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Jazz Style and Articulation: How to Get Your Band or Choir to Swing Jerry Tolson Music Educators Journal 2012 99: 80 DOI: 10.1177/0027432112449020

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Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 by Jerry Tolson Style and Articulation How to Get Your Band or Choir to Swing

Abstract: The interpretation of jazz style is crucial to the element of swing in any jazz ensem- ble performance. Today, many charts for both large and small instrumental and ensembles are well marked with articulations and expression markings. However, in some cases, there is nothing to guide the musician. This article addresses some common jazz articu- lations and style situations and provides a set of guidelines to help instructors and students decide how to treat notes and rhythms in swing style. Use of these concepts can help an ensemble sound more authentic and can help students better understand jazz articulations and styles. “It don’t mean a Keywords: articulation, education, ensemble, jazz, pedagogy, rhythm, swing thing if it ain’t got

that swing,” said n some ways, the concept of swing is the Williams was asked to define it, he joked, Irving Mills and Duke Holy Grail of jazz.1 It is the foundation of all “Define it? I’d rather tackle Einstein’s theory!”6 Ijazz performances. Even if the piece is not Scholar Jeff Pressing defined it more academi- Ellington in 1932. It’s specifically in the traditional swing style, the cally as a phenomenon of carefully aligned still true today, and sense of propulsive rhythmic feel or “groove” concurrent rhythmic patterns characterized created by the musical interaction between by a subdivision structure relative to a percep- you can help your the performers is still referred to as the swing tion of recurring pulses, which is to say that ensemble learn factor.2 Indeed, Mark Gridley uses this con- it is a matter of how the beat is played and cept as one of the definitions of swing in his subdivided.7 to do it better. jazz history and styles textbook.3 As a per- The interpretation of jazz style is crucial formance technique, swing has been called to the element of swing in any jazz ensemble “the most debated word in jazz.”4 The Jazz in performance. Today, many written arrange- America glossary defines it as “when an indi- ments for both large and small jazz ensem- vidual player or ensemble performs in such a bles are clearly marked with articulations rhythmically coordinated way as to command and expression markings. However, in some a visceral response from the listener (to cause cases, there is nothing to guide the instructor feet to tap and heads to nod); an irresistible or student. This article addresses some of the gravitational buoyancy that defies mere ver- articulation and style situations commonly bal definition.”5 When jazz performer Cootie found in jazz music. These situations can be Copyright © 2012 National Association for Music Education Jerry Tolson is a professor of jazz studies and music education at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. He can be DOI: 10.1177/0027432112449020 http://mej.sagepub.com contacted at [email protected].

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Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 generalized into a set of guidelines that performers. Much progress has been can be used to guide decisions regarding made in the standardization of jazz mark- Select Discography of the treatment of notes and rhythms in ings and articulations in published jazz Jazz Recording the swing style of the jazz idiom. Armed material by the Music Publishers Asso- for Students with this set of general guidelines, your ciation and organizations such as the ensemble will find it easier to sound National Association for Music Educa- Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, more stylistically accurate and authentic. tion (NAfME), the International Associa- vols. 1–3 (Sony, 1987). and , Town The ultimate goal of this article is to pro- tion for Jazz Education (now disbanded), Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 vide useful tips for helping your students 8 and the Jazz Education Network. Still, it (Uptown UPCD 27.51, 2005). understand jazz articulation and style. must be remembered that because jazz The Genius of Charlie Parker (Savoy MG Jazz encompasses many styles— has its roots in the aural traditions of 12014, 1992). A multiple-CD set also from to swing to African American culture, the printed titled The Genius of Charlie Parker and fusion. Anecdotal evidence page merely approximates the ultimate was released in 2005. from adjudicators and directors indicates sound. What happens in the actual per- Charlie Parker, Yardbird in Lotus Land that by far, the most challenging element formance is far more crucial than what (Spotlite [E] SPJ 123, 1945). for both instrumentalists and vocalists to is on the printed page. The most effi- Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy interpret is the swing style common to cient way to become familiar with jazz Studio Sessions (Savoy SJL 5500, both big band swing and bebop. Much articulation is to listen to recordings of 1944). of today’s printed jazz music is based the music being played by master solo- The Quintet, (Debut on performance practices established ists and ensembles and to emulate what DEB 124, 1953). in the big band and bebop eras of the they do as closely as possible. Most stu- , Sonny Side Up, with Dizzy Gillespie and (Verve 1930s and 1940s. In the swing styles of dents in today’s world no longer have MGV-8262, 1958). jazz, what you see on the page is only an ready access to hearing this music live or Sonny Stitt, The Champ (Muse MR 5023, approximation of what actually sounds on the radio, but through modern digi- 1974). when the music is performed. It should tal technology and the Internet, access to , Night at Birdland, vol. 1 (Blue be noted that jazz, from its inception, vintage performances is rapidly increas- Note 32146, 1954). has always been a performer’s and an ing. Listening, therefore, is crucial to suc- Ken Burns Jazz, Definitive Count Basie arranger’s music rather than a compos- cessfully and authentically playing jazz (Verve 549090, 2000). er’s music. Thus, interpretations of style in the swing style. Please refer to the jazz Count Basie, Basie Straight Ahead (Verve have varied from individual to individual discography sidebar for a representative 822, 1967). and from band to band throughout the listening list of artists, bands, and vocal Ken Burns Jazz, Definitive Art Blakey course of the history of the music. This groups. (Verve 549089, 2000). makes generalizations about stylistic Likewise, singing is very effective Ken Burns Jazz, Definitive Duke Ellington performance even more challenging. for the internalization of the swing feel (Legacy 61444, 2000). The repertoire of present-day instru- and style. If the rhythm cannot be ver- Woody Herman, Woody’s Gold Star (Concord 4330, 1987). mental school jazz ensembles often balized using syllables that approximate Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Central consists of vintage charts from the librar- the desired articulation, the performance Park North (Blue Note 76852, 1969). ies of the Count Basie, Duke Ellington, will never be truly authentic. The history The Complete and Louis Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton bands of jazz has long documented the symbi- Armstrong on Verve (Verve, [1956] as well as originals by a host of talented otic relationship of the voice and instru- 1997). young composers and arrangers. While ments in jazz. ’s singing Ella Fitzgerald, The Best of the school vocal jazz ensembles have not is a direct extension of how and what Songbooks (UMG, 1993). been around for quite as long, the reper- he plays on his horn and vice versa. Lis- Ella and Basie! (Verve, 1963). toire for these groups is populated with ten to the example of him singing and Manhattan Transfer, Bop Doo-Wopp great arrangements of jazz classics— playing on “Hotter than That” (from the (Atlantic, 1983). songs from great vocal groups, such as Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, Manhattan Transfer, Vocalese (Atlantic, the trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross; volume 1). A combination of long and 1985). The Manhattan Transfer; the Hi-Los; short syllables, such as doo, dah, day, Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, and New York Voices—as well as origi- ba, da, va, daht, dow, and dit, are some Everybody’s Boppin’ (Sony, 1959). The Real Group, Jazz: Live (Gazell nals by talented writers in this genre. of the staples of the vocal vocabulary Records AB, 1996). Attempts have been made to codify that helped him create the appropriate The Real Group, Unreal! (Town Crier the style and articulation used by most articulations. These syllables, known Recordings, 1995). players. These codification efforts have as scat syllables, can help students ver- New York Voices, New York Voices (GRP, been undertaken to make the music balize rhythmic figures that they can 1989). more accessible to students and younger then transfer to their instruments. Even www.nafme.org 81

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 for singers and nonwind instrumental- ists, the verbalization of such syllables FIGURE 1 will enhance the swing factor of a per- Swing Eighth Note Patterns former’s technique. For singers, this is true when performing lyrics or scatting. To be sure, there are as many different scat syllables used by jazz artists as there are jazz performers. Comparison listen- ing to scat solos by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and will demonstrate the wide variety of scat syl- lables that jazz performers use. Although FIGURE 2 the previously mentioned syllables are Swing Eighth Articulation Pattern not the only ones used to indicate jazz articulations, they have been selected to offer a basic set of syllables that will pro- vide accuracy and consistency for your students. These syllables are typically used in the following manner: x Doo is used for long sounds that occur on downbeats. The articulation symbol used is (–). x Day or dah is used for accented FIGURE 3 long sounds on either downbeats or Scale Articulation Pattern—Slow to medium tempo upbeats (>). x Va, da, or ba is typically used on unac- cented upbeats (no symbol is used). x Daht is used for accented short sounds, whether downbeats or upbeats (^). x Dit is used for unaccented short notes (.). x Dn is used for notes that are ghosted overriding principle is that “all eighth to indicate that the eighth notes should or swallowed. These notes are often notes are not created equal.” Remem- be swung. Any or all of the rhythms in designated by an X on the staff in bering this so-called Jazz Bill of Rights Figure 1 may be used to indicate swing place of the notehead or a notehead is effective in performing the music eighth notes. in parentheses. more authentically.9 Through the use of Practicing eighth notes with the x Dow is used for notes that are followed accents and an underlying subdivision middle syllable of the triplet silently by a fall—a descending glissando to that, depending on the tempo, lies some- articulated, but not verbalized, will help an undefined ending pitch (\). where between the triplet feel of 12/8 develop your students’ style (Figure 2). x Doo-dle-da is used to articulate time and the exact even subdivision of Keep in mind that both instrumental- eighth-note triplets. rock music, the jazz performer can cre- ists and vocalists can utilize this exercise Keep in mind that the articulation ate that ever-elusive swing groove. Also as well as all of the other articulation symbols are not always used in the sheet crucial to the groove is the importance guidelines. music. Also note that accented short of swinging the rests as well as the notes. It is equally important that the stu- notes use a different syllable than unac- A performance where the notes are dent think of the upbeat notes resolving cented short notes and are, as a result, swung but the rests are not swung is just to the downbeat. Using a legato articu- played slightly longer, or as one would as inadequate as one where the notes are lation with slightly more emphasis on say in the jazz vernacular, “fat” or “phat.” not swung. the upbeat will connect the upbeat to The notes are still short, but they have The swing feel in moderate to slower the next downbeat and will increase more weight and length. tempos is characterized by an underly- the authenticity of the swing feel. This In swing style, the eighth note is ing subdivision of the eighth notes into concept can be verbalized as “doo Da- the traditional underlying subdivision. triplets as shown in Figure 1. You will doo, Da-doo” (Figure 3). One caveat Although tempo somewhat affects the often see this indication at the beginning to this technique is that as the tempo treatment of these eighth notes, the of a chart or in the conductor’s score gets faster, there is less emphasis on

82 Music Educators Journal September 2012

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 the upbeat, and the upbeat eighth notes are often slurred into the next down- FIGURE 4 beat (Figure 4). Once the quarter note Scale Articulation Pattern—Medium tempo reaches M.M. = 180+, the eighth notes are performed evenly, and the swing feel is created by slurring three or more notes together and accenting selected notes (Figure 5). Scales can be used as exercises to practice this feel. Once students become comfortable with swing eighth notes, then inter- preting jazz rhythms and applying the FIGURE 5 appropriate articulations will be easier. Scale Articulation Pattern—Fast tempo Consider the following guidelines when preparing your next jazz performance. Remember that because jazz is like a language, there are always exceptions to each guideline. 1. Unless specifically marked otherwise, any quarter note or eighth note fol- lowed by a rest is played or sung short. Notice that the articulation ends with FIGURE 6 a “t” sound, which is achieved by stop- Short Note Articulations ping the tone with the tongue (Figure 6). While typically not used in classical per- formance technique, the tongue-stopped tone is standard in jazz. Notice that some of the short notes in this example are accented and some are not. This will be addressed in Guideline 4. Quarter notes or eighth notes fol- FIGURE 7 lowed by rests often occur in jazz in the middle and at the ends of phrases Quarter Note Articulations and lines. More clarity is achieved when these notes are played short. It is also easier to coordinate the precision of larger ensembles when these notes are played short. If not followed by a rest, then quar- ter notes and eighth notes are usually In many styles of music, including receive more attention. This action also played/sung long unless one of the fol- marches, beats 1 and 3 are the strong simulates the beats where finger snaps lowing situations applies: beats and are therefore emphasized would occur to keep time to the music. more strongly. In jazz music, beats 2 and To better coordinate the ensemble articu- 2. Quarter notes that occur on the 4 are more strongly emphasized. This lations with the rhythm section sounds, downbeats of beats 1 or 3 are usually is where the eighth notes occur in the short quarter notes on beats 2 and 4 are played/sung long. drummer’s ride cymbal pattern (Figure more effective. An exception to this rule 3. Quarter notes that occur on the 8). The drummer usually creates a long is when there is a string of more than four downbeats of beats 2 or 4 are usually sound on beats 1 and 3 with the ride quarter notes in a row. In this situation, played/sung short. cymbal. The hi-hat is always played on all the quarter notes are typically played beats 2 and 4 in jazz. (sung) short and accented (Figure 9). In the last measure of the example Because of the strong impact of the Likewise, there are certain rhythm in Figure 7, the quarter note on beat 3 is hi-hat cymbals when they come together combinations, such as the one shown in played/sung short because it is followed in a sort of “chick” sound on beats 2 and Figure 10, that call for both quarter notes by a rest (Guideline 1). 4, quarter notes that occur on these beats to be played or sung short, even though www.nafme.org 83

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 FIGURE 8 FIGURE 12 Ride Cymbal/Hi Hat Pattern Syncopation Pattern

common malady, especially in young jazz groups.

5. A quarter note (or the equivalent FIGURE 9 thereof) that occurs on an upbeat Articulation for Consecutive Quarter Notes between two eighth notes (or rests) is played/sung short.

The eighth-note/quarter-note/eighth- note syncopation pattern, as shown in Figure 12, is very common in jazz music. Usually the quarter note is performed short and is accented to take advantage of the syncopated rhythm. Figure 13 FIGURE 10 shows several ways that this syncopated rhythm is articulated. If followed by a Johnny Carson Theme Rhythm rest, the figure should be articulated with the syllables doo-daht-dit (Example 1). If the last note is tied to a longer note, the figure is articulated doo-daht-day (Example 2). Even if the beginning of the figure is an eighth note rest, the figure is still articulated in this manner (Exam- ple 3). Example 4 shows how the figure FIGURE 11 would be articulated if the last note of Eighth Note doo-dit Pattern the figure is not tied but is followed by another note. When the upbeat quarter-note equiv- alent occurs as a part of a sequence of eighth notes and is tied across the bar line or the imaginary midpoint of the measure, it is played (sung) long, as seen in Figure 14. one occurs on beat 3 and one on beat 4. The two-eighth-note combination 6. Upbeat entrances after a rest, espe- I refer to this particular rhythm combina- followed by rest is one of the staples cially those that are a dotted-quar- tion as the “Johnny Carson Theme” rule of swing (Figure 11). As exemplified in ter-note length or longer, should be due to the prevalence of that rhythm in Duke Ellington’s “C Jam ,” the syl- “anticipated with an accent” (AWA). the theme song to his television show. It is lables doo-dit provide the appropriate However, even short notes that enter also the primary rhythmic figure in com- interpretation of this rhythm pattern. on the upbeat are AWA. poser Neal Hefti’s “Li’l Darlin’,” a standard Should this pattern occur at the end of big band chart recorded by Count Basie. a phrase, the rhythm should be played Entrances on the upbeat after a rest (sung) as if it were a triplet with the are particularly crucial to an authentic jazz 4. When the rhythmic pattern of two middle note imagined mentally rather style. Anticipating them with an accent eighth notes followed by a rest starts than be articulated. Using the articula- keeps them from sounding late and pro- on a downbeat, it is almost always tion syllables doo-hoo-dit will help this vides the appropriate emphasis for the articulated with the syllables doo-dit. rhythm keep from rushing, which is a rhythm pattern (Figure 15).

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Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 7. A succession (three or more) of quar- FIGURE 13 ter notes (or equivalent) on consecu- Syncopation Pattern Articulations tive upbeats is usually played/sung long and accented.

When three or more quarter notes occur on successive upbeats, they are all played (sung) long and accented to pre- vent the sound from being too choppy and allowing the beat to rush (Figure 16).

8. In a line of eighth notes, accent the highest note and any wide-leap FIGURE 14 changes of direction. Ghost (swallow) Upbeat Tied Eighth Note Pattern the lowest note and notes that occur on the weakest upbeats (2 and 4).

The concept of ghosting, or swal- lowing, a note is achieved by using the syllable dn rather than doo and actually simulating swallowing rather than blow- ing during these notes. This results in a less defined tone for that note, making it FIGURE 15 more suggested than clearly articulated. Often this type of note is indicated in the AWA Pattern music with an X rather than a notehead or parentheses around the chosen note. This technique is often heard in music of the bebop era. Listening to the music of Charlie Parker provides the ultimate guide for performing this articulation style authentically. A careful analysis will indicate this practice being used on long lines of eighth notes, as shown in Figure FIGURE 16 17. Use of this practice can be heard on Consecutive Upbeat Quarter Notes many Charlie Parker recordings. Listen to examples from the discography included as a sidebar in this article.

9. The eighth-note triplet rhythm is usu- ally articulated by slurring the first two notes and tonguing the last one. The most commonly used articulation syllables are doo-dle-da. FIGURE 17 Ghosted Notes and Eighth Note Line Accents Using this articulation will allow the performer to play or sing a line of suc- cessive triplets with speed and smooth- ness (Figure 18).

10. All notes of a quarter-note triplet should be played/sung long unless otherwise indicated. Sometimes they are accented, and sometimes they are not. www.nafme.org 85

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com by guest on March 7, 2014 for your jazz ensemble to articulate bet- FIGURE 18 ter. The discography in this article will Eighth Note Triplets provide good examples for your students to listen to and emulate.

NOTES 1. Antonio J. Garcia, “Learning Swing Feel or How to Sculpt an Elephant,” International Trombone Association Journal 34, no. 2 (April 2006), FIGURE 19 http://www.garciamusic.com/educator/ ita.journal/ita.journal.html. Quarter Note Triplets 2. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Swing_(jazz_performance_style) (accessed January 7, 2010).

3. Mark C. Gridley, Jazz Styles: History and Analysis, 10th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009), 8–11.

4. Bill Treadwell, The Big Book of Swing (New York: Cambridge House, 1946).

5. See http://www.jazzinamerica.org/ JazzResources/Resources (accessed FIGURE 20 January 7, 2010). Sixteenth Note Pattern 6. Treadwell, The Big Book of Swing.

7. Jeff Pressing, “Black Atlantic Rhythm: Its Computational and Transcultural Foundations,” Music Perception 19, no. 3 (2002): 288.

8. A copy of a chart of standard articu- lations can be found in J. Richard In jazz, the quarter-note triplet is While this rhythm pattern does not Dunscomb and Willie Hill Jr., known as the drag triplet. The purpose occur as often, it is often challenging for Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator’s of this rhythm is to pull against the regu- students, who tend to play the sixteenths Handbook and Resource Guide (Van lar eighth-note pulse. A common error is too slowly. Using this articulation will Nuys, CA: Alfred Music Publishing Co., to play the last note of this figure short, help solve that problem (Figure 20). 2002), 70. which changes the impact and causes 9. Ibid., 75. the figure to rush. Imagining this rhythm By following these guidelines, your as if it comprised six eighth-note triplets instrumental or vocal jazz ensemble tied together in groups of two will make should be a swinging, hot-sounding jazz it easier to perform. This rhythm should machine. To be sure, there are excep- Check out some of the not be confused with the dotted eighth- tions to these guidelines, just as there are Jazz-Related Lesson Plans in note–sixteenth-note tied to eighth-note– exceptions to the guidelines for English My Music Class® eighth-note rhythm shown in Figure 19. language pronunciation. Even so, just as at musiced.nafme.org 11. Two sixteenth notes followed by a one learns a new language by listening under “Lessons.” rest are articulated with the syllables to it spoken and mimicking the speaker, Put “jazz” in the search box. spit-it or did-it. The first sixteenth is listening to and mimicking authentic jazz usually accented. examples will provide the prime model

86 Music Educators Journal September 2012

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