Chapter 81

Harlem in the 1930s, 1940s, and

1950s: Big Bands, Bebop,

and Cool Jazz

Jazz In Harlem

• In the 1920’s and 1930’s Harlem became the world’s capital of jazz.

• Musicians from all other centers of jazz (New York, Chicago, Kansas City) migrated there.

• A native group of pianists explored a type of post-ragtime playing style called “stride”– loosely based on the model of the

ragtime.

Big Bands• In the late 1920’s, Harlem experienced the

development of “big bands”

• Numbering some 14 or 15 players

• Were divided into – choirs of trumpets, trombones, saxophones

– rhythm section typically consisting of piano, drums, bass, and guitar

• Led to a new style marked by impulsive energy called swing – this dominated jazz into the 1940’s.

• Dance took on a standard form based on a theme followed by soloistic variations– usually based on a blues melody or the chorus

section of a popular song

Characteristics of Big Band Music

of the 1930s• instruments: choirs of reeds, trumpets,

trombones, rhythm, voice (optional)

• limited role of improvisation

• repartee between sections

• heavy and strict 4/4 beat in drums

• popular songs (jazz standards) usually serve as basic melodic material

• variations forms

The Life of Edward (“Duke”) Ellington (1899–1974)

• 1923 - moves to New York with the band “The Washingtonians”

• 1927-31 - leads his own big band at Harlem’s Cotton Club

• 1932 - tours, records, and appears in films

• 1974 - dies in New York

Principal Compositions of Duke Ellington and his Collaborators

• Band arrangements include:– Mood Indigo– In Don’t Mean a Thing– In a Sentimental Mood– Cotton Tail– Ko-Ko– Satin Doll– Take the A Train (with Billy Strayhorn)

• Large musical compositions include Black, Brown and Beige and numerous suites

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, “Take the A Train,” 1941

Variations form

Bepop

• The big bands lost popularity shortly after WW II– and their place was taken by a

more experimental style called bebop.

• This type of music was:– played by a small combo of instruments

– it was extremely fast in tempo

– it was based on virtuosic improvisations that were largely freed from pre-existing melody and its harmonies.

Characteristics of Bebop

• small combos

• heightened role of improvisation

• fast tempos, beat kept mainly by walking bass

• forms: variations upon pre-existing harmonic patterns

The Life of Charlie Parker (1920–1955)

• 1920 - born in Kansas City

• 1940 - tours and records with several dance bands

• 1945 - leads his own New York band; moves to Los Angeles

• 1947 - recordings establish bebop as a style

• 1955 - dies in New York

Principal Works of Charlie Parker

and his Collaborators• Recordings include:

– Koko– Bluebird– Parker’s Mood– Ornithology

Charlie Parker, “Koko,” 1945

Variations form

Cool Jazz

• A branch of bebop popular in the 1950’s was “cool jazz”

• The mood of cool jazz is:–relaxed and homogeneous–moderate tempos–calm dynamics

The Life of Miles Davis (1926–1991)

• 1926 - born in St. Louis

• 1944 - moves to New York

• 1948 - forms his own bop combos

• 1968 - experiments with fusions of jazz and

rock

• 1991 - dies in Santa Monica, CA

Principal Works of Miles Davis and his Collaborators

• Recordings include:– Boplicity– ‘Round about Midnight– Someday My Prince Will Come– Seven Steps to Heaven– My Funny Valentine– Miles Smiles– In a Silent Way

Miles Davis, “Boplicity,” 1949

Variations form