User:Jaychman/sandbox

Ethno Jazz

Jorge's Original Text on Ethno Jazz

Definition

The Word Ethno-Jazz comes from the words ethno that refers to a culture or ethnicity and Jazz which is an American musical genre with African music tradition. It is characterized for the use of imitation, creativity, virtuosic improvisation, and syncopation. This combination of styles is considered a subgenre of World Music.Ethnomusicology is the study of dance and music from different parts of the world based on their culture and social behavior. This practice plays a vital role of Ethno-Jazz. The reason is because the idea of applying other countries own music style to jazz started as a combination between Jazz musicians studying music from other cultures and musicians around the world inspired by jazz trying to apply their local musical traditions to Jazz.

In simple words, Ethno-Jazz music works by just combining the different vital elements from Jazz and any other music that is considered part of a specific culture. One of the most popular examples is Latin-Jazz. This contains music from places like Brazil and Cuba. When musicians play, for example, Cuban music with Jazz what they do is using musical elements that Jazz musicians always apply, like specific forms (AABA or AB), elements of improvisation, and instrumentation (drum set, bass, guitar, piano, and horns), and add fundamental characteristics from Cuban music, like Cuban Clave and the use different percussions (congas, timbales, guiros, cow bells, and bongos). Musicians figure out ways of arranging the music so that this combination of genres fit to songs. One of the most common techniques is when rhythm section instruments imitate what foreign instruments would do. An example of this is when jazz drummers try to imitate the sounds of timbales with the snare by turning off the resonators and letting all the overtones from the drum sound.

Ethno Jazz Background

Ethno Jazz was possible thanks to a phenomenon called “Globalization.” Modern Globalization is considered that began in the 19^th century with the Industrial Revolution. This brought technological development that helped connect cultures in a faster and more efficient way.

Jazz was beneficiated for this allowing the music to travel around the globe as recordings and performances. A couple of examples the New Orleans band named the “Original Creole Orchestra” which toured Canada for the first time during the fall of 1914, and the “Original Dixieland Jazz Band” toured Europe in 1919. This last one was so popular that stayed on England for a year. This music was becoming so popular at the beginning of the 20^th century that it spread around the globe inspiring local musicians to listen and to play Jazz. Countries like China organized Jazz festivals that had a positive acceptance from the public that turned the event into an annual tradition. In addition, musicians outside the United States were becoming a sensation by their understanding and development of Jazz composing and playing. One of the most respected non-US Jazz musicians was the guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt. He was born on a gypsy family and performed with famous musicians like Arthur Briggs, Bill Coleman, and Bill Arnold. His predominate style of playing was “Gypsy-Jazz.”Traveling and learning from other cultures was another factor in the influence and development of Ethno Jazz. For example, variety of musicians like pianist Randy Weston, trumpeter Lester Bowie, multi-instrumentalists Yusef Lateef, Ornette Coleman and drummer Max Roach had a fascination for other cultures’ music. They went to Africa and studied different countries’ melodies, rhythms, and harmonies and adapted them into their jazz playing and compositions.

Intercultural musical exchange was well received by people around the world. As a consequence, musicians wanted to develop more this music. It was selling and the performers where fascinated with this new sound they were developing. In addition, they not only learned the styles from other countries and brought them back to the US, but they also took musicians. Immigration of musicians from different countries and musical backgrounds was happening. This people was hired by big Jazz names to perform in their ethno-jazz projects.

Latin Jazz

One of the most popular genres on Ethno-Jazz is Latin-Jazz, which Is characterized for combining Jazz elements with music from a variety of places in Latin-America. In addition, the combination of instrumentation played an important role. In a standard Jazz band you have a combination of rhythm section players (piano, guitar, bass, and drums) with horn players (like saxophone, trumpet, or trombone). In a Latin music, you can mainly see more percussion instruments like timbales, congas, bongos, maracas, claves, guiros, and vibes, which were played by the first time in a Latin setting by Tito Puente. Musicians combine this two instrument groups to create this Latin-Jazz Sound.Cuba and Brazil were one of the first countries and most influential for the development of this music. Cuba, for example, was a really popular place to travel for the United States people between 1930s and 1950s because they felt fascinated with the culture. Cuba offered a warm sensation and appeal to the senses with their dance music and exotic dances.

Cuba

Afro-Cuban music was developed in Cuba and had its origins in West Africa. This music is characterized by the use of the Cuban Clave. There are two kinds of Clave, one is Rumba Clave and the other one is Son Clave. They are composed by a two-measure pattern in Cut Time. Both add a base, mood, and flow to the music creating polyrhythm and asymmetry on the pieces. This music was combined with Jazz music was more symmetrical and used a heavy back beat by the time. Together they create a new Cuban-Jazz fusion known as Afro-Cuban Jazz or Cubop. It is considered that the musicians that planted the seed of Cubop were Mario Bauzá, a Cuban trumpeter, and Frank Grillo a Cuban maraca player who was also known as “Machito.” Both musicians moved to the United States where they perform Cuban music and were influenced by Jazz. One of the most important collaborations was when Bauzá was working with the famous jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Bauzá introduced Chano Pozo (Conga player) and Chiquitico (Bongo player) to Dizzy and they began a Big Band that combined Jazz and Cuban music. Consequently in 1946 they performed the first Afro-Cuban Jazz concert in Carnegie Hall. This concert was a sensation because it combined Latin syncopated bass lines, percussion drumming, cross rhythms, and bebop language on top of the Latin feel. Some of the most famous recordings from this band were Cuban Be, Cuban Bop, Algo Bueno, and Manteca.

Brazil 

As mentioned before, Brazilian music had an important influence in Latin-Jazz. This started with the style called Samba, which comes from a combination of African dances with march rhythms during the 19^th century. This rhythm is characterized for having an emphasis on the second beat of each measure. Also, different as the Cuban music, this style does not have a clave pattern. This creates a more relaxed sensation and feels less tense. This Brazilian music was introduced to the United States around 1930s by Hollywood with songs like “Tico Tico” and “Brazil,” however years later lost its popularity until 1940. In this year saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd recorded an album called “Jazz Samba” with Verve Records. It baceme so popular that got to be number 1 in pop charts and also won a Grammy for best solo performance of the year in the song “Desafinado.”Later on, in 1958 Antonio Carlos de Almeida (Jobim) introduced a style similar to samba called Bossa Nova, which means “New Flair.” This music is slower, feels more poetic, melancholic, and has a mellow sensation. A famous example of Jobim’s music is the piece “Wave” which appears in his album with the same name. The music was gaining popularity and other Jazz musicians wanted to do something it. Dizzy Gillespie studied Jobim’s music since then and later on he recorded two famous Brazilian style pieces called “Desafinado” and “Chenga de Sudade.”