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JazzWorks ... Pass It On

Jazz Heritage: The Blues

From Shirley Judkins, Originator of Jazz Works….Pass it On!

THE BLUES: 1900’s – 1920’s

Like Ragtime, the Blues was an important influence on the development of Jazz.  An expressive, mainly vocal tradition, blues songs expressed the stories and emotions of African-Americans at the beginning of the 20th century. The blues were not only a type of music, but a state of mind and way of life during this time.

Blues songs usually include words which form a 3-line stanza. The 1st line is sung twice, the 3rd line rhymes with the first 2 lines (aab form). The melody is performed over a 12-bar chord progression consisting of three chords: I-IV-V.

The distinct sound of the blues melody is in large part due to the use of notes outside the major scale, called “blue notes.”  

    Usually blues vocalists accompanied themselves on the guitar or sang with instrumental accompaniment of guitar, piano, harmonica, or sometimes homemade instruments. (or some known as Jug Bands)

BLUES MUSICIANS:  W.C. Handy (cornet), Ma Rainey, vocal,

Bessie Smith, vocal

     The music had a steady, often upbeat  tempo,  4/4 meter, and rhythms performed in an exaggerated triplet swing style.  The tuba or string bass plays on the 1st and 3rd beats of each measure, and the banjo or piano plays  chords on beats 2 and 4.  This is known as “two-beat” style and sounds similar to ragtime.  Other instruments of the ensemble play melodies and countermelodies simultaneously,  and sometimes trade “4’s” and “8’s”  while taking turns playing solos.

DIXIELAND MUSICIANS:  Louis Armstrong, trumpet, Jelly Roll Morton piano, Bix Beiderbecke,  Trumpet, Kid Ory, trombone, Sidney Bechet, Clarinet, King Oliver, bandleader and trumpeter

Did You Know? Most Blues were performed with a vocalist.  Blues  performed on the trumpet or saxophone, for example, often imitated the vocal effects of blues singers by bending pitches, rasping, and recreating the growl of the voice.

Dixieland >>

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