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by Vasant Pullenayegem

Not surprising! You are likely one of the many lovers of music who may think that Jazz should not even be categorized as music, not unlike many art lovers who despise avant-garde modern art and firmly conclude that modern artists are not true artists at all.

Your disparaging view of Jazz may reasonably stem from the very connotation of the word.

The term jazzy is defined as 'flashy and showy'. Jazz in its earliest stages was known as "good time music". John S. Wilson, an authority on American music made the following observation about Jazz:

"It was a music that stimulated pleasure and accompanied pleasures. It was primarily a music for dancing and since, in its beginnings, it was considered common and vulgar, it had common and vulgar associations".

Even in the 1930s; the American 'Jazz age' the image created by Jazz was not one that appealed to most lovers of serious music. it is therefore understandable why you disapprove of this form of modern music that began in the early 20th Century in Southern U.S.A. and subsequently spread to other parts of that country and then to Europe and beyond. It's very growth then merits some consideration. This music evolved as it grew and acquired maturity and sophistication.

Evolution

Perhaps the term evolution can be more applicable to Jazz than to Darwin's much disputed theory. Evolution, amongst other definitions, is 'the process of opening out or developing; gradual developments; sudden or violent changes'.

An examination of the history of Jazz shows that the above definition of the word evolution could well describe the way jazz has evolved since its beginnings. Significant changes have taken place at different stages in Jazz during its development.

The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English defines Jazz as "popular music first played by Negro groups in Southern U.S.A. in the early 20th Century characterized by improvisation and strong rhythms called traditional Jazz".

The earliest form of Jazz was the New Orleans Jazz that that led to the Dixieland Jazz as white musicians caught on to this popular music in America. A musical genre that had come into existence at that time was 'Ragtime', which was mainly for piano and was characterized by syncopated melodies.

Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton are names associated with this genre. Collective improvisation featured in early forms of Jazz until maestro Louis Armstrong brought solo improvisation to the fore. Armstrong was one of the first virtuoso soloists of Jazz. Lesser known but equally important in Jazz history is Charles "Buddy" Bolden a black cornet player who had already established his credentials when Armstrong was yet a fledgling.

Then the 'Big band' era, also known as the 'Swing era, came into being from the 1920s and continued on into the early 1940s.

Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson were instrumental in this development. Benny Goodman and Glen Miller were band leaders also associated with the 'Swing era'. In time small combos (trio or quartet groups) came to be favoured. The 'Bebop' ear followed with Jazz music becoming increasingly complex.

The preeminently influential musician of this period was saxophonist Charlie Parker. This development led to an explosion of experimentation in Jazz. Trumpeter Miles Davis did much in experimenting with Jazz.

In 1959 Davis combined with pianist Bill Evans and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane in a landmark album - Kind of Blue, which introduced what is called 'modal Jazz'. During this period composer bassist and bandleader Charlie Mingus and alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman independently introduced startling innovations in Jazz improvisation.

Experimentation continues on apace. Jazz came to be viewed as an important art form in the history of music.

This does not mean that Jazz in its infancy was not an art form. Though basic or primitive in nature it was nevertheless an art form, just as much as a cave painting or the art of aboriginal people must be viewed as art even though it may be viewed as primitive.

What makes Jazz special is that it has undergone metamorphoses over the years, reflecting the social conditions that have characterized each passing era. Today Jazz is not primarily music for dancing but music for serious listening, savouring and appreciating. Improvising is yet at the heart of this music form which element was an essential characteristic of Jazz when it began. However the strong rhythms that typified early Jazz may not always be an essential feature of a Jazz rendition today.

Musical modulation is employed in an infinite variety of ways; pace, pitch and power and even silent passages may characterize a lively Jazz performance today. Jazz has developed omnivorous tastes over the many decades since its inception and has learned to creatively draw on oriental and other musical forms belonging to cultures outside North America and Europe. it has not remained static, it has truly changed, developed and matured, just as an infant does as he grows with time and acquired experience.

Many West Asian and Indian cultures have improvisation at the heart of their music which also are characterized by complex rhythms that have been fused with Jazz in later years. South America likewise has a variety of exciting rhythms like the Brazilian Samba that has been absorbed into Jazz as the 'Bossa Nova'.

If you happen to be fond of Western classical music, it must be remembered here that improvisation is not a foreign element in that respected form of music. Distinguished classical composes have developed variations on themes, which in essence are improvisations. Some improvisations were based on simpler folk melodies.

The difference perhaps here is that while an item of classical music that contains improvisations retains its original form whenever it is played, the Jazz performer invariably will re-invent his musical rendition of the original melody each time he performs. What then it required of the Jazz listener is to listen attentively and savour the musicians' and composer's creativity.

On the other hand the classical music listener will savour the genius of the original composer whose improvisation remains unchanged. He would also appreciate the talent and technique of the musician or musicians who render the composition. Whilst it must be recognized that individual soloist sand entire orchestras can render a piece of classical music in a more satisfying manner than other soloists or orchestras, the music score remains unchanged.

With the Jazz improviser or band, only the essence of the original composition or melody is retained, around which meaningful improvisation is crated. Something meriting clarification is that creative Jazz improvisation does not mean always changing the mood of a piece to a jolly one - a popular misconception.

The talented Jazz improviser is able to bring variety within the context of the emotion that the melody is expressing or can change it at will if he is moved to do so. While in many Jazz performances the improvisation is extemporaneous or unrehearsed, this does not necessarily apply to all Jazz presentations.

Many Jazz scores are written in advance and rehearsed, especially passages where groups of musicians have to play together in harmony or unison, with openings for individual soloists to contribute extemporaneous passages. The appeal of Jazz is presently international in scope. India has an annual Jazz festival - 'Jazz Yatra'. Jazz has a following in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, South America, Africa and other regions outside North America and Europe. The wide appeal of Jazz may stem from its essence.

Essence

The repertoire of Jazz is wide as life itself, like most other music. Life, as we know it, it tinged with joy, tears, fears, anger, laughter, depression and the whole gamut of human emotions and experiences. Jazz embraces them all and reflects these when rendered vocally or instrumentally.

Just as jazz has not lost its grip of improvisation which characterised its beginnings, it has always endeavoured to convey the complete range of human emotions. Pertinent here is radio personality Frank Muir's comment on Jazz in his most absorbing and very informative book "An Irreverent and Thoroughly Incomplete Social History of Almost Everything":

Jazz... began as the home-made music of plantation workers in the New Orleans area and came in two varieties: sad and cheerful. It detailed the woes of human existence in the music of the 'blues' and it celebrated life with up-beat entertainment music - raucous, rhythmic and inventive."

The black musicians and singers in the New Orleans area had their ancestral roots in Africa, with its own musical traditions. The plantation workers became African-American in their new circumstances with exposure to Western music and its musical instruments.

The music they created was an amalgam of Western and African musical traditions and was the consequence of their social circumstances. The content of their music and song stemmed from their experiences as workers on the cotton plantations.

Marches, Hymns, Spirituals and Blues featured in their repertoire. 'Blues' as a form and style most likely appeared in the 1890s after slavery had effectively ended; it preceded Jazz as an art form and is an integral part of Jazz. Freedom had not essentially changed the material conditions of the majority of African-Americans who lived and worked in the plantation areas of Southern USA.

The generation born outside slavery developed a new music that accurately reflected their world view and the social situations in which they lived. Blues lyrics were not invariably sad as the name of this genre suggests. Blues lyrics covered themes related to romantic relationships, the work place, racism and other aspects of day to day living.

'Blues' related to inner feelings and were characterised by direct emotional expression, making the music and songs earthy and relevant. An occasional wail or shout may be interjected in the blues singer's rendition of a song. Similar interjections would characterise non-vocal passages rendered by Jazz musicians when they played their solo parts with the band.

The African roots of the plantation workers were evident in the strong percussive element in primitive Jazz. As explained the raucous and rhythmic characteristics of early Jazz have undergone considerable adjustment over the past century, yet its inventiveness remains and its purpose is unchanged, which is to convey through music - human experiences and emotions.

It is relevant here to touch on Jazz singing and singers. Bessie Smith was possible the most important of the classic 'blues' singers. Others rooted in the 'blues' tradition appeared on the Jazz scene and widened the scope of Jazz vocals.

Louis Armstrong's phrasing of words in a song is an excellent example of creativity in Jazz vocalising. Billie Holliday was another who must be mentioned, because she had the amazing ability to movingly convey the deep emotions of the songs she sang, especially the blues. More than voice quality, it was the creative art of singing that made Armstrong and Holliday remarkable.

Louis Armstrong popularised 'scat' singing (wordless vocalising) that came to be a characteristic feature of Jazz and his female counterpart, who excelled in this feature that required inventiveness and an acute music sense, was Ella Fitzgerald. Creative expression of human emotion is the quintessence of Jazz. Frank Muir explains that early jazzmen "would begin with a simple melody line or chord sequence and from there take off into virtuoso flights of extempore invention, each to his own talent". Whether expressed instrumentally or vocally, Jazz was a creative medium by which inventive exponents of music could express themselves.

Respected exponents of serious music have been fascinated by Jazz. The renowned classical music violinist, Yehudi Menuin was enamoured by the French Jazz violinist Stephane Grappely's improvisational talents and recorded more than one Jazz album with him. The conductor and musician Andre Previn was another who was at home in both classical and Jazz environments.

Ravi Shankar, the famed exponent of Indian music on Sitar, has recorded several albums with Jazz performers. One can understand why creative musicians and composers of other musical persuasions could be attracted to Jazz because of the opportunity it affords for extempore invention which is self-stimulating; inspirational and fulfilling.

Perhaps you, though a lover of classical music or other musical form, may now feel motivated to listen to some good Jazz music with a friend who can guide you. If your do become enamoured with this art form you will not remain static as an aficionado, you will move on forward as Jazz continues to evolve.

The future of Jazz is most exciting, because it is unpredictable. Jazz has undergone metamorphoses within the past century to embrace musical cultures far removed from its home base in New Orleans.

Just as the original Jazz was the product of the unique cultural melting pot which came out of a set of circumstances - historical, social and musical, which will never be identically repeated, it can keep evolving as new sets of circumstances arise and be relevant to the society that generates it, growing and expanding into infinity. The world of Jazz is yours to explore, experience and savour.

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