Why did the Jazz era start? Well, African Americans have been showing more interest in African American folk culture and black history. This leads to talented writers, painters, and musicians in their conquest of African American folk culture. The Jazz era wasn't just about musicians, but also about painters and writers. The Jazz era though did leave a stamp on African American jazz bands. [http://www.bfasta.net/assets/files/departments/social-studies/jmoulton/US%20History/1920sNewsletter3.pdf;page 17]
Benny Goodman (to the left) was one of the first to ever mix the band between races. This was the next step of stop racism between African Americans and Americans.
The African Americans were the first ever to play something like jazz. The Americans adopted this idea and gave new ideas to it. Benny Goodman though was the first to come up with swing style to the music. Swing style is still most commonly used today. The difference in swing and regular style of music is that it gives the notes more of a tone, melody and rhythm. Listen to a concert band piece, then listen to a jazz band piece. Also the notes scales are different than regular band. Instead of using all the notes that you can play, in jazz band you play a portion of the notes for a more rhythmic style of music. Another aspect they did in jazz band was make solos or make up solos when your playing. According to Dirk Sutro, in Jazz for Dummies, he stated the musicians, "Never Played the Same Way Once." We call this improvising when you play freely without notes. Solos are one of the biggest parts of playing jazz band music. Duke Ellington also stated "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."
You'll notice in these YouTube videos, there are no solos played in concert band, but there are some in the jazz band song.
Watch these clippings below and you'll understand the different styles between the two.
The African Americans were the first ever to play something like jazz. The Americans adopted this idea and gave new ideas to it. Benny Goodman though was the first to come up with swing style to the music. Swing style is still most commonly used today. The difference in swing and regular style of music is that it gives the notes more of a tone, melody and rhythm. Listen to a concert band piece, then listen to a jazz band piece. Also the notes scales are different than regular band. Instead of using all the notes that you can play, in jazz band you play a portion of the notes for a more rhythmic style of music. Another aspect they did in jazz band was make solos or make up solos when your playing. According to Dirk Sutro, in Jazz for Dummies, he stated the musicians, "Never Played the Same Way Once." We call this improvising when you play freely without notes. Solos are one of the biggest parts of playing jazz band music. Duke Ellington also stated "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."
You'll notice in these YouTube videos, there are no solos played in concert band, but there are some in the jazz band song.
Watch these clippings below and you'll understand the different styles between the two.
Swing
Musicians from New Orleans are now moving North to Chicago because musicians were thrown out of work by city officials. A famous musician, Louis Armstrong, moved to Chicago to join the King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Many white bands moved to Chicago and the local Chicago bands had to compete with the new New Orleans's bands moving here. What it came down to was the top soloist became the top in Chicago. But why was Chicago the hub for musicians? Well once the 18th Amendment passed, bars or speakeasies still challenged the Constitution. Musicians could play in these speakeasies to entertain and attract young adults. Benny Goodman played in these groups and was the creator of the swing sound. According to John Edward Hasse in The First Century, Swing is a style that "affirmed the joys of dance, music, and youthful courtship; of risk-taking improvisation;" So swing refers to dancing to the music sometimes like the song In The Mood (the first video on this page). Benny Goodman also became the King Of Swing. Large audiences showed up to hear him play his crazy clarinet solos plus his popular songs. He almost had a dozen top ten hits[The History of Jazz]. Louis Armstrong also benefited from this era. He started making solos and made them better and better.