
B. Darker and heavier tone quality than bop or cool
C. Movement away from harmony of pop tunes
D. Hard-driving swing feel
E. More varied comping in piano
F. Slower tempos and harmonic rhythms than bop
Miles explores Cool, Hard Bop, Quasi-Modal Jazz, and Fusion
1. Mid-50's: Bye, Bye Blackbird (CD6 #10) - straight ahead (Cool and Hard Bop)
2. Late-50s: Evolution of Modal - So What (CD6 #11, 12 and CD8 #6)
3. Early-60s: Inversion - Nefertiti (CD8 #8)
4. Early-60s: Funk - Freedom Jazz Dance (CD6 #6)
5. Orchestral - Gil Evans collaboration - Concerto de Aranjuez (CD6 #13)
Music 80E: History
of "Jazz"
Posted 11/27/02