Evolution of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evolution of Jazz - Essay ExampleMany of the Jazz harmonyians relieved themselves from racial, social and ethnical tensions in their hometown and spread Jazz music as ambassadors of their new found freedom. Hence, between the First and Second World Wars (1914 1940) Paris adopted Jazz music as its own. In this way, there was a huge transformation of Jazz music from an African- American genre to becoming an iconic phenomenon of international repute. Jazz music, that began with tenuous marching bands, big bands, or by piano and banjo solos soon disintegrated as the focus centered on smaller ensembles. The Jazz musician I dedicate chosen to write about is Louis Armstrong, (1901 1971) who is considered to be one among the best of Jazz musicians. Born in New Orleans on 4th August, 1901, Louis overcame his poverty-stricken scope and rose to become one of the greatest solo improvisers in the field of Jazz music. Louis played the promulgate in a rattling innovative and evoke way and his style relied on improvisation during his playing the trumpet. He also pioneered a new style of interpret called track down which is improvising during singing without real lyrics merely in perfect tempo and melody. Armstrong had a sort of gravelly voice and besides his virtuosity in his trumpet playing abilities, he was quite famous for his scat singing. In fact, he holds the record of being the oldest Jazz artist to have cut a No. 1 record at 63 days old, which is called Hello Dolly. What is most spectacular about this record is that it toppled the Beatles by reaching number 1 on the charts in 1964. Hello Dolly (1964) was the chart-buster entitle song for the award winning musical Hello Dolly. This wonderful song also won a Grammy for the best vocal performance by Louis Armstrong which enthralled his audiences all over the world. It was later made into a movie where Armstrong appeared and dueted with Barbara Streisand. Composed by Jerry Herman , Hello Dolly is a very vibra nt and slippery number rendered with equal enthusiasm and energy by the famed Louis Armstrong. The song begins with a rhythmic syncopated style using instruments. After the instrumental introduction, Armstrong begins singing in his own inimitable scat singing style. He has a deep voice that is highly expressive of the lyrics Hello Dolly. The band comprising of saxophone, drums and trumpet played by Armstrong himself lends complete support in between the vocals. The interlude of Hello Dolly is quite a lengthy one, with the trumpet as the primary(prenominal) instrument and the other instruments filling in to add a different flavor. His flair for innovation is a major plus point for this singer as he uses a lot of improvisation both in his trumpet playing as well as in his singing. Some of the rhythmic trounce used are long while others are staccato in presentation. Armstrongs voice is throaty and guttural but even so very captivating. The pace of the entire song is medium paced wh ile the tone is highly energetic with snatches of highs and lows that give it its own uniqueness and beauty. The final bar of the instrumental begin has Armstrong improvising into a crescendo and this is duly answered by the supporting saxophone. Immediately after the interlude, Armstrong takes over and concludes the piece by singing using both lyrics as well as syncopated sounds that makes it so unique and attractive. Armstrong is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time who has