the depth of the musical talent that been developing quietly for so Name many in years in African-American communities.

Another feature of jazz was the use of brass instruments. The sounds of shining trumpets and slide trombones were heard everywhere jazz Jazz - All American Music was played. The muffled sound of a trumpet or a trombone played with a mute became a characteristic of jazz music. By Sharon Fabian There were jazz soloists, there were small jazz bands called combos, It was the latest thing. Americans and then there were big bands. Big bands were large jazz orchestras loved it, and soon, so did people all that played dance music. Band leaders like Duke Ellington, Count over the world. The brassy, bluesy Basie, and others brought the style of music and dance known as sound of jazz was a truly American swing to America. creation; some even say that it was the only truly American art form. One of the most famous big band leaders was Duke Ellington. Ellington was one of jazz's greatest musicians; he was a bandleader, a Even though jazz seemed brand new in piano player, and a composer. Many of the most famous jazz titles the 1920's, it had actually been were Duke Ellington songs. He wrote "Sophisticated Lady," "Take the developing over many years. In the A Train," and "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." early 1900's, African-American blues along with music from other traditions Big band music had to be arranged for many instruments playing combined with a New Orleans style of together at the same time, but it still featured improvised solos too. band music played for funeral processions. The result of that This combination of arranged music combined with improvisation combination was a brand new sound - jazz. continued even after the end of the big band era. In the 1940's a style of jazz known as cool jazz developed. Cool jazz was carefully New Orleans was home to some of the original Jazz masters. Louis arranged like big band music, but once again like in the early days of Armstrong - the famous jazz trumpet player, Jelly Roll Morton - the jazz, it was played by smaller jazz combos. Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie famous pianist, and Joe "King" Oliver - the famous cornet player all Parker, Thelonius Monk, and Miles Davis were all famous musicians called New Orleans home. from the cool jazz era. Many of Miles Davis' greatest songs were released together in an album, "The Birth of the Cool." Louis Armstrong was applauded for his trumpet and cornet playing and for his famous, gravely singing voice. In the 1920's, he played in In the 1950's, jazz became even more experimental, trying new scales King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Jelly Roll Morton was a great jazz and new ways of combining sounds. The 1970's brought fusion, a composer as well as a piano player. combination of jazz and rock. Modern day jazz features a variety of styles. Some artists go back to the early sounds. Some like to From New Orleans, jazz made its way up the Mississippi River. It experiment with new sounds. landed in Chicago. Soon Chicago became the place to go to hear the best and the latest music - the syncopated, changing-with-the-moment No wonder jazz has remained popular for so long! It is often sound of jazz. Jazz soon spread from Chicago to other major cities considered one of America's greatest cultural achievements. It across the country. expresses the creativity, the freedom, and the spirit of America. Jazz is an American phenomenon. It is also a showcase of some of the One common feature of jazz everywhere was improvisations. Soloists skills and talents nurtured in African-American communities from took center stage to play their own variations on whatever piece of their earliest days. music the band was performing. Individual musicians were given the chance to show off not just their playing skills, but also their skills at composing on the spot. Jazz gave the rest of America a chance to see 6. In the 1950's ______. Name A. jazz was no longer played B. new styles of jazz were being played C. jazz was replaced by classical music as the popular favorite Jazz - All American Music D. big bands were very popular Questions 7. A combination of jazz and rock music is called ______. A. rap 1. Jazz music began ______. B. the big band sound A. in 1920 C. fusion B. suddenly D. blues C. gradually 8. This word means variations within a piece of music created by D. in 1900 the performer on stage. 2. Duke Ellington was a ______. A. jazz A. painter B. improvisations B. novelist C. phenomenon C. dancer D. arrangement D. musician 3. Duke Ellington was a ______. If you were the leader of a big band, like Duke Ellington, and had a A. big band leader chance to play dance music for a big event, what style of music would B. composer you choose to play? Name a few of the songs that you would choose C. pianist for your band to play. Why would you choose this type of music and D. all of the above these songs? 4. Louis Armstrong played ______. A. piano B. trumpet C. trombone D. none of the above 5. There is one city that is often considered the birthplace of jazz. From the information in the article, you can infer that that city is ______. A. New Orleans B. Mississippi C. Chicago D. New York Jazz musicians, like Louis Armstrong, were masters of improvisation. Name Improvisation is music created on the spot by the musician. It must be original, but also fit in with the piece of music being played. What skills do you think a musician would need to have to be good at improvisation?