Discussing and Writing About Early Jazz Evolution

The Evolution of Early Jazz (1902?-1934)

TA: Andrew Pascoe

To participate in discussion, read the following, including the instructions in the “DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT” below— and then click on “Post New Entry” above (login to see the button) to submit your post.

Court Carney introduces his article “New Orleans and the Creation of Early Jazz” (2006) with Jelly Roll Morton’s bold assertion that he alone created a new music phenomenon called “jazz.”  Regardless of the veracity of Morton’s claims, something was definitely brewing in the minds of musicians and composers in turn-of-the-century New Orleans.  Carney’s article begins discussing the social climate in New Orleans that fueled these developments, including pronounced racial tensions.  

Soon, jazz artists were leaving New Orleans, spreading their new performance practices in communities along trade routes throughout the the mid-west, and as novelty acts in American cities. But it wasn’t until the 1920s that jazz became a musical language that was understood across the whole breadth of U.S. popular culture. Tucker’s (1990) “Renaissance Education of Duke Ellington” implicitly shows how far this new music had come, that a conservative middle-class upbringing in Washington D.C., far from jazz’s birthplace, could produce a genius who would come to define the apex of the whole jazz era. Yet as we recognize the diversity of Ellington’s musical experiences—quite distant from the culture of New Orleans—difficult questions arise about how “jazz” should be defined. Were Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Cab Calloway outsiders to the “authentic” tradition? If not, is there a fundamental difference between traditional New Orleans and Kansas City jazz forms, and the way they were presented for mass media in the early-mid 1930s? These are tough questions to answer in any definitive way. But on the bright side, they give us a great chance to compare and contrast different styles and influences. 

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DISCUSSION (Due October 29 — or submit by October 25 at noon to get TA guidance toward an essay): Choose two recordings: a recording from “Two New Orleans Songs” and a song from “Kansas City and New York Swing” listening lists. Compare them in terms of one of the following elements: 

(1) Instrumental arrangement—how do the layers of instruments interact? How does the interaction change from one part of the song to another? — you don’t have to be certain of what’s what in the instruments of the band; simply describe what you hear.

(2) Improvisation—how do solo musicians vary their approach, or their expression, in different sections of the recording? Indicate when a musician breaks from the melody to improvise, and try to describe how the improvisation feels, and what it expresses to you.

After thinking about one of the issues above, consider whether what you hear in this song reflects anything you have learned about its time, or its place in the evolution of jazz. 

Your thoughts, in about 150-250 words, should be posted to this webpage, by clicking on the “create new post” button on the upper left corner. (You’ll have to login to see it.) 

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ESSAY (Due October 29 — if you choose to write an essay in this unit): Choose a song from “Two New Orleans Songs” and a song from “Kansas City and New York Swing” listening lists. 

First, describe the musical content of the songs using terms and techniques you have learned in class. These fall into two main categories: 

a. form — recognizing repetition and contrast within a melody 

b. melody, accompaniment, and the role of improvisation in both — recognizing that some aspects of any recording are planned in advance (related to a composition, or an arrangement of a composition) and some are a matter of individual musicians’ personal, immediate expression. 

Second, making reference to the course readings on jazz and swing, specifically discuss issues related to the way jazz musicians interpret the songs you have chosen, and how their interpretations fit into the evolution of jazz. Why do you think these recordings might have spoken effectively to the communities in which they were formed? Conversely, what might have contributed to their broader appeal as popular music?  

Your essay, in the form of a post to the Early Jazz Essays page, is due on October 29 at noon.  It should be about 600-800 words long.  Double-check your facts, and proof your work to make sure your peers will understand your argument and your ideas.  Please write clearly and concisely — big ideas count more than big words.

When you are done, please take time read your peers’ posts and essays, compare and contrast your thoughts, and continue discussion.

Update on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 12:44 AM by GarethMeeson

The two songs that  chose were April in Paris by Count Basie and St. Louis Blues by The Original Dixieland Jass Band. April in Paris is a much heavier and faster song. It relies on the drummer to keep the band at a fast tempo and to push the group forward. The piece never lets down on the intensity, with the saxophones calling and the trombones and trumpets responding. The trumpet solo is accompanied by a soft drum background with the trombones and saxes playing some fills every few bars. After the solo, the piece goes back to where it was before the solo. The trumpet and trombone parts become more intense to signify the peak of the piece, then the final buildup to the final whole note.

St. Louis Blues is a more calm piece that doesn’t rely on drums to set the beat, but uses the low voices to keep a nice upbeat feel in the background. The saxes and trumpets take the main role here with many parts of the song using call and response to fill out the sound. The trombones sometimes step forward and play the melody for a few bars, then slip back into the beat. 

The two songs are not very similar, one is fast and hard, the other is slightly slower and more upbeat. Both use roughly the same instruments, and for the same general purposes, trombones and background and support sometimes being joined by the trumpets who also play loud accents, and the saxes who play the melody and keep the flow of the chart ongoing.

Improv comparison between Honeysuckle and St. Louis Blues

For my discussion piece I chose to write about improvisation on the 2 songs of my choice. From “Two New Orleans Songs” I chose W.C. Handy’s version of St. Louis Blues and for “Kansas City and New York Swing” I chose Count Basie and his Orchestra’s Honeysuckle Rose. The first thing I noticed when comparing the improvisation between the two, was that in Honeysuckle Rose the improv was more upbeat and I felt myself being more inclined to tap my foot or catch on to the beat easier than W.C. Handy’s improvisation in St. Louis Blues. As far as opening for an improvisation, they varied also. St. Louis Blues was a little more difficult to decipher when a soloist was improvising although I did notice that the music got quieter before the soloist took charge, which was unlike Honeysuckle Rose. Honeysuckle Rose meshed the improvisation into the song so it just popped out at you without any warning. Both songs were really good, but overall I liked the style of Honeysuckle more because it was more interesting and caught my attention quicker and ultimately had it the whole song.

St. James Infirmary

In King Oliver’s version of St. James Infirmary, it seems that all the improvisation occurs one after another once the melody has been played through once. It is clear that the first bars are not improvisation, as more than one instrument is playing the same melody. However, once it is just one lead instrument with accompaniment, the lead instrument will play their own solo, which is not necessarily perfectly in time with the tempo. In some cases, there is syncopation occurring so that the solo does not seem so stiff and premeditated. In contrast, A Cab Calloway’s version does not feature all the solos back to back. Additionally, there is much less improvisation throughout the piece. Instead, there are many unison lines, such as the trumpet melody after the vocals. The only solos that exist are a saxophone solo preceding the vocals and a trumpet solo near the end. The saxophone solo, compared to King Oliver’s solos, is much more frantic feeling and seems heavily out of time. This however could also reinforce the feeling of spontaneity. It is unclear if the single trumpet line at the end is a solo or not, since compared to the earlier saxophone solo, it is much more composed and has a more predictable series of steps and leaps.

A comparison of St. James Infirmary and Mack’s Rhythm

Art Hodes and Sidney Bechet’s Hot Five St. James Infirmary 1967

The piece’s introduction begins with the brass bellowing together to create a dark melancholy mood. Then Hodes goes off the tone set by the brass creating his own solo. As soon as he cries, “let her go” the trumpet follows behind his voice faintly developing into an improvisation. This trumpet compliments his voice but straying away from the melody. Once he concludes on “promise land” the trumpet breaks out in a dramatic fashion and continues to have almost and response call between the other instruments before returning back to the melody. The texture of this piece feels like one large improvisation that leds the listener to feel a heavy heart filled with sadness and suffering.

 Due to the time period this song is a bit more developed to the jazz standards. The improvisations seem to have a consistent feel throughout the song. 

 Bennie Moten and His Orchestra: Mack’s Rhythm by Count Basie 1928

Already this piece has a very up beat sound. First to break off into a lively improvisation is the trumpet. This solo embodies the idea of swinging, the act of inspiring a “visceral response from the listener.”  Shortly after the saxophone changes the beat to a less dramatic, fuller tone, which is then followed by the even more up beat cheery clarinet, which is then followed by the simply happy improvisation of the piano. The trumpet then guides the song back to the melody, to be taken back to another improvisation.  

 This song appears earlier in the evolution of jazz, which explains the big band aspect of the performance. The time period also shows the development of swing out of it jazz roots. The multiple improvisations of different instruments create a more up beat movement. 

Comparing Improvisations

The improvisations in King Oliver’s “St. James Infirmary” and Count Bessie and His Orchestra’s “Honeysuckle Rose” differ dramatically. For one, while both songs included improvisations from trumpets, saxophones and pianos, only King Oliver chose to use a harmonica. Oliver was a New Orleans resident, but he was born in Aben, Louisiana.  This choice possibly adds a folk feel to a jazz song, granting itself representation of a rural background. Another key difference relates to the tempo of the music. “St. James Infirmary” contains improvisations that flow with a slower, “catwalk” approach while “Honeysuckle Rose” captures the audience with its fast, upbeat tempo.  The dominant sound audible during the improvisations is also different between the two pieces. King Oliver always has a trombone adding accompaniment to the melody during improvisations, as well as drums. However, in Count Bessie and His Orchestra’s piece, drums only join an artist during solo improvisations. The use of the trombone during the solos in “St. James Infirmary” gives the listener a deeper blend of brass, yet the listener is still able to distinguish the improvisation from the accompaniment. Overall, while the songs differ in style of spontaneity, both carry upbeat melodies that capture the listener. 

Instrunmental Arrangements of Two Different Songs

In W.C. Handy’s Blues Band, playing St. Louis Blues, the rhythm is lively and the intruments compliments each very well. The trumpet is the main instrument and in the background there is the bass supporting the music with a solid beat. I hear two other intruments filling in while the trumpet is playing. Later in the music, the bass continues and the piano is added to support a soft texture for the voice. Every time the singer stop singing the trumpet comes roaring in with a solo. And in the end, all the instruments start playing all together to finish the song.

In Kansas City Breakdown by Bennie Moten/Woodie Walden, I hear the accordion, piano and value trombone, bass and tuba. In the beginning, the accordion is played with the tuba as the solid beat. As it continues the trumpet comes in while the accordion leaves. Another instrument replaces the trumpet and finally at the end the value trombone comes in. Towards the middle of the song a swaying sound by the trombone and a plucking guitar is heard. All the instruments seem to come and go in order taking turns in their little solo. In the overall music there is a steady beat that keeps the audience tapping their feets and different instruments come in to make the music feeling fresh.

I would say that both songs have layers of instruments that compliments each other very well. In the first song the instruments are more overlapping and seems more complicated than the second song because in the second song the instruments were taking turns playing.

Instrumental Arrangement of Two Songs

The first song that I chose to compare from the “Kansas City & New York Swing” list is Count Basie and His Orchestra’s song “One O’Clock Jump”.  This song begins with a piano solo with a soft combination of a drumbeat in the back round. Then following the piano, the trumpet and perhaps the sound of a trombone chime in. Throughout the song the instruments sound like they let one another have their own solo and try not to play while the other one is playing, except for the sound in the back round which I think is just the drummer keeping the beat. This song has a very nice flow to it and the way the instruments play together makes them seem like they are very polite to one another because they try to let each instrument and each beat be heard. 
The second song I chose from the “Two New Orleans Songs” is W.C. Handy’s Memphis Blues Band song “St. Louis Blues”. This song, unlike the first, sounds like the instruments all want to play at the same time, some louder than others. In the beginning there are very strong sounds coming from a trumpet and what sounds to me like a saxophone. In the middle of this song, when the saxophonist has their solo, the mood of the song changes from very up beat to a little more sad and mellow, this mood is then continued by the trumpet solo. Then the piano comes in with a faster melody and is then accompanied by more trumpets and the mood is shifted to a better “foot tapping” melody again.
 

Different Arrangements of "St James Infirmary" and "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

There are many differences in the instrumental arrangements of Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven’s “St James Infirmary” and Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra’s “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good). While the instrumental arrangement of “St James Infirmary” creates an intense and powerful sound, the arrangement of “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” makes for a soothing and melodic sound. In the arrangement of “St James Infirmary” the instruments begin the song playing in a loud unison but the melody shifts into a lighter sound with other instruments backing up one musician in order to make room for the singing. It is a nice shift in pace for the instruments to slow down and get quieter so the vocalist is not overpowered. The instrumental arrangement of “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” is accompanied by more vocals and therefore, its sound stands out less than that of “St James Infirmary. The highlight of the arrangement in that song is right after the vocals end when there is a instrumental solo of sorts.

Sidney Bechet's "St. Louis Blues" and Count Basie's Orchestra's "Cherokee"

        Sidney Bechet’s “St. Louis Blues” and Count Basie’s Orchestra’s “Cherokee” have many similarities in their instrumental arrangements. Both songs have a constant switch-off between the instruments. There is also a fantastic dualism between the trumpets and clarinets. It is common for the trumpets to have little, syncopated, bursts while the clarinets play a smooth, flowing melody. When this is done, the trombones receive a little bit of attention and are sometimes accompanied by the trumpets in the same, syncopated manner. At other times, while the trumpets and clarinets play prolonged notes, the trombones are in the spotlight while they play a tune. This tune “fills up” a space that would otherwise be filled by only the held-out notes that are being played by the clarinets and trumpets. This constant integration of all instruments throughout the songs keeps the songs very “busy”. Even when a singular instrument, or group of that instrument, has a solo, there is some kind of smooth accompaniment in the background by another instrument. This use of multiple instruments gives both songs a feeling of having many different layers and constituents. There is one part in “Cherokee”, however, when the pianist is given full attention, because all other accompaniment drops out. To keep the songs balanced, the bass and drums form a stable foundation on which the instruments can improvise. The use of all instruments in a busy, upbeat manner reflects the big band aspect of jazz.

Update on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 11:29 AM by KarlaBarahona

Comparing Art Hodes and Sidney Bechet’s Hot Five “St James Infirmary” and Dike Ellington’s “Caravan”

In listening to the recording of “St James Infirmary” by Art Hodes and Sidney Bechet’s Hot Five there are great differences when compared to the recording of “Caravan” by Duke Ellington. In the beginning of “St. James Infirmary,” the saxophone and the trumpet start of in an immediate dialogue between each other improvising short solos that create a mood of soulful emotions. Once the singer is midway through the song, the saxophone begins to emphasize and support the singer’s voice. The saxophone slowly deviates from the rhythm and initiates a solo. The solo of the musician articulates the song to convey a mournful yet up beat emotion to the music. Immediately right after the trumpet joins the saxophone and the dialogue between the two musicians continues to maintain a strong and powerful connection with its audience. By the end of the song the saxophone supports the trumpet that breaks from the rhythm and has a very small solo. In the “Caravan,” the rhythm is noticeably different than that of the “St James Infirmary” as it incorporates more of a Latin jazz rhythm. The recording starts out with the trombone having a solo portraying a calm and mysterious feeling to the song. Abruptly the clarinet breaks into a solo that causes the melody of the song to move in a faster tempo changing the mood of the melody to a happy and cheerful emotion. Following is the Saxophone that helps the recording to remain this up beat rhythm in its solo. The clarinet then improvises in the recording with another solo that contributes to a whining sound that spices up the music. By the end the trombone takes a solo that leads the song to finish off on a soothing and somewhat relaxing melody. The “Caravan” by Duke Ellington clearly has more solos in its recording compared to that of Art Hodes and Sidney Bechet’s Hot Five “St James Infirmary.”

Update on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 10:43 AM by AustenBreen

This is really good commentary. I definitely agree that in Sidney Bechet’s “St. Louis Blues” there is a consistent change up in a predominant instrument. The trumpet always seems to have little bursts here and there. It does seem a little busy in that there are many solo improvisations, but I think it gives each instrument a time to shine!

Evolution of Jazz

For this discussion, I have listened to Kansas City Breakdown by Bennie Moten and St. Louis Blues by W.C Handy. I have noticed that these two songs are very differently.  St. Louis Blues starts of at quite a lower key. St. Louis Blues brass instruments play almost like a march in a low notes, then instruments join in to bring up the melody.  Then it returns to the original low melody and once again back up to the higher melody. During one of the lower portions of the song you can hear a brass instrument interrupt that part and play a scale of higher and higher notes. The instruments play a higher melody (together, but separate) towards the end and the song finishes with a brass instruments “mini” solo.

 Kansas City Breakdown on the other hand starts of in a fu,n toe-tapping melody, with all or most instruments at once.  As the song continues that high melody continues as certain instruments almost take turns being highly prominent, and then join back together, and then after a short while of this pattern, there is a bridge where only the symbols, trombone, and another instrument play a soft melody and then comes back up again with the assistance of a piano, then a sax.  After that all the instruments join together again.  At the end, the brass instruments every couple second play a very high note then come back, and then play a high note and return lower and the instruments come together in the end.

Both songs have instruments playing together but separate parts.  Overall St. Louis Blues seems to have a more melancholy tune, while Kansas City is quite the happy, toe-tapping song.  One of the things that St. Louis Blues did not have compared to Kansas City Breakdown, was a piano, which added another layer to Kansas City. 

WC Handy's "St. Louis Blues" and Bennie Moten's "Hot Water Blues"

WC Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” and Bennie Moten’s “Hot Water Blues”, both considered early jazz and swing, portray different elements of musical layering. WC Handy’s song shows musical diversion, as the sound switches from one of intense, almost battle-like motions of the trumpet and horns to the happy melody of the tune. Bennie Moten’s song switches sounds also, but the mood of the song does not change dramatically as the instruments take turns soloing in the same key. 

Going further into the two songs shows greater difference between these two songs which are both the fundamental strains of jazz. WC Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” begins with a trumpet playing an intense sounding melody, and suddenly the mood changes into a happier sounding song, with horn and string layers creating the bulk of the song. The mood does slip for a second time into an intense battle-like situation between the trumpet and a deeper brass instrument I can’t identify. The two opposite forces comes together again, dropping back into the happy sounding background. The song ends with heavy layering and a single saxophone playing the melody, which is completed by the rest of the instruments. Bennie Mote’s “Hot Water Blues” begins with a happy, bouncing melody that switches to an almost alien-sounding string riff with the strings. After this, a guitar beings soloing, with the layered strings and horns in the background. The solo sounds like simple plucked notes that bounce along on the melody. The guitar solo is followed by a trumpet solo, then a saxophone solo, then a solo by an instrument that sounds like a high-pitched trombone.

St. James Infirmary: Louis vs. Calloway

Cailin Currie

St James Infirmary: Louis vs. Calloway

            By comparing Louis Armstrong’s and Cab Calloway’s arrangements of the St. James Infirmary, one finds clear changes in their instrumental arrangement styles. Armstrong’s arrangement begins with the trumpets leading the melody while another instrument repeats the phrase in a higher range, creating a call and response vibe. This is followed by a piano solo which does not stray very far from the melody and continues without the other instruments during the vocals. When the horns do come back in after the vocals are finished, it appears to be a duet between the trumpets and the sax, with the saxophone playing the melody and the trumpets dancing through it. All in all, there was strictness towards keeping to the melody which gave the arrangement a sense of repetition where each instrument (including voice) seemed to be answering the previous one. Calloway’s version evokes a different overall feel because of the way he uses multiple solo improvisations and freer, more varied vocal phrases. Calloway begins with a trumpet solo, then, as the instruments repeat the phrase, another instrument improvises below it, which is finally followed by an improvisational saxophone solo that slides up and through the melody sporadically. Clearly, this arrangement relies more heavily on improvisation for soloists and also employs more coordinated, complex arrangements of the instruments. The way the horns play off each other and then slide into synchronization creates a complex musical texture. The two artists’ differences in vocal style mirror the differences in instrumental style. Calloway’s manipulation of vocal phrases and willingness to add notes makes his vocals seem forcefully continuous and richly interwoven into the music. Calloway’s arrangement appears to change and evolve more than Louis’ who chose to establish a phrase and then express it repeatedly with slight variations from the different instruments.

Comparison of Sidney Bechet's St. Louis Blues and Caravan By Duke Ellington

In each of these recordings there are noticeably different styles of improvisation being played by the musicians. In Sidney Bechet’s recording of “St. Louis Blues” the soloists improvising use long flowing notes that almost give the effect of a wailing voice, giving the track its own character. I noticed the saxophone soloist started off using long drawn out notes, and finished off with brighter, higher pitched musical expressions. Throughout the recording of St. Louis Blues, there are many solo changes and each change in soloist brings a new feel through their choice of notes and how they express them rhythmically in the form of the song. I noticed when the piano player started improvising he/she started their solo with a very upbeat and energetic feel, while some of the other soloists chose completely different moods for their solos.

In “Caravan” by Duke Ellington all the soloists seem to improvise with the same sort of upbeat feel, driven by the pulse of the bass and sometimes piano. I also noticed that unlike the “St. Louis Blues” soloists, the soloists in “Caravan” structure their improvisation in a similar sounding way to the original verse and sound of the song. I noticed a lot of the soloists used notes and phrases from the original verse of the tune during their improvisation. Even while using similar phrasing to the verse the soloists were able to use different rhythms and expressions to give their improvisation a unique character.

Armstrong's St. James infirmary and Moten's Hot Water Blues

• Although Armstrong and Moten’s songs (St. James Infirmary and Hot Water Blues) both involve a lot of improvisation, their approaches to improvisation differ dramatically.  Armstrong’s song is more rigidly structured and  formalized, reserving the improvisation  for certain points, while Moten’s Hot Water Blues seems to be almost entirely improvised.   Armstrong reserves the improvisation for before and after his singing.  Furthermore, each improvised instrument stands conspicuously at the forefront of the song with little overlapping of improvised instrumentals.  In contrast, the beginning of Hot Water Blues, is characterized by a melange of competing, improvised solos, at times giving the song an almost inharmonious aesthetic.  During other parts of the song, especially the middle, certain instruments are clearly at the forefront.  Towards the end however, these solos seems to be getting edged out by commencement of other instruments, thus returning to the intsrumental overlap the characterizes the first part of the song.  The two songs are similar in that the heavy improvisation occurs during the beginnings and ends of the songs.  There is some consistancy to the middle of each .  In St. James Infirmary, the song is most structured in the middle when Louis Armstrong sings.  There is also more stability in the middle of Hot Water Blues, as certain instruments take the forefront of the song, in contrast to the beginning and ends which are somewhat chaotic. 

Improv Comparison Basie and Armstrong

For this discussion I will be comparing and contrasting improvisation in Louis Armstrong’s version of St. James Infirmary and the improvisation in Count Basie’s One O’Clock Jump.   One of the first things I noticed in St. James Infirmary was the piano’s solo (starting at :40). Although a short solo, the phrasing of the piano followed by the important pausing throughout the solo provided a tension that is hard to miss.  The trombone soloist is using a mute, which darkens the tone of the instrument. His solo consisted of slow “licks” and jumps from the lower range to the higher range, to me this felt as if he was screaming through his horn. The trombonist had a melody at the beginning and was able to use it though out the solo. The entire solo to me felt as if a burden was looming, and was far from leaving.  In One O’Clock Jump a piano improve starts off the song. The tempo is very moderate and the bass/guitar provide for the chord foundations. The feeling of this solo was a happy one. After the piano, the saxophone, trombone, and trumpet all solo, with other sections providing the background. Throughout these solos, the swing feel was definitely present. To me, the song and solos all felt if I would be able to dance to it (a toe tapper).  Between the two songs, the latter was the happy song and the first was the sad song. The reason for this is because during the time these songs were recorded, problems were occurring in New Orleans therefore the mood was somber. In New York however, times were good, and we can easily tell by listening to Basie’s band swing.

'St. Louis Blues' and 'Kansas City Breakdown'

The two songs I decided to compare were ‘St. Louis Blues’ played by Sydney Bechet and ‘Kansas City Breakdown’ by Bennie Moten. ‘St. Louis Blues’ sounds sad in the beginning and starts with a more upbeat feel in the next section. The trumpet plays the lead melody and is the loudest instrument. You can hear the clarinet sing above all the other instruments and it plays to accompany the main melody. It also takes the first solo and starts from a lower strained note. The piano is in the background playing chords and also solos. There is also a trombone (I think) playing almost bended notes giving it more of a sad feel. It has its own melody to accompany the trumpet.

Bennie Moten’s ‘Kansas City Breakdown’ has a more upbeat feeling than ‘St. Louis Blues’. It starts off with the clarinet and a saxophone playing during stop time. You can hear that each part plays a different melody but all fits together. The saxophone is definitely not the loudest instrument in the bunch but it does take the first solo. In this piece you can also hear the clarinet float above all the other instruments. The clarinet in this song sounded like it played more notes in the middle range rather than higher notes like in Sydney Bechet’s ‘St. Louis Blues’. The piano plays mostly chords in the background to accompany the band. The drums keep the upbeat rhythm of the band going.

 

Improv Comparison Basie and Armstrong

For this discussion I will be comparing and contrasting improvisation in Louis Armstrong’s version of St. James Infirmary and the improvisation in Count Basie’s One O’Clock Jump.   One of the first things I noticed in St. James Infirmary was the piano’s solo (starting at :40). Although a short solo, the phrasing of the piano followed by the important pausing throughout the solo provided a tension that is hard to miss.  The trombone soloist is using a mute, which darkens the tone of the instrument. His solo consisted of slow “licks” and jumps from the lower range to the higher range, to me this felt as if he was screaming through his horn. The trombonist had a melody at the beginning and was able to use it though out the solo. The entire solo to me felt as if a burden was looming, and was far from leaving.  In One O’Clock Jump a piano improve starts off the song. The tempo is very moderate and the bass/guitar provide for the chord foundations. The feeling of this solo was a happy one. After the piano, the saxophone, trombone, and trumpet all solo, with other sections providing the background. Throughout these solos, the swing feel was definitely present. To me, the song and solos all felt if I would be able to dance to it (a toe tapper).  Between the two songs, the latter was the happy song and the first was the sad song. The reason for this is because during the time these songs were recorded, problems were occurring in New Orleans therefore the mood was somber. In New York however, times were good, and we can easily tell by listening to Basie’s band swing.

Louis VS. Duke

The two songs I am choosing to write about are “St. James Infirmary” by Louis Armstrong and “Caravan” by Duke Ellington. Starting with Louis Armstrong, in the beginning of the song we start with a Piano solo that sounds a little bit down, there is a lot of space between the notes that gives you a true feeling of loss. Later in the song there is a solo that is played by either a trumpet or a trombone (I’m not sure which) that is played with a mute. The mute makes the notes come out a little muffled and makes them seem more down tempo and sad. The muted solo is played after Louis sings the words about seeing his love dead at St. James Infirmary. This gives you a feeling that he is truly connected to this person unlike the tones played in the folk music of last unit. Moving on to “Caravan” by Duke Ellington, there are a lot of solos in this song. The ones I am going to focus on are much later in the song. About three quarters of the way through you get a saxophone playing a solo. This solo seems a little bit dark with a fair amount of longer drawn out notes. After this you get the solo by a clarinet that makes you realize just how dark the sax was. The clarinet is bouncing all over the place with light and fluffy tones that make you feel in a much better mood. I think that one of the major developments here is that the solo artists actually get to play their instruments in a way that allows them to express how they are feeling in that particular moments. I feel that is the true gift of jazz.

Improvisation in "St. Louis Blues" and "Honeysuckle Rose"

I chose to compare and contrast the musical improvisations between Sidney Bechet’s “St. Louis Blues” and Count Basie’s “Honeysuckle Rose.” I first noticed that in both songs, there were several improvisations done by different instruments. There were solos done by a trumpet, a trombone, a piano, and even a bass. I’m not quite sure but I believe there was a solo done with a saxophone or clarinet. In “St. Louis Blues,” they went through the melody once then broke away with which I believe was a trumpet improvisation. Then the musicians went back into the melody after the solo. After repeating the first melody of the song once, they again broke away from it with back-to-back solos each done by different instruments. In Basie’s “Honeysuckle Rose,” the main instrument was obviously the piano. After a short melody, the pianist immediately goes into the solo followed by what I think is a saxophone improvisation. In “St. Louis Blues,” the mood of the song was sort of a relaxed but still awake kind of mood. It was a song you could slowly bob your head to.The improvisations were clear and kept with the pace of the song. “Honeysuckle Rose” on the other hand made me feel alive and kicking. The fast-paced tempo kept your foot tapping. The improvisations, especially the piano, kept the tempo of the song and maybe even made the song sound a little more difficult.

Kansas City/ St. Louis Blues

I listened to Kansas City Breakdown by Bennie Moten and St. Louis Blue by W.C.Handy. Both of these songs have the instruments playing all at once. Kansas City Breakdown is a more upbeat song, and has a very fun melody. With a lot of instruments it makes a good foot-tapping song. The pattern is this song is very clear, in that all the instruments play at once and then descend and then come back together. The different instruments in this song are the piano, sax, and the trombone. At the end the brass instruments make an appearance and played very low. St. Louis Blues seems to be more of a slower song and Kansas City is a more upbeat song.  St Louis Blues starts off low and then gradually increases its beat. The melody goes through this repetition throughout the song. This song has the brass instrument playing in the background and ends with it.