Tuesday 21 October 2014

History And Types Of Jazz Music Genres

By Dominique Martin


Millions of fans all over the globe know there is only one kind of music which takes them away and lifts them up when they are down. This song can't be any other than jazz music. It is music that fits into all occasions; in fact, it can be called a whole package when it comes to music. Whether you want to dance, on the road driving, relaxing the afternoon away or create background music for a photo album, this African-American originated song will make a perfect choice.

You can't be more mistaken if you think this African-American originated song is new in the music arena. It is century old with a very rich history in the old West African culture. There is nothing to stop the growth and that growth have been accepted worldwide by a fan base which keeps growing with each new generation and great legends adding on to the ever growing list.

Jazz is a wide genre covering several sub-genres which are all grouped under it since they conform to some of the qualities of this song. In the current generation, there are different types of this African-American originated song which make up the sub-genres. These sub-genres can also be looked as the period they were hits, because songs keep changing with time. The way it was done two decades ago, it is always different with the way it is today.

Jazz has stood the test of time with a history of over 100 years since it emerged. It was started by African-American people in the late 19th century with performance orientation. Since its origin in the New Orleans and other parts of America, it has grown over the years becoming one of the greatest genres of music available today.

The first genre of this African-American originated song is normally referred to as the New Orleans Dixieland, which was very popular in the last years of 19th Century and lasted up to late 1920s. The most identifiable feature of this genre was the ragtime style. This genre gave birth to the many others which have succeeded it to the current type.

After the New Orleans Dixieland came the Swing type that dominated the world from 1930s to late 1940s when the Second World War was over. Several huge bands rose up and gained recognition in the United States playing this kind of African-American originated song. The first major improvisation in the rhythm was included in this genre when one note was extended over a second one.

An up-tempo jazz replaced the slow tempo of the previous versions in the late 1940s and lasted up to 1960s. This African-American originated song is referred to as the Bop but due to its speed a new genre came up in the 1950s called the Cool Jazz which had a relatively easy tone. The "Cool" one lasted up to the 1960s.

Rapid improvements and changes occurred in the 70s going forward, when the fusion was born from combination of rock and this one. Many combinations have occurred since then, but still jazz stands strong. The latest of these is the pop fusion which is the hit in the 21st Century.




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