Jazz and American Music: Connections

No matter the vehemence with which we stick to genre labels, they will always break down at some point to yield a reality that is in fact rich with musical and aesthetic overlap. Jazz is no exception to the rule; one can observe jazz artists playing music that defies genre, and non­jazz artists drawing inspiration and even collaborations from the rich spectrum that jazz has to offer. The educators who visited UCLA last spring quarter to perform a Herb Alpert School of Music survey even had remarks on this topic. They recognized that jazz is a “fertile field” to draw from when making and studying music.

We know what jazz is: a syncretic blend of African American and European aesthetic sensibilities created by African Americans in the Southern United States at the turn of the 20th century. But what constitutes “American” music? A simplistic definition would be simply music written or played by

American born musicians and composers. This definition does not suffice, however. As we will see,

American music is much more. We will also see that the influence of jazz on non­jazz music goes in both directions.

Musicians as early as the classically trained Scott Joplin were using their classical upbringing to create new music. Joplin employed his understanding of classical song form and his knowledge of John

Philip Sousa’s music to write ragtime tunes that utilized derivative devices. He often wrote in long forms such as AABBACCC, but used others. His rags were often a mix of through composed and improvised. His piece “Maple Leaf Rag” was hugely popular at the time, and is now considered part of the American canon in the same manner that Mozarts’ minuets and Brahms’ waltzes are now considered genres unto themselves. Joplin’s classical background gives us an early indirect link between classic American ragtime and jazz history, ragtime being a predecessor to jazz music. A more direct link exists in Louis Armstrong’s synthesis of classical phrases and execution into his playing. During the opening cadenza of the Hot Five recording of “West End Blues” Armstrong plays motifs from a variety of traditions: blues, swing, and, most interestingly, classical etudes. He plays an ascending arpeggio in triplets that jazz historian Gunther Schuller suspects came from Armstrong’s early trumpet instruction.

This is a prime example of the reinterpretation that scholar Cheryl Keyes believes is an integral part of all African American music. In this case, that comes in the form of Armstrong taking a classical phrase and putting it alongside blues licks. Joplin and Armstrong are two early figures who represent how

European classical music was being infused into the newly birthed genre that we now call jazz.

Duke Ellington is a critically important figure in the expansion of jazz as an American art form.

As early as 1931 he was writing music that utilized extended forms. The most notable early example of this was his suite “Black Brown and Beige” written in 1943 as a “tone parallel” (a term of Ellington’s meant to mirror the European “tone poem”) that reflected the African American’s progression from slavery to sharecropping to the Harlem Renaissance. It was debuted at Carnegie Hall in early 1943 to mixed critical reception. It was however an important time in jazz history, a time when Ellington was attempting to establish his music as “African American music” not to fall under the “jazz” label. This insistence on a seemingly minor semantic difference is actually quite important. His point was that, first of all, the term “jazz” can’t possibly describe the many subgenres and variations that exist within the genre, but also that he wanted his music to be taken as seriously as classical music was taken. He wanted to demonstrate that African American music could hold its own as a legitimate art form and not merely throwaway entertainment. The fact that Ellington was employing extended forms as well was revolutionary for a so­called “jazz” composer. By using long forms of his own creation he was demonstrating that music with a swing beat could transcend the boundaries typically associated with it.

He was frustrated by being pigeonholed into one classification. Ellington had a clear vision and purpose to his orchestra’s music. He wanted to create “African American classical music.” He wanted to write music that belonged to African Americans and not just mainstream white America. Insodoing he helped develop what we now know as “American” music.

George Gershwin is a notable American composer who was very much influenced by the jazz sounds he grew up hearing, but a lesser known jazz enthusiast is Igor Stravinsky. Both of these important “classical” composers utilized note choices typically associated with jazz music to create music that was truly “American,” American in origin in Gershwin’s case, American in influence in

Stravinsky’s case. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is a prime example of how the composer was drawn to jazz aesthetics. The “blue” referenced in the title manifests itself in notes from the minor pentatonic scale as well as chromatic non­chord tones that are commonly found in jazz performances. The most famous motif from the piece uses a minor third followed by a major third a half step above it followed by the root. This three note combination is common in jazz but not in classical music. It lends a distinctively bluesy sound to the piece and establishes a mood. This combination of notes is common in

American blues, but until Gershwin recontextualized it, was not heard in a classical setting. “Rhapsody in

Blue” put blues in a new context and is now a distinctively “American” composing; it could only have been influenced by the American blues. The fact that George Gershwin was of Jewish heritage and was writing music influenced by African Americans is also uniquely American, because this is a country where cultures intermingle endlessly.

The blues fed directly into jazz, which in turn fed into rhythm and blues, as well as rock and roll.

This is not generally not emphasized enough in the history books. It would not be an overstatement to say that the Beatles could not exist were it not for blues pioneers like Robert Johnson as well as influential early Rhythm & Blues artists like Big Joe Turner and Louis Jordan. Rock and Roll borrowed not only instrumentation, but also musical and lyrical content from early R&B. This happened in both direct and less obvious indirect ways. Vocal styling in blues and R&B is one important element that found its way into rock and roll. The growling quality that was favored by African American singers was diametrically opposed to the clarity that was historically favored by white classical and even folk singers.

One notable tune from this era was Chuck Berry’s “Roll over Beethoven.” Not only were the Beatles big fans of Berry’s, but they even covered the song on their album With the Beatles. The Beatles were likely more palatable to white audiences because they struck a balance between the gruffness of early blues singers and the cleanness of white pop music. There are of course many other elements that made the Beatles so hugely popular, such as their incredible skill as songwriters, but they do owe much of their success to African American musicians of the early 20th century. In fact, all American music does.

In some ways, the connection between jazz and the rest of American music has more to do with an artist’s concept of music making than the actual music itself. The Dirty Projectors are a group that exemplify the open mindedness that jazz music represents but who play in more of an Indie Rock style.

They play music that defies classification, incorporating elements of jazz harmony, African rhythmic concepts, Balkan vocal harmonies, and rock and roll. They are an archetypical modern group in the sense that they embrace all of their musical interests and combine them into their original music. One sees the same pattern in contemporary “jazz” artists. Musicians like “jazz” pianist Gerald Clayton is an artist of diverse tastes. His father is a straight­ahead composer arranger and bassist named John

Clayton, so Gerald has that influence, but he also grew up at a time when the popular music on the radio was hip­hop and rap. When he writes original music, he collaborates with like minded people who have synthesized their various tastes as listeners into unique playing styles. Clayton’s compositions include elements of jazz harmony, but they are decidedly modern, with syncopated hits, grooving backbeats, and certainly elements of hip­hop. For fear of sounding cliche, his music sounds fresh and new. He masterfully combines his influences of musicians from the past into something new. Clayton is but one example of many contemporary jazz artists who are creating music in this vein. It is more rare to hear a modern jazz artist playing exclusively music that “swings” in the traditional sense of the word. Some other young artists who are playing jazz informed by the music they grew up with (hip­hop, rock and roll, and indie rock) include Derrick Hodge, UCLA alumnus Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, and

Robert Glasper. Herbie Hancock is also an example of an artist who has used his jazz roots to create an incredibly diverse array of jazz­influenced music across all genres. What do we call this if not

“American” music?

As we have seen over the course of the past 100 years, jazz and its derivative genres have been an integral part of the fabric of American music, both influencing and being influenced by other genres.

Jazz has not only caught the ears of some of the world’s most famous and celebrated classical composers (George Gershwin, Igor Stravinsky, as well as Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy) but has also included elements of classical music from the very beginning, as evidenced by the great Louis

Armstrong’s early improvisations and early classically trained ragtime pianists like Scott Joplin. I made a special point to discuss how jazz influenced R&B and, in turn, rock and roll in the 50’s and 60’s. We have also seen how jazz embraces an open minded philosophy that makes its musicians prone to collaborating, and how in an indirect way jazz is a mindset that can influence open minded music making

(such as in the case of the Dirty Projectors.) Jazz is so important to American music as a whole that one can not even begin to describe music in the United States without talking about it. Jazz is described as

America’s only original art form. This is debatable, but it does approach an understanding of the importance of this great musical tradition and its offspring, which came from the blues and the struggles of African Americans.

Works Cited

Berlin, Edward. "Ragtime". The Grove Music Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2009­06­29.

Brent, David (February 6, 2008). "Jump For Joy: Duke Ellington’s Celebratory Musical | Night Lights Classic Jazz – WFIU Public Radio". Indianapublicmedia.org. Retrieved December 31, 2011.

Newton, James. “Ethno C122A/222A Lecture ” PowerPoint presentation. Schoenberg Hall, Los Angeles, CA. May 2012