Jazz: A how-to

So now that all four of my regular blog-readers will hopefully be listening to some jazz for Jazz Appreciation month, I thought I'd give you a bit of a tutorial on jazz.  For those who insist that it is too confusing and that it doesn't make any sense.

Jazz band instrumentation:  Has evolved from the days of a banjo (as timekeeper), clarinet or cornet, and maybe a fiddle or a piano, to the much larger orchestras of the swing era (some with small string sections), to smaller bands and combos.  You will usually find rhythm section instruments (piano, drums, bass and guitar) and wind instruments. 

Big bands will have a sax line (usually five, two altos, two tenors and a bari), a trombone line (2-4 players) and a trumpet section (2-4).

In a standard jazz tune, like one by the great Duke Ellington for instance, you will hear the main tune.  The melody.  The part that sometimes gets lyrics added to it.  Many times this will come after a short 4-8 bar (measure) introduction.  Musicians refer to this as the 'head' or 'tune'.  Listen to this melody and try to pay attention to the chords behind it.  These chords, called a 'progression', will be played continuously throughout the chart. 

After the main melody is heard, the chart can go one of several directions.  It can be opened up for solos from members of the band, who will improvise music over the progression, or it can go through modulations (key changes).  Sometimes there is a 'soli' section that will feature one section of the band, like the ending trumpet licks of Glenn Miller's In the Mood.  In a written out arrangement, like a dance chart, there may be breaks for solos, or large solis written out, or no solos at all.

If you go to a jam session to hear jazz musicians, there will many times not be written out arrangements.  These players will play off of 'lead sheets'.  Lead sheets have just the melody line and chord changes.  With just this information the players can create a whole song, with the head, and an open section for solos. After everyone who wants to solo has gotten to play, there is usually a return to the head and the song can end.

Of course, this is a very basic outline of jazz music.  What makes it so wonderful is that there are lots of ways to play jazz and still be 'correct.'  So, go listen and try to hear what's going on!